My Philosophy of Education

How 'bout you ... what's your Philosophy of Education?

Finally, I’m on my last year of finishing my education degree at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Few months to go and I’ll hit the boom to go out and sail on the paradise of reality with my practicum in teaching profession. Before I pack myself conditioned on a state with teacher’s hat, I still need to confront some academic courses and requirements to finally and to officially be called as “Sir Eldrin”. My hopes are very high that by the time i am standing at the very center of every classroom, every hour i will spent on for that day on that specific group of embodied spirits, there is a clear-cut and cogent learning to gain on whether it is overt or covert.

The feeling is really rousing and exhilarating to step on the real world of classroom set- up and of course to meet the stars of every setting who are the students. Definitely, the ride I’m about to take will not only be a good shot but it must be the best shot! I must admit that the pressure right now even if its still months to go are very high. We've once talked and made some assumptions and presumptions with my block mates (as if we're from Assumption College HAHAHA) about what's going to happen when our time has unfold to be subjugated in different schools to conduct the practice teaching. Nevertheless, the ride is about to take without the privilege of choosing to flinch so just go with it, ride on it, hit the beat of teacher's cap to make the best of striking and notable impression to last.

In order to fulfill my intentions, every educator has their own idea to stand on for the very reason of existence on the setting of every classroom story. This is where we will come from. This is the foundational pillars on where we will work things out to elicit the best not for our own sake but for the greater boon of the students. This is the Philosophy of Education. Taking into consideration the philosophical perspective of an educator, we can have a good grasp of how he/she looks into the introspection of the life, the learner, and the profession.

As an education student, one of our duty to work on as early as now is to envisage our own philosophy of education. Different sources will enumerate a lot of philosophy of education in order to come up and derive on a well crafted one. But still at the end of the day, whether we belong to those crème de la crème, the philosophy we stand from should not be dormant but must be invested well. This is like one of the tweets I've read on twitter saying: LIVE BY EXAMPLE AND NOT BY QUOTATIONS.

The moment i am pounding the keyboard, i got a hard time of thinking to craft my own philosophy of education. Consequently, it took me some times before i crafted mine. This entails me a lot of backspace in the keyboard before i finally arrived with my own one. Nonetheless, the moment you have drafted your own philosophy, the feeling is humongous pride and honor to live at it and act on it. 

My dear readers, with great delight and repletion with an equally amount of modesty, i humbly share to you my philosophy of education. Enjoy!

The days may end as sun sets to the west and once again rise to the east but the power of every words and every little acts i will convey will amount into a stupendous degree of influence to the lives of every learners that will come into my life which will never end like the day but will stretch into forever. This is how powerful and extraordinary the profession i am living now compares with any other professions we have simply because we are called to it for a reason to arrived on a humongous multiplying effect to prosper the very essence of every intellectual, physical, moral and spiritual individual person for the commonwealth of humanity.

The reason for establishing this profession is for the learner or the student. Among all the professions, the world has given such vast faith and assurance to alleviate the standards of every learner by helping them. It's true when Albus Dumbledore said to Harry Potter from a movie, “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who need it.” Certainly, we are always there for our students to help and mold them holistically as a learner. We are prime movers of this world. We are the one who needs to step forward and believe at every cost for our students.

I believe that every learner is a man or woman of their own definition to define. They are unique and is incomparable with different level of altitude and capability from one another. Some learners’ maybe extrovert to confront things and others are introvert and is yet to find their selves out of the cocoon to bloom as a splendid butterfly full of colors and grace. I believe that every learner is a fountain of knowledge. They are of equally magnitude to bring out the very best from them. I believe that every learners are born good and to do good. They are physically constructed with brain on top to think first if it will contribute to good things and to judge things whether the actions are fair or not. I believe that every learner has the heart to share. To the extent of thinking for the benefit of most not only of few without a second thought of the actions and ambiguity to the judgment because it comes within the immaculate heart. And of course i believe that learners are of high interest to learn by not just merely reading the lines but deeply going beyond the lines for deeper self-examination to practice and act to it.

Every words i utter, every actions i deed, it amounts to a tantamount perception that i will uphold it, i will live by it. With grace and modest on the side, i must only teach the truth and nothing but the truth for i must be the epitome for everything that i speak of. I will respect the diversified world of classroom so that it will be transcribed in the outside world to share them values learned at every four corners of the room. If i say: “Let's be proper from head to toe”, so be it and practice what i preach.

