Teaching for a Living

Pinoy, dakila ang ‘yong lahi Bukambibig, laya’t diwang puri Kakaiba’ng kaalamang nakabinhi Karanasa’y taal at namumukod-tangi Tumingin man sa kana’t kaliwa Ibang-iba ang isip, ugali’t gunita Sa lente ng iba ma’y tanikala Makulay ang maskarang nilikha Pisikal ma’y layo-layo Iba ma’ng direksyong tinutungo Buklura’y isang dibuho Sunod sa ritmong bumubuo May karanasan mang kolonyal Kaisipang mapagpalaya’y nakakintal Sa pang-aalipin ma’y sakal Pagkakakilanla’y sakdal Nadapa ma’t naiwang mag-isa Natayo sa sariling mga paa Sa dilim ma’y kumapa-kapa Nailawan, sariling kandila Lumipas man ang panahon Tubog sa kwento ng inspirasyon Na subukin man ng pagkakataon Sa unos, sabay-sabay aahon

In this wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of millions of people around the world had been practicing social distancing, home quarantine, or self-isolation. Such situations pave the way for people to experience cabin fever. It is an extreme feeling of restlessness/irritation for a long time brought about by isolation or confinement. Though restlessness and irritation are the primary symptoms of cabin fever, some people may also experience at the same time, the other signs or symptoms in various deg rees such as : - Impatience - Fear - Troublesome - Sadness/anxiety/depression - Anger/irrational outburst - Frustration - Hopelessness - Unmotivated - Lethargy   - Mood swing - Resentment - Inability to concentrate - Food cravings It is important to note that only trained mental health professional can accurately diagnose cabin fever. Some of the listed signs/symptoms above may also signs/symptoms for other mental health issues. ...

Fake news is becoming the norm in today's society. It is an act of disinformation (intentional) or misinformation (unintentional), for people to believe, accept, and consume false things. The information is typically useless, incorrect, and even harmful.  In this rapidly changing times and the advent of technology, there is information coming from various sources. Many had been victims of fake news, causing confusion and desolation. Some had proliferated fake news for personal gains, political propaganda, etc. Now, more than ever, it is hard to find reliable sources. As consuming public, we should be keen on spreading information, analyzing the authenticity of the data fed by various printed or digital platforms, and criticizing dubious identities and activities.  Fake news is now a threat to democracy and to access authentic information since the proliferation of fake news hampers the flow of information to the people. At worst, a person may fall to the lies of t...

The 5S is an acronym for good housekeeping practices that describe the elimination of waste/clutter/rubbish in the workplace. It was derived from the Japanese words seiri (sort), seiton (set in order/segregate), seiso (shine/sanitize), seiketsu (standardize), and shitsuke (sustain/self-discipline). It is a useful tool to organize operations, especially in the workplace, for total quality management and continuous improvement. It can be effectively used in the works of the teachers, too, primarily in managing their respective classrooms. Seiri (Sort). The items in the workplace must be sorted out whether what must be kept and be disposed. The unnecessary things must be removed immediately.  Seiton (Set in Order/Segregate). The items must be arranged for ease in using and locating when needed. In short, everything must be in-placed.  Seiso (Shine/Sanitize). The items and the workplace itself need to be cleaned thoroughly from time-to-time. Cleanliness must be secured a...

Today more than ever, the world needs heroes who are willing to volunteer, offer their service, and even sacrifice their lives for humanity. As the world faces the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are locking their borders and holding seas of people to home quarantine. Left at the forefront of this global war are the health workers and other service providers.   But even some of these heroes had been knocked down by this disease. Everyone has been affected, and the uncertainties as to when this catastrophe will end still linger. There had been accounts of widespread civil unrest, discrimination and harassment to health workers, unemployment, and economic impediments as people continue to live in fear. It is at these times that the spirit of ‘Bayanihan’ and volunteerism must prevail; that the sense of humanity still exists and thrives among us. Yes, people of the world had been closing their doors in threat of the virus, but we must take the courage to open our hea...

Teachers and learners as the two most essential individuals in the educative process. The teachers taking the part of the facilitators and the learners being the actors in the process. In providing quality education, teachers served as the facilitators that lead the learners to discover new concepts through activities giving them first-hand experiences. They are the architects that design differentiated and responsive activities to the varying needs of the learners. Likewise, the learners, as the actors of education, make meaningful connections to their teachers for active learning to happen. They are the doers that realize their full potentials through holistic and practical activities. The teacher-learner relationship is a crucial ingredient for the success of education. It reinforced cooperation for the attainment of the goals in education. Key to this relationship is the mutual respect between the teacher and the students. It is innate for the teachers to provide a nurturi...

Progressive education has been a response to revolutionize how the teaching-learning process is done conventionally. Backed with the empirical modalities of learning by doing and meaningful application of concepts learned to real-life contexts, schools are overhauled to meet the demands of the ever-changing society.  With that, a progressive school must provide opportunities for learners to discover and experience learning on their own, making them the actual managers of their own pace of learning. When learners are given a chance to be at the lead in their learning course, they can discover and apply solutions to the problems they encountered along the way. This leads to the development of the innate tendency to self-regulate. Though providing hands-on and real-life learning experiences for the learners are quite challenging, the ingenuity and creativity of teachers cannot be underestimated. Teachers are trained to improvise and localize instruction fitted to the needs of...