KINDS OF LEARNERS

Throughout the years, a lot of educators have devoted their time trying to understand and analyze student behavior. Some have been successful in trying to identify each kind that appears in the classroom. Being a teacher for 11 years, I have met thousands of students. But sometimes, when times are rough and the work becomes stressful, teaching becomes a burden. But then the passion comes in. Doing something you love makes you see the positive side of it.

One of the joys of being a teacher is knowing that you are trying to help others and that deep down, they do appreciate it - even if they act up and misbehave in class. Since I love PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies, I found out that many of my learners have something in common with the zombies. Let us now meet the different zombies, er, learners.

·      Yeti Zombies – the endangered species

They are the very few and exceptional learners who excel academically, perfects quizzes and exams, submits projects on time, leads group tasks efficiently, do all assigned tasks responsibly but are well-rounded (sing, dance or act well) and still find time to perform extra-curricular activities and have fun with friends. They gain the respect of their peers as well as their teachers.

·      Newspaper Zombies – members of the geeksquad

They are highly intelligent but don’t care about anything except books, exams and the teacher. They do not involve themselves in activities not related to studying and they seldom socialize. A number of them could either be hunch-backed (for bringing tons of books daily) or almost blind (for reading in dim light in the wee hours of the night).

·      Football Zombies – very persistent

They know that they do not possess the intelligence of the achievers, so they try to cover up for their weakness by submitting effort-laden projects, reciting in class a lot (keeping their hands raised all the time though they are unsure of their answer) and leading group works. They often belong to the achievers’ group and the ones who (most of the time) become successful in later life.

 

·      Jack-in-the-box Zombies – the class’ clowns

For a fellow student, the class clown is one cool guy, one who has a smart and funny response for everything that happens, one who wakes up the class when everyone is just about to snooze while the teacher mumbles in front and one who enjoys the attention when being reprimanded. For a teacher, the clown could be very bright or very poor, but one who continually disrupts the class, too busy clowning to finish his work or makes funny remarks to cover up poor performance and often comes to school unprepared.

·      Dancing Zombies – the celebrities

They are the dancers, the politicians, the title holders – the Ms. and Mr. blah blah. Most of them also do not excel academically in class, but redeem themselves through their efforts in participating in school programs such as pageants, fund-raising projects, the student government, intramurals and many others. Since they are always part of school activities, everyone including parents of grade school learners knows them.

·      Balloon Zombies – the daydreamers, drifters

Learners in this category are grouped into two. The drifters are those who seldom attend class, whose seats are always vacant. The daydreamers are those who are present in their seats, but the answers to their exams and their outputs or projects are often absent. Both were floating, floating on the river of nowhere, uncertain whether they will be admitted to the next level or will repeat their present level.

·      Bungee Zombies – the cheaters

These learners are very determined to pass… at all cost. They peek at their seatmate’s answers, they ask questions to the one in front or behind them, they have codes (tapping, sneezing, winking, clearing the throat, hand movements, foot movements, eye movements, etc.), they flip pages of their books using their feet, they write notes on a 3mm x 3mm paper which can be folded and hidden under their fingernails, they write on walls, their palms, their shoes, their socks. In short, they will risk their lives to be able to bungee-jump on everyone in the class just to get one teeny-weeny answer.

·      Zombie Bobsled Team – male and female groupings

They come in groups and do everything – as in everything – together. The girl group eats together during lunch, giggles together when a cute guy passes, whispers together, gossips together, brushes their hairs together, or goes to the restroom together. On the other hand, the boy group sniggers together, courts a girl together, struts in the school grounds together, laughs boisterously together, plays DotA together or shapes their hairs into Mohawk together. The learners in this category often make faces when grouped with other members of the class, claiming that they can only function successfully when working together. When I encounter one, I always send them to the counselor’s office together.

·      Gargantuar – the bully

Most bullies are big, much like Gargantuar. One look at him and you’ll be running away with your ‘tail between your legs.’ But not all bullies are big in size. They could be anyone, regardless of height, weight or even gender. Physical bullying* like pushing or punching seldom happens in school, but emotional (spreading rumors, ostracizing, provocation, making faces) or verbal (using foul languages, name-calling, extreme teasing) bullying is more common.

·      Digger Zombies – “emo,” blacksheep

Their name says it all: they wear their emotions on their sleeves. These learners are very pessimistic. They tend to lose control easily and blame it on all the hardships and sufferings they have in life. They want to be treated invisibly in class, but do lots of things to themselves that draws attention (they wear dark eyeliners and often has cuts in the arm). When ‘depressed’ they do not participate in class, do not follow what the teacher asked them to do (believing that it was all pointless) and just sit on their chairs, wanting the ground to swallow them whole.

I used to be a Football Zombie trying to be a Yeti Zombie, yet I ended up being a Newspaper Zombie, since I do not have extra talents. What kind of zombie are you?

(Eggheads, did you know that the initial planned name for the game Plants vs. Zombies is Lawn of the Dead, a pun on the title of the movie “Dawn of the Dead?”)

*Bullying is generally defined as repeated physical, verbal, sexual, or psychological attacks or intimidation by one individual who is perceived as being physically or psychologically stronger than another.

Rainy