I believe that my role as a teacher is profuse. And the sole role i have to uphold is to developed and mold them holistically from their intellectual, physical, moral and spiritual facet. I believe that this role to facilitate learning and inculcate good values can be done by:

•     teaching them to developed self-concept stretching to self-confidence, self-respect and self-postulation;
•          inculcating moral values from the Great Books of time that has been proved to be universally and highly equitable for the great welfare of humanity;
•          providing a well accommodating and friendly classroom environment declared as a zone of peace;
•          fostering cooperative and collaborative learning among the students for an in deep appreciation of diverse learners inside the classroom;
•          exposing every learners to every subject matter as much as possible close to realism for a justified learning experience;
•          observing positive discipline rather than other ways to make them realized of their fault but at the same time feel loved to correct them for their mistake;
•          building friendly and healthy competition inside the classroom to strive hard and work to double the effort in studying;
•          creating learning activities that will holistically developed the cognitive, affective and psychomotor aspect of every learner;
•          equipping the skills of a 21st century learner through learning activities, programs, projects for the subject.

To give justice with my philosophy of education, all of this must be said and done. Nothing is more promising than witnessing what I can do for my students rather than what they can do for my own posterity. The challenge maybe demanding and arduous but it’s too late to step back so better give em’ the fight! The fight for believing what my students can do; the fight of being an impetus for the elusive change we always dream of; the fight of uplifting the academic standards for every 21^st century Filipino learners in our educational system; and the fight of living for a cause of a better humanity.

I share to you my philosophy so that together, we can build a better tomorrow for every learners. This reminds me of a very famous African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child. I cannot stand alone to go against the odds and make all my desire come true. I need every ones support; we need every ones support. And this can only happen if we first put ourselves in believing that we can make it because then we already started to give the best of the fight! 

We can make it as a Village!

(Note: Photos are from google.com)

The Fault in Our Stars

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we underlings."- Julius Caesar

My curiosity was triggered by all the tweets I am reading from twitter and status from Facebook that really made a resounding remarks when #tfioscountdown become trending worldwide. To my surprise, the #tfios is an acronym to a book written by the very impressive and realistic man of his own, John Green, entitled The Fault in Our Stars. And yes, I must admit it that I downloaded the pdf version of the book on my wattpad and read the story for about a day. Well, as many other teen agers like me and even young adults and adults by heart, I was also hooked and gone infatuated badly with the love story of Hazel Grace and Augustus.

By the time I got to know about the movie adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars, I’ve decided to ruffle myself reading first the book before cavorting myself to the cinema house. I believe not only for me but for many who have read any books and made a movie adaptation to a film, we have our set of expectations before going to the cinema house. Okay, let’s admit it that script writers, directors and movie staffs of the film always made a u-turn and a twist to the story having some changes or if I may say very minimal one for a fresher and newfangled version on a flesh projected over a hundred plus inches screen for our own entertainment or maybe disgust. True to my expectations for TFIOS, there are some notes on the side of the story on the book that was not included and was changed with the film adaptation. Nevertheless, my One Hundred Seventy Pesos (P170) ticket price was justified and the ultimate goal of the movie and the book to make anybody who is such spirited person of his/her soul must shed tears and make you weep until your persona goes on a different dimension of the third world sense because your face is already blotchy and you’re not you anymore when you look at the mirror.

Let’s start this by the words of Augustus to Hazel Grace, “Perhaps our okay will be our always.” This very line is so sweet that it immortalizes so much the scrupulous love of a one-leg, seventeen years old former basketball player Augustus Water or Gus to the very charming and highly spirited Hazel Grace Lancaster who prefers to think of many shits rather than utilizing so much of his energy to her thyroid cancer that shifts to her lungs. Their teeny-weeny love story all happen on a Support Group at the Episcopal Church with members of the same condition as Hazel and Gus (cancer) has at the very heart of Jesus as in the literal pictographic representation of Sacred Heart of Jesus were they form in circle and share others thoughts and experiences about their condition. The Support Group was led by Patrick who was a cancer survivor and was trying to promote so much positivity and sanguineness to everybody from the group. This part of the story from both movie and book reveals my love to the character of Hazel Grace who refuses to talk and think of her cancer story for her own pity and commiseration from others. For her, it’s a shit if we will not face the actuality that depression is a side effect of dying. Good thing that there is a lever on the middle that balances everything with regards to the introspection of Hazel because of her very encouraging parents who insists her to go on Support Group every Wednesday and support her all the way she undertake.

To give justice on how Hazel and Gus codified their ‘okay’, it was inspired to the ‘always’ of Augustus’ friend Isaac who was so much besotted to her girlfriend Monica to the extent of exhibiting to the next level of what teen’s called public display of affection. Their ‘okay’ sounds weird but the moment I heard it from them, it’s a shameless declaration that I get moonstruck over them also.

