Pseudo. I like that word. It is half percent true, half percent not true. I've gotten into depression lately, maybe worse than I had before since I thought of stowing away. Only one person knows that by the way. That day, I was planning not to show-up and continue my plan of lurking the streets for a week, just to get myself out of the frustrations and the depression. In the end, I showed up. Somehow, the superego has worked its way of hoping that the person I'd meet with will scold me back to sanity.
I took this advice from Bob Ong - to make lists... if you feel bored or sad.
As a start, why don't I dream today? :)
Before I die, I want to....
1. ride a hot-air balloon
2. travel around the world in 365 days
3. earn a PhD in Sociology
4. and have a degree of Psychology
5. then be a professor at the University of the Philippines
6. where my students would love the way I teach because I will not be the professor I hate
7. and I'd live in a house filled with books
8. fall in love... with my loving husband (whoever he is.. but he's got to be intelligent, kind and funny)
9. who would teach me how to cook because I don't
10. and we'd love each other till death do us part
11. and enjoy our marriage just as how it's done in the movies or in novels
12. have grown at least 2 children
13. one is into social science while another is into natural science
14. and both excel in music and arts besides academics
15. enjoy motherhood by spending a couple of years "hands-on" while still working on something for humanity
16. be able to play all songs of The Beatles in the guitar
17. study photography
18. and at long last have a decent artists'/professional photographer's camera
19. take pictures of the moon and stars
20. space-travel. (lol)
21. time-travel. (double lol)
22. study in Japan or any other country
23. see Venice or Athens or the Louvre
24. go to Davao - and meet Capulette. :))
25. kiss Daniel Radclife or Jude Law
26. oh about my house - I'd like to have a music room in it
27. and live with a pure black or pure white cat, I would name "Midnight" (again)
28. read 1000 books.
29. have a copy of all Urbandub's albums
30. meet de la Rocha, Zack but I wouldn't talk to him
31. attend UP Fair - one whole week
32. attend a concert in another country
33. sing/play in a band
34. work in an NGO for half my life
35. set my foot on the UN office
36. get accepted in CARE or World Vision or any other International Organization
37. be of help to ACCE financially
38. understand the laws of physics
39. get back to the natural sciences
40. for my laptop to stay with me forever ~ Neomon
41. write a book
42. read all of Haruki Murakami's work
43. as well as Paolo Coelho's
44. and Nicholas Sparks'
45. as well as all poems of Pablo Neruda
46. understand Marx, Lenin and Mao more
47. see a red sunrise
48. be healthy
49. have the wisdom of Morrie
50. reach at least half of what I wrote in this list.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
some strategies in teaching.
It's the ride home that I enjoy especially when it's around 6 in the evening. At the right side, the vast plains meet the mixture of orange and light blue skyline in the horizon. I was reading the "Catcher in the Rye" and was laughing about Holden thinking about all his dates as intelligent.. but disproved it again when the date dives into action, the intelligence of his date withers. Well, anyway, this post isn't about him. It's about what I thought as a strategy if one wants to become a good professor.
This afternoon, I discussed the basic facts about the Philippines (island groups, national symbols, cultural traits, etc.) with the new intern, Mina. I could see her reactions with the new things she learn as well as the doubts she had about the information. It would - as some would strike you to the bones such as Filipinos having a split-level spirituality and having the president as the perfect example... with her being a devoted Catholic while all the while being the reason behind political killings of human rights activists, journalist and leftist students. It's contrary to the teachings of Catholicism or of Christianity which includes love, peace, harmony and justice.
Another tactic is to use the "words" which the student is familiar with. This afternoon, I did not say culture, I say "bunka" (the Japanese term for it.) I tried to use the Japanese words I know in exchange of the English ones. Not only does she appreciate that you know how to speak her language, you've also gained her interest. It is the relevance of what one is teaching to the one being taught that curiosity is given impetus. Relate to the student what you're talking about as much as possible. Freire thought about this first. :)
It was also effective to ask her about what she thinks about the cultural traits or to compare it with Japan. Moreover, it's so simple to do - just be curious or act like you're curios to know even if you already know or you partly know - Socratic method, proven effective. It is also part of my personal advocacy, as I learned from Freire, to not put students nor teachers into boxes and limit their roles. Isn't learning more interesting if we are all students as well as we are all teachers? In that case, it's more of sharing knowledge rather than "filling the receptacle" or the teacher depositing knowledge like money in a bank a.k.a. the student.
