Student’s Fragility: Handle With Care

Whipped with a stick, forced to swallow a piece of paper and pinching at the ears- these are the experiences of most students during the dark ages of education.  Lucky are we for because of the researches conducted, gone are the days when the classrooms are the commonplace of smothering discipline and corporal punishments. Indeed, through the years, education has never been the same.  Nowadays, the law allows the teachers only to reprimand the students as a form of negative reinforcement whenever the students misbehave or do not meet the standards. Dictionary.com defines reprimand as to reproof or stern oral discipline to someone in a formal way.  Since giving verbal scolding is easy to administer, teachers would then tend to reprimand the students to immediately manage the student’s misconduct and straighten their demeanor whenever the classroom becomes chaotic. However, what these teachers failed to consider are the lifelong and sometimes irreversible negative effects whenever they reprimand students in a wrong way.

 

Handling a wet clay

Human beings are born a “Tabula Rasa” or an empty slate. We learn as we go along and form our character through our experiences.  Hence, young children are trained at grade school, being the foundation, to become responsible adults. In the same manner, college students, despite the higher level of maturity, are still in the process of molding. Although, college students are expected to think and act more logically, some instructors fail to recognize that some students are just as delicate as wet clay being shaped to become a clay pot. College students are in the stage that needs proper guidance to maintain a characteristic before it hardens and becomes permanent.  At this level, even if the students are halfway to being baked at the furnace, one wrong move (ie. Reprimanding the wrong way and insulting the students) will still cause a dint. If mishandling persists, the student’s character will be defective, if not, break.  In other words, college students are in the polishing and crucial stage wherein their foundation, values and passion are enhanced before they are released to the professional world. 

What some instructors have taken for granted is the fact that college students are already young adults and that they can no longer be trained.  As what they said, “You cannot teach old dogs new tricks”. However, those instructors neglected the fact that young adults can still be trained through proper conditioning and form a behavior through positive reinforcement.

Breaking the glass of confidence

Students shine proudly like a glass whenever they are praised or appreciated. Though too much pride destroys a person, but a little of it is important in building the person’s confidence and self worth.  Some people’s pride and confidence, like diamonds, are just tough enough to resist breaking despite the scorn and nagging they receive. However, some are just so fragile that their self-perception easily breaks even with a blunt criticism. Hence, teachers are expected to consider the psychological wellbeing of their students so as not to cause depression and self-doubt among the students. Since verbally assaulting the students will only cause frustration, doing so will not maximize their learning potential but instead discourage them from having initiative and the sense of self-reliance. 

 Looking at the Mirror

 

According to the law, teachers have the professional responsibility of maintaining an environment that is conducive to learning. While some instructors are indeed concerned of the learning environment by correcting the student’s misdemeanor, they usually fail to realize that their way of disciplining the students is by itself promoting an ambiance that pushes the students away from their desire to become educated. In reprimanding the students by giving unsolicited comments and personal attacks, the instructors are displaying a negative image against themselves being impatient, incompetent and impassionate to their chosen profession. Furthermore, the instructor who insults his students by judging them only judges himself as guilty of being judgmental. Therefore, an instructor’s way of managing his class reflects his level of competence and professionalism.

As what an old adage says, “A mediocre teacher tells, a good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates but the great teacher inspires.” So, even if an instructor was able maintain an orderly class and conduct lessons smoothly by threatening and insulting the students, it does not necessarily mean that the instructor is fitted for his profession. Since being able to produce well-disciplined students through fear is not the parameter to prove the teacher’s superiority. Educating the students is not just about feeding them with information and forcing them to take it but it is more on teaching them the value of education and inculcating within them the yearning for knowledge. 