And yes, girls plus me wanted to shout for joy and trembled around the cinema house when the very handsome Augustus Water played by Ansel Elgort come to life as the modern knight with well verse of manners and a man of his own words all packed of chivalry that is about to pissed-off Hazel Grace played by Shailene Woodley because of the unlighted cigarette over his kissable lips plus the killer grin that Hazel, me and the girls is about to curse and pray him to be the man we aspire in our dreams (HAHAHA).  Nonetheless, the very self- depicted Augustus Water get the stoic heart of Hazel Grace with the straight forwarded eyes without making a blink then suddenly wink for a strike of second plus the killer grin that made a start to their love story.

All throughout the book, the green tank Hazel carries with her whenever she go that is something like support system to her breathing mechanism was never highlighted or even mention on the film adaptation wherein she actually baptized the tank as Philip. Another thing that was not depicted on the film adaptation was about Hazel’s friend named Kaitlyn who has a very different kind of accent and high regards to the maturity of life plus the sophistication and the fashion elite impounded over her own personality. I was also expecting to see from the film whenever Hazel is in front of the television watching a very specific show which was also symbolically depicted in the book. It was America’s Next Top Model and was acronym as ANTM used on the book. This becomes the point of stress reliever for Mrs. Lancaster and also for Hazel.

Scenes like the time when Isaac was operated in the hospital with regards to his eye cancer was not shown also plus the mother of Isaac supporting him whenever he go at his pleasure. There is a great leap or forward of the story having Isaac operated already wearing his Ray Ban shades that made me loved him also (HAHAHA) and get emphasized more on the heart broken problem to Monica.

In the midst of Isaac’s mourning because of his heart broken experience, of course a shoulder to lean on was there in the figure of Augustus and Hazel. It is funny that Augustus’ basketball trophies that he earned and collected over the years as another thing to be thankful of what they called cancer perk aside from the drivers license he got after four trials (I guess) was given with hundred percent permission to be broken down into pieces in exchange to the pillow that Isaac was making a shot out to the feeling he has, Augustus kidding aside said: “Pillows don’t break.”

There was also a slight change when they plan to retaliate over Monica by throwing eggs over her car. Asking Hazel, “Do you have $5?” by Augustus they bought two dozens of eggs and Isaac acts like angry bird over the Monica’s car. In the movie, Hazel went out of the car and enjoy joining the two best friend buddies making bad things into a therapeutically acts on their own amusement. Consequently on the book, Hazel is afraid of vandalism sop she prefers to stay at the car and wait for the two boys after making such evil acts at their pleasure.

The part when Mrs. Lancaster vividly informing Hazel what day it is as a celebration to her pre- birthday (if im correct) was not enacted in the movie also. This I guess was the part when Hazel contact Kaitlyn and hangover for a long time no see buddy. The airport scenes were Augustus was running out of breath with his bag of sandwich with him ready to go on board was not adopted also in the movie.

I know I still miss something based on the book and on the adopted movie…so help me to recall it!

Actually it was in the latter part that script writers of the movie really made a u- turn and change to some part in comparison to the book. Nevertheless, they made a well versification on the concluding part of the movie and did not get a long way out of the story line and to its ultimate purpose to sniffle and choke up with tears running down over the buccal as a test of how humane we are: D.

Peter Van Houten must not be lost in every review of the book and the movie. This is the man that reveals the ultimate conflict in the story aside from the cancer that came out of character because of the so-loved book of Hazel Grace authored by Peter Van Houten entitled An Imperial Affliction and was recommended to Augustus that in return made them both infatuated and hooked over the book. They have the same question hanging in their mind about what happen to the ending of the book aside from knowing that Anna, the main character who has cancer and died in a while. To answer their entire questions, they flew over to see Houten at Amsterdam not knowing that it is such a fiasco to go there and meet this old, pathetic and alcoholic man lecturing them of what is in the book as totally fictional from what is the reality. The allegorical creation to the character of Peter Van Houten was totally virtuoso for it pave the way to understand a lot of baffle upon the death of Augustus Water (Yes, sad to say he died.) who left something for Hazel to hold on until her Last Good Day (you know Last Good Day if you've read or watched the movie).

Yes, let us consider The Fault in Our Stars as a tragic love story of modern era that is far from many stories nowadays. Like what Peter Van Houten state in his book: “Pain demands to be feel”, he is true to his claim as we leave the cinema house and finishing reading the book. For sure, many readers and movie goers was inclined for endearment towards the story of the movie but still others don’t like the ending of the story. Actually when I am looking for the book to download, somebody from wattpad revise the story into a happy ending simply because it is on their sagacious mind that all good things must come into a happy ending also. I admit that it somewhat moved me and influence me also to assert only the reality and nothing but the truth to give a more credible essential meaning to the life I have now. The persona Hazel, Augustus, Isaac and both their parents made a very loud hello world, hello reality over our reasoning’s of maturity, admiration, equilibrium and grief to what the circle called LIFE. This story as vehemently first introduced to us by the author as a total product of mind, really creates swooning news all throughout the globe that I must say and admit that it is irresistible at its state of perfection. This is a stuff that you shouldn't miss because you don’t know what you are missing!