Last. It all boils down to the professor or teacher's passion to teach - not to impress but to impart. One's knowledge must not be seen as a private property but a social product. You know what you know because someone else knows it and shared it to you or you realized it because you were observing someone else.... which means you don't know something just because you thought about it individually but some force lead you into thinking about this knowledge - the first law of physics.
What I want to say is... a professor must have the genuine purpose of teaching just because he or she loves to share what he or she knows. If one feels this way, he or she acts responsibly and genuinely concerned with the learning of his or her students (who is also his or her teacher). :4
This afternoon, I discussed the basic facts about the Philippines (island groups, national symbols, cultural traits, etc.) with the new intern, Mina. I could see her reactions with the new things she learn as well as the doubts she had about the information. It would - as some would strike you to the bones such as Filipinos having a split-level spirituality and having the president as the perfect example... with her being a devoted Catholic while all the while being the reason behind political killings of human rights activists, journalist and leftist students. It's contrary to the teachings of Catholicism or of Christianity which includes love, peace, harmony and justice.
eating dinner with Mina, :)
And so what happened... I have to explain to her again and again by using different ways, various examples, range of synonymous words and at other times, I use parallelism. It helps. I thought if one wants to be a professor, one must know how to share the idea in so many ways as possible so as to make the range of students in the classroom understand it! That's another point ~ a professor should always concern him or her self if the students are keeping up with what he or she is talking about. What I mean is that the professor, in humility, consider the level of experience and understanding of his or her students and try to explain theories, ideas and concepts in the listeners' level.Another tactic is to use the "words" which the student is familiar with. This afternoon, I did not say culture, I say "bunka" (the Japanese term for it.) I tried to use the Japanese words I know in exchange of the English ones. Not only does she appreciate that you know how to speak her language, you've also gained her interest. It is the relevance of what one is teaching to the one being taught that curiosity is given impetus. Relate to the student what you're talking about as much as possible. Freire thought about this first. :)
It was also effective to ask her about what she thinks about the cultural traits or to compare it with Japan. Moreover, it's so simple to do - just be curious or act like you're curios to know even if you already know or you partly know - Socratic method, proven effective. It is also part of my personal advocacy, as I learned from Freire, to not put students nor teachers into boxes and limit their roles. Isn't learning more interesting if we are all students as well as we are all teachers? In that case, it's more of sharing knowledge rather than "filling the receptacle" or the teacher depositing knowledge like money in a bank a.k.a. the student.
Last. It all boils down to the professor or teacher's passion to teach - not to impress but to impart. One's knowledge must not be seen as a private property but a social product. You know what you know because someone else knows it and shared it to you or you realized it because you were observing someone else.... which means you don't know something just because you thought about it individually but some force lead you into thinking about this knowledge - the first law of physics.
What I want to say is... a professor must have the genuine purpose of teaching just because he or she loves to share what he or she knows. If one feels this way, he or she acts responsibly and genuinely concerned with the learning of his or her students (who is also his or her teacher). :4
Monday, February 1, 2010
the empowerment agenda through youth organizing
by doing a write-up on the youth program of ACCE. :) Well, here goes..
ACCE believes that “The youth is the hope of the future and today.” ACCE sees young people as new pearls of hope for building new communities because they are the next leaders of these communities. In order to prepare the youth for their role in the future, ACCE promotes the empowerment of youth through youth organizing.
Empowerment of youth means facilitating the capability of youth to stand on their own. It includes developing the potentials of youth to become future leaders of their community as well as future educators of the generation next to them with regards to the situation of poverty and strategies to change it. In ACCE, the task is done through ‘collective empowerment’ of the youth organizations. Thus, youth are envisioned to depend on their selves by working with their fellow youth members in improving their life situations.
Presently, ACCE have partner youth organizations in Apelo named ASFA (Association of Students and Friends of APRIVEROD), in Perez named KAMALAYAN (Kabataang May Mabuting Layunin Para sa Bayan or ‘Youth who have a good objective for the nation’) and in Smoky Mountain 2, SSDN-Youth (Youth of Samahan sa Sitio Damayan ng Nananambakan or Scavengers’ association in community with concern for one another). The ages of youth members of these organizations range from 13 – 22.