Despite the Cracks

Instructors, no matter how punitive they handle their students, are just fulfilling their roles as the “second parents”. Like parenthood, administering discipline has no easy formula. Despite the behavioral theories that provide “rule of the thumb” strategies in handling student’s misconduct, these strategies are not absolute.  There are also instances when the instructors have reached their limits and have exhausted all the appropriate means of implementing discipline and yet the students are just stubborn enough to resist. Hence, mutual understanding between the instructors and students cushions the impact of any unexpected response from each party. Nevertheless, teachers have to consider the individual sensitivity of each student by being tactful and assessing the possible interpretation of their words and manner. Whereas, on the other hand, it is also necessary for the students to realize that whenever the instructors’ patience breaks, like any fragmented piece of glass, they also have their rough and sharp edges. Instead of being discouraged, it would be beneficial if the students take the verbal reprimands as a challenge to improve. Like any responsible parent, some teachers feel that if they do not reprimand the students in front of the class it would mean that they do not care about the students at all; and that only those who care has the instinct to scold.

Preventing future breakages

 Students nowadays have become more aware of their rights.  By being oriented with the law, students are now more vigilant to those who abuse their authority and go beyond their limits. Therefore, in order for both sides to avoid violating and being violated, being aware of their limitations, authority and rights is the key.  By being well aware of the university policies, students can then gain respect by being assertive without being aggressive; being understanding without being tolerant; and being vigilant without being oversensitive. In the same manner, Instructors can then practice their authority safely and effectively without jeopardizing their integrity and credibility by being conscious of their obligations and limitations toward their students.

***To be edited, Not published (on going)

A Haven in the Pineapple Sanctuary

Pineapple Country 

Resting comfortably with pride at the outskirts of Cagayan de Oro City, Barangay Bugo dignifies its name with the Del Monte Company, as its crown atop its head.  Aside from being known as the home to the World’s Largest Manufacturer of Pineapple and Papaya Products, its citizens, the Bugohanons are also known to be hospitable and warm especially in welcoming their fellow country men back from abroad.  Along the highway, into the inner zones, and up to the subdivisions in its bosom, one can easily notice the sprouting of modern homes and rest houses owned by foreigners and most of whom, just retired from the navy, army and foreign law firms. And to justify even further the claims of Bugohanons being sweet and accommodating, lots of children, with parents of different nationalities and races, roam around the streets and plazas with some Bugohanon children.

 Being located at the borders of “the city of golden friendship” and considered as “the Pineapple Country”,  its people has the unique qualities of being friendly at the same time bearing the sweetness of pineapples in its hospitability, kinship and character.

Perks at the City Skirts

Situated at the boundary of the city, barangay Bugo offers its residents an easy access to both worlds- the busy city life and the alluring yet simple living in the suburbs. 

A Glimpse of Nature

By being the easternmost boundary of Cagayan de Oro city, one can fully experience the freshness of the morning sun by toddling the bay which stretches few kilometers eastward laid with fishermen and their fresh catch sold at a very catchy price. Even the best beach resorts and cold springs of the province are just minutes away. One can easily drive or ride a jeepney few towns to the east where the fresh spring waters and salt waters meet. Even at barangay Bugo itself, the lush greenery is abundant since it is surrounded with a chain of hills and low mountains covered with grasses. One can even fully experience the solitude and serenity of nature without leaving the barangay since at its very heart, a certain area which is unpolluted and untouched by the upgrade of civilization, we can see natural springs and rivers where shrimps grow. Wild papayas, bananas, coconuts can even be seen at certain areas where their fruits are sold at a reasonably low price and sometimes for free.

Bright Lights that Never Flicker

When one feels like shopping or partying in the city lights, the array of bars in Plaza Divisoria is just thirty minutes away. One can choose where to hang-out between the cheapest bars where most circle of friends meet, to the classiest bars where unique mixes of liquors are sold. And on weekends, after a half-hour drive from the barangay, one can fully indulge in the “shop-‘til-you-drop” version of the city at Night Café in Plaza Divisoria where street foods, live bands and ukay-ukay are the main highlights.  But if one feels like staying in barangay Bugo itself, Karaoke bars and restobars are also available to entertain the citizens of Bugo.

If one does not feel like driving his own ride, easy vehicular accessibility is also a main feature which barangay Bugo takes pride. Considering that it has its own Association of Jeepney Operators and Drivers, the association made sure that even at the break of twilight, jeepneys are still available.

