Isang Hamon Sa Mga Magulang sa Pagtatapos ng Buwan ng Wika

Patapos na naman ang Buwan ng Wika. Salamat sa Diyos na ako ay isang guro. Salamat sa pagkakataon na maibahagi ang kulturang Pilipino sa maliliit na bata at sa pamilya nila.

Noong isang linggo, puro “Baby” ni Justin Bieber and naririnig kong inaawit ng mga bata. Ngayon, may malalakas na hagikhikan pagkatapos nilang awitin ang “Dyip ni Mang Juan.”

Dati-rati, sa tuwing naglalaro, isa sa mga mag-aaral ang mahilig mag-“air bending” (hango sa “The Last Airbender”). Ngayon, paulit-ulit ang hiling niya, “Teacher, maglaro naman tayo ng luksong baka!”

Noong isang linggo rin, hilig ng isang grupo ng mga mag-aaral na ihanay ang mga upuan nang magkakasunod. Umuupo sila roon at sinasabing sila ay nakasakay sa tren, at tutungo sa Hongkong Disneyland. Ngayon, may dalawang magkaharap na hanay ng mga upuan. Sa dulo ng bawat hanay ay may nakatalikod na silya. Umuupo sila roon at sinasabing sila ay nakasakay sa dyip, at tutungo sa “beach” upang mag-picnic.

Datapwa’t ang sinisigaw pa rin ng mga bata ay “Ready or not, here I come!” hindi mapapantayan ang saya nila tuwing naglalaro ng Taguan Pung.

Para sa mga batang hindi mahilig kumain ng prutas o gulay, masaya ako dahil nagustuhan nila ang matamis na manggang pinatikim ko.

Para sa mga batang wikang Ingles ang nakagawian, masarap pakinggan na sambitin nila ang “Magandang Umaga,” “salamat,” at “paalam.”

Nawa’y ipagpatuloy ng mga bata ang pagmamano sa mga nakatatanda. Nawa’y maging totoo sila sa pangakong hindi lang puro “video games” ang aatupagin. Lalabas na raw sila ng bahay upang maglaro ng Patintero. Sanaý patuloy rin nilang kagiliwan ang “Bato-bato-pik” at “Sawsaw Suka.”

Maliliit pa ang aking mga mag-aaral. Sayang! Hindi pa nila maiintindihan ang “Langit Lupa Impiyerno.” Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Mas lalong mahirap ipaliwanag sa kanila ang “Siato” na paborito naming laro noon.

Sa aking pagtatanto, napakasarap maging isang bata, ngunit higit na masarap maging batang Pilipino. Nawa’y marami pang mga batang mamulat sa mga laro at kaugaliang Pinoy. Isang hamon sa mga kapwa ko magulang – gawin nating kasing-saya ng ating kabataan ang paglaki ng ating mga anak.

Ngayon din nga pala ay Araw ng mga Bayani. Ipinagmamalaki ko na sa aking munting paraan, ako ay may nagawa para sa kulturang Pilipino.

A Wonderful Tribute to Teachers

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If Things Don't Work Out, You Can Always Go to Law School

By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?

No, Thank You!

We were having lunch today when I saw my student pulling something out of his mouth. He took out a triangular slice of garlic and laid it on his other palm. He offered it to me, and said...

"Teacher, you want pizza?"

Er, no thank you!

Happy Teachers' Day

It was Teachers' Day in school today.

I received gifts, hugs,
and hand-written letters like this...

dyr tsr tnk yu i lav yu
(Dear Teacher, Thank you. I love you!)

I love my job!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Words of Wisdom from Pre-schoolers

One of my students was humming a familiar tune. I said, "Hey, where did that come from? (of course I meant to ask, what movie or show did he hear that tune from?) He looked at me with a puzzled look and said, "From my mouth!" Why didn't I think of that?

-----0-----

I read somewhere that Gorillas actually burp. To teach my students some manners, everytime someone would burp loudly, I would say that he/she is acting like a gorilla. One day, somebody burped so loud and I said, "I think we have a gorilla here!" Somebody else asked, "Teacher, why do gorillas burp?" The kid who burped answered quickly, "Because they eat bananas!"

Why didn't I think of that?