<3

Hospitals

If I’ll have the list of the most hate place I’ve ever been in this earth, one of it would be the hospitals. Whether it is private or public I really hate it for a couple of reasons beyond my other senses. I know to myself that I am not afraid of death or dying that can somewhat be associated with hospitals but the aura it perceives to me is really bad and I feel like I need to cocoon myself with a highly safeguard protection in order to get rid of bacteria and viruses the hospital is greatly surrounded with.

I was convinced to write this entry because these past few days, I have been subjected for a minor operation and consultation in a hospital which is a public one and I became a watcher to my aunt on a private hospital for about two days. Telling and exposing the reality, there is a great and big difference the public and private hospital can offer to all the patients who I believe only wants to access the best of the health facilities for their fast recovery. Having a fair comparative analysis between a public and private hospital, our public hospitals here in the Philippines that is subsidize by the national government through the national funds allotted by the Department f Health is very poor. This is a sad fact of life that on a range of one (1) to ten (10) (one as the lowest and ten as the highest), we are on four point five (4.5) as per my judgment.

The driven force that really convinced me to write about this is when my grandfather was brought on an emergency case at the Philippine General Hospital or PGH which is a public hospital a year ago. After the emergency case and everything was by that time in good hands to transfer my grandfather on a room for recovery, my heart was in pain and melting upon witnessing directly with all the senses that triggers me to be sad and feel very sorry about all the patients and their relative who tirelessly watch over them. At that time, I feel I was in pandemonium. Allegorically, the place was a total dramatic scene of how we should be mad of our government and feel sorry for Juan Dela Cruz whose rights to an access for a greater range of health benefits was not suffice.

Imagine on a medium size room there were about 30 beds of patients with no ventilation together with their watchers who insist to put all their selves in one room just to recover the patient. Actually the room is not enough to accommodate OTHER patients so instead of insisting their selves on a sardines tin can like on that hellish room, others prefer to stay on the corridor and have the inclination that this place is much better just to end the day with a great relief and deep sighs both to the patient and of course to the relatives whom I bet you wanted to cry out loud because of the situation they are being subjected at that present time. My dear, please have the best of your wild imagination to work at this time to picture out the pandemonium place I am stating. I bet again with my two hands to be cut if you will not feel any affection and inclination towards all those patients.

Well, everybody don’t have the choice but to eat back their saliva going back their throat and face what is there already. Having a thought in mind, does our government do not know this entire situation or they just shut their mind off to confront these big problems? Thanks to the Creator that PGH has the crème de la crème of doctors who oversee all the patients and relentlessly provide the medical needs and assistance of everyone. Without them I assume that we have an unhealthy country and there is a vast pandemic outbreak of disease in the Philippines. No wonder that the PGH doctors and interns is of finest since most of them are from our best university in the Philippines which is University of the Philippines.

At this point, allow me to vehemently convey this to our government politicians, why don’t you confine your selves in a any public hospital at any point here in this archipelago just for one day without special treatment for you to know the present status of health level and concerns we have. Or why don’t you share just about a percent of your wealth which I brutally can tell that it comes from the pockets of every single Filipino people who passionately work hard for the benefit of their family in order to have a better society and nation as well to achieve a common good? Instead of foisting your selves as an actors and actresses every time there is a media, why don’t you try to go down our level on grassroots just to have a quick glance of the problems we have that should be immediately call for an action? Why don’t you? It is the perfect time for you to visit us again after the campaign period and made justification with all your sweet talks and flattery to us!

The gap of public from private hospitals is really big. On a note that yes, most of the people who went on a private hospital has the money to pay their bills and can really afford to rent an air conditioned room with television set, refrigerator and bathroom at their own convenience but can we not be so ambitious also to have all of this facilities and amenities if not the best but the better for every Filipino people? I may sound so eager beaver but I believe that AT LEAST we have that standard and level at reach if not of perks but of highly homogenize public hospitals also. The problem  I guess is with so much intelligent people in the politics who sometimes forgot that they are out of order especially with their English grammar (HAHAHA :D).

We belong to a developing country but our public hospitals are not developing. I wanted to become like Madonna as she portrays Evita Peron singing on a balcony but this time I’m gonna sing on Jose Rizal monument at Luneta with a higher scale of “Don’t Cry for Me Pilipinas” so that when somebody shot me with a sniper, I feel like a heroic figure to say all this elucidation and exegesis especially about their wrong English accent and grammar (Laughs :D).