Food at it’s best

The Barangay offers its people an easy access to basic amenities. It has thirty eateries and restaurants located strategically which makes it easy for the busy people to just dine in. The Celebrity house, being the biggest restaurant at the barangay, also offers catering services for parties and celebrations and also accepts bookings and reservation for wedding receptions. Moreover, bakeries and boutiques, where party supplies and cakes are sold, are open seven days a week to ensure that birthday parties will always have a classic touch.

The known Filipino dish, Lechon, which is also the highlight of every Filipino celebration, is sold anytime making it not necessary to wait for the next birthday party just to have a bite on that Crispy piece of golden-brown smoked pork skin oozing with its natural sweet-salty oil. During Sundays, the Lechon is sold near the church to make it easy for the church goers to indulge in the Native Filipino cuisine. 

Del Monte Products are also sold at a very cheap price which is exclusively available to the Bugohanons and Del Monte employees ensuring that cooking great foods and having grand deserts are always possible to the Citizens of Bugo. As a result, most dishes sold at the eateries and restaurants in the barangay also have this distinct taste which makes the diners crave for more as every oriental dish has a pineapple-ish taste considering that the barangay houses the Biggest Producer of sweetened and canned pineapples. Every native and oriental dish- Humba, kare-kare, Menudo, Pinakbet, Escabeche, Adobo, Inihaw, they all have this distinct Bugohanon taste and smell because of the abundant magic ingredient which releases and strengthens the taste of the spiced and seasoned meat- The Pineapple. One will always crave for the sweet’n sour taste of the Bugohanon dishes when walking along the streets at around 5pm as the ala-carte and street foods release the appetizing scent of grilled, fried and sautéed food after being marinated in the rich Pineapple syrup. 

            So unlike other barangays which offers features that are exclusively rural or solely urban, barangay Bugo, being a Rurban, offers the best perks of both worlds. 

*Submitted as a homework*

Unedited and Unpublished

Philippines: Toddling the Straight Path

Contrary to the typical and patterned State of the Nation Address, his Excellency President Benigno Simeon “P-Noy” Aquino Jr. delivered another unexpected speech, which stirred the House of Representatives. During his first SONA, he was faced with a forked road- standing between the divergence of the crooked road of corruption and the straight path of honest-to-goodness righteousness. This time, he proved that taking the one less traveled by has made the difference. 

            Critics, who buzzed around commenting and laughing about his first SONA which contained no more than just mere status quos and visions of an effective government, were again looking-forward for his plans for the future legislations. But then again, disappointment wrapped them after hearing his “wang-wang” speech. Commentaries about him not mentioning about the status of some house bills, especially the Freedom of Information Bill, immediately boomed in the internet and blogspots. Critics claimed that his well scripted, self acclaimed and “hope for the poor” speech which was sugar coated made him sound like he is the leader we’ve been waiting for.  But then, of all the presidents who came and went, who among them did not sugar-coat their respective speeches?

The able visionary

            Unlike the previous presidents who delivered their speech in front of the congress, P-Noy is fond of delivering the simplest speech. His SONAs are generally composed of unsubstantiated visions; visions that were not rationalized nor provided with a step-by-step course of action.  His version of SONA is a bombshell which makes it justifiable to say that he is indeed as controversial as her showbiz sister, Kris. By exposing the clandestine anomalies in the past government, he was able to divert the attention of the mob making his shortcomings unnoticeable.  Conrado de Quiros of the Philippine Daily Inquirer even stated that “Whatever the P-Noy government’s failings, it is far, far better than the one it replaced”.

            In his almost one hour speech, he spent almost a third of it discussing about his visions of good and effective governance. Like the other SONA’s, wishful promises were made but his version is different.  His promises were pragmatic and not just a stereotypical promise of improving the infrastructure, health care, education system and what not. Although at one point, he made an overrated promise of putting an end to corruption, but his way of doing it was done in a realistic and catchy manner.  He made less and simple promises compared to the previous administration but he was able to prove to his “bosses” that he is more effective as a leader by fulfilling them. He was a living proof that making simple and few fulfilled promises are better than numerous unmet promises of grandiosity. 