Youth organizing is composed of (1) education and capability-building, (2) organization-building and (3) resource mobilization.
Education of the youth includes making them see the reality of poverty (which they also experience) and broadening their horizons in strategies of combating poverty. This is done through study sessions, workshops and seminars as well as summer camp with ACCE-Japan supporting teams where the youth learn about poverty, the role of youth in the community and international solidarity. On the other hand, capability-building means helping the youth enrich their skills, talents and potentials through cultural trainings. The cultural trainings include play-writing, song-writing, poem-writing, indigenous dances, acting, singing and visual arts. Student volunteers and advocates are invited as teachers in the cultural trainings to share what they know and what they could do, so that the youth members could also develop the same knowledge and skills.
Organization-building pertains to strengthening the bond between the members of the youth organizations and making the most out of the coming together of the youth. Youth organizations build the vision, mission and goals of their organizations and continue programs for the development of the organization through the facilitation of ACCE.
Resource mobilization includes tapping resources such as volunteers as teachers in the cultural trainings as well as generating funds by encouraging supporters of the youth organizing program. The advocacy program of ACCE has a great deal of importance with regards to resource mobilization. The study tours and organizing events such as “Tribute to Youth” as venue for youth to show the products of their cultural trainings is a way to gain support from other people. In another perspective, it is also a way to educate other people about the poverty situation in Smoky Mountain 2, Perez and Apelo as well as the richness of Filipino indigenous culture since the cultural presentations of the youth organizations inculcate these.
*ACCE's framework for youth organizing towards empowerment.
ACCE believes that “The youth is the hope of the future and today.” ACCE sees young people as new pearls of hope for building new communities because they are the next leaders of these communities. In order to prepare the youth for their role in the future, ACCE promotes the empowerment of youth through youth organizing.
Empowerment of youth means facilitating the capability of youth to stand on their own. It includes developing the potentials of youth to become future leaders of their community as well as future educators of the generation next to them with regards to the situation of poverty and strategies to change it. In ACCE, the task is done through ‘collective empowerment’ of the youth organizations. Thus, youth are envisioned to depend on their selves by working with their fellow youth members in improving their life situations.
Presently, ACCE have partner youth organizations in Apelo named ASFA (Association of Students and Friends of APRIVEROD), in Perez named KAMALAYAN (Kabataang May Mabuting Layunin Para sa Bayan or ‘Youth who have a good objective for the nation’) and in Smoky Mountain 2, SSDN-Youth (Youth of Samahan sa Sitio Damayan ng Nananambakan or Scavengers’ association in community with concern for one another). The ages of youth members of these organizations range from 13 – 22.
Youth organizing is composed of (1) education and capability-building, (2) organization-building and (3) resource mobilization.
Education of the youth includes making them see the reality of poverty (which they also experience) and broadening their horizons in strategies of combating poverty. This is done through study sessions, workshops and seminars as well as summer camp with ACCE-Japan supporting teams where the youth learn about poverty, the role of youth in the community and international solidarity. On the other hand, capability-building means helping the youth enrich their skills, talents and potentials through cultural trainings. The cultural trainings include play-writing, song-writing, poem-writing, indigenous dances, acting, singing and visual arts. Student volunteers and advocates are invited as teachers in the cultural trainings to share what they know and what they could do, so that the youth members could also develop the same knowledge and skills.
Organization-building pertains to strengthening the bond between the members of the youth organizations and making the most out of the coming together of the youth. Youth organizations build the vision, mission and goals of their organizations and continue programs for the development of the organization through the facilitation of ACCE.
Resource mobilization includes tapping resources such as volunteers as teachers in the cultural trainings as well as generating funds by encouraging supporters of the youth organizing program. The advocacy program of ACCE has a great deal of importance with regards to resource mobilization. The study tours and organizing events such as “Tribute to Youth” as venue for youth to show the products of their cultural trainings is a way to gain support from other people. In another perspective, it is also a way to educate other people about the poverty situation in Smoky Mountain 2, Perez and Apelo as well as the richness of Filipino indigenous culture since the cultural presentations of the youth organizations inculcate these.
*ACCE's framework for youth organizing towards empowerment.
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