Dealing with wang-wang

            From the beginning of his speech, it was very noticeable that P-Noy kept on mentioning about “wang-wang” which he used to symbolize the perverse ingenuity and abuse of authority by the allegedly “public servants”. He pointed out that by abolishing the wang-wang system of the society, being the mindset of entitlement, has yielded good results in our economy. Along with wang-wang is the culture of patronage or the “whom you know” culture of the Filipinos which he intends to stop. His great repulsion against wang-wang was escalated when a woman told him, “It won’t matter who wins these elections. Nothing will change. I was poor when our leaders campaigned, I am poor now that they are in the office, and I will still be poor when they step down”. That statement echoed in him which he took as a challenge.

            In his speech, he made a threat against those who intend to lead the nation astray. His strong conviction against this ingenuity was supported by his revelations about some government offices and private sectors guilty of having an underground agenda.  He further remarked “What is wrong remains wrong regardless how long it has been allowed to persist. We cannot simply let it pass because if we ignore the crimes of the past, they will continue to haunt us”. Indeed, the revelations about the anomalies in the PAGCOR, PNCC, DPWH, and agricultural sectors, along with the allegations about ARMM elections has niggled those who are taking part of these anomalies.   He even mentioned the evident loophole in our local government wherein patronage is highly practiced. True enough, in our local governments we can see public officials and their family indulging in their affairs by making use of the government facilities and attending some private gathering aboard a “red-plated” vehicle. It is no longer a strange thing to see officials who allow their wives and children to use the patrol car or the ambulance as personal service to get rid of traffic. Hence, the word “wang-wang” also signifies the sound of the sirens of these vehicles which are supposedly for public use.  P-Noy, in his speech, even iterated a portion of the law which states that “The law authorizes only the President, the Vise President, the Senate President, the Speaker, the Chief Justice, and police vehicles, fire trucks and ambulances to use sirens in the fulfillment of their official duties- no one else.”

What the main problem is

            By P-Noy’s effort of getting rid of wang-wang and scrutinizing the questionable government-funded projects and programs, he was able to point out the hole in our system. During his speech, he was able to banner the amount of questionable funds which cannot be justified by the output of different sectors wherein an appalling amount of government funds allocated to different projects was spent over questionable items. In his speech, he even stated “If those funds had not gone waste, a child could have gone to school. Instead, we built ghost bridges to reach ghost schools where only ghost teachers went to work.”

            By diagnosing the main problem, P-Noy was able to put an end to it. Instead of waiting for the questionable projects to be justified, he withheld the funds intended for these projects and reallocated it to other programs such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, making sure that more and more indigent families can avail of the government’s assistance. After all, the tax we pay to the government is intended for the Filipino people. If we pay them taxes, then our hard earned money should go to where it should be.

Washing the laundry

            Clear enough, P-Noy’s second SONA was fashioned to covertly reveal PGMA’s excellent words and mediocre works.  Despite the allegations that PGMA laid a strong economic foundation which P-Noy is now enjoying, he is up to prove himself to his bosses that his way is different from the previous administration for he chose to toddle the unfamiliar and experimental way of governance- the straight path. Regardless of the criticism hurling against his doorstep,   he is still bold and robust in facing these obstacles for he is deviating from the crooked road and taking the first step to lead the nation along the straight path.  He even ended his speech by showing his confidence about the capability of the Filipino people to put an end to the wang-wang culture and keep the country alive, truly alive.

Edited and Published as:

SONA 2011: Toddling the Straight Path
National Interest

Capitol Chronicle vol. 23 No.1
June-August 2011 issue
“Engage and Experience”

Insecurity: A Race to Perfection

Outdated wardrobe. Disappointing grades. Feelings of inadequacy. Family Issues.  Frustrating right?   Believe me! You’re not the only one who’s waking in the wrong side of the bed faced with these dilemmas.  We’re all in the same boat! I suppose it is just safe for me to assume that I’m not the only one who is confronted with the pressure of meeting the society’s demand. After all, most, if not all of us, are compelled to reach the high bars of standards set by the general public.
            My day started undesirably after waking up one early morning disturbed by the booming voice of a nagging sibling.  I went home late last night and I don’t have to go to class until this afternoon so I intended to spend the whole morning compensating for a series of sleep deprivation. My alarm clock was set and everything that was planned went well until that afflicted voice disrupted everything. I was left with no choice but to deal with the hurly-burly going on.  Instead of going back to sleep after, I decided to spend the rest of my morning unwinding somewhere. I prepared my things, took a bath and started to dress up but Alas! I can’t settle on what to wear and I finally realized that I already tried every aesthetic combination of my apparels- with or without the blazer, belt and all those bling-blings.  It took me a long time to mix-and-match one outfit with the other and I finally decided to go and spend the rest of the morning shopping for a new set of apparel. My weekly allowance just came in so I’ve got enough to spend, and budget what’s left afterwards.  I shopped, bargained and spent ‘til I dropped and came to my senses that the week has just started and yet what’s left of my allowance would barely sustain me throughout the week. Now I’m faced with a new problem- how to make my ends meet.

After pondering on it for a while, I decided to move on and attend my class.  My instructor arrived just in time I reached my seat and our class started. The frustrations I’ve been through earlier today haven’t settled completely yet when the instructor prompted us to submit our homework. Right then and there, I was caught dumbfounded without any idea that something was due that day. I bet everybody in class submitted their homework aside from me. The buzzing and mumbling suddenly halted when the instructor told us to prepare for the quiz. By that, everyone started tearing a sheet of paper and talking about things which seemed unfamiliar. Again I was caught off-guard, unprepared and disoriented.  Without hesitation, I quickly browsed my notes and tried to have a last-minute-study by reading through the lines and racing against the clock.  To no avail, the quiz started, ended and I failed.  It all started with a bad morning and everything followed- like dominos falling one after the other until it reaches the last piece-my ego.

Here I am, staring blankly into someone whose mere disposition is an epitome of an ideal student- with good class standing, social stability and a respectable family.  Out of the blue, a thought knocked and penetrated my wits- “If she can have it, then why can’t I?”  Frustrations then started flooding my thoughts until all that was left was a huge distance towards the likeness of an ideal person.  All my failures and inadequacies which flashed before my eyes swept all my glory and self-worth. Since then, feelings of inferiority clouded my thoughts making me a self-conscious and hesitant person.

Indeed, personal flaws and failures in life can cause a crippling distress. If not intervened, frustrations would result to a low self-esteem. Human as I am, I desire perfection despite the knowledge of it being impossible. Hence, the mere idea of, at least, being close to perfection drives me to strive harder.  And since the society defines the parameters of perfection, I tend to compare myself to others and that’s when insecurities arise. From the looks, to the accessories, to the skills and up to the popularity, there are lots of reasons to be insecure.

 Though, one might misconstrue insecurity as being jealous (which is one of the seven grave sins) but a hair line separates one from the other. Jealousy is simply desiring to be in other person’s shoes or having other person’s property or character as one’s own. While insecurity, on the other hand, is being anxious of not being competent or adequate enough in propriety, skills and character to meet the social quota. As social beings, we desire to be socially accepted and to belong hence we fear to cause disappointment or fail other people’s expectations. True enough, insecurities can make us pretend as somebody who we aren’t just to gain acceptance and protect our ego. We do things which we usually don’t do to avoid appearing like a fuddy-duddy in the public or get down like a lead balloon. We pretend to be rich by living luxuriously and spending more than what we can offer. That’s the bad side of it. While on the other hand, Insecurities can do us good if our inadequacy inspires us to compensate by strengthening our weakness and focusing on our strengths. It can be a good thing if we stop pretending and start acting on our frustrations.

Insecurity, despite its moral issues on personality, is still a yearning for perfection at the end of the day.  For life, per se, is a race to perfection. Unlike a leopard which can’t erase its spots, we can always correct our flaws and change our personality- either we make it or break it. Our call…

           

Edited and published as:

Insecurity: A Race to Perfection

College Confessions

Capitol Chronicle, Vol 23, No. 2

September-October 2011 issue

“One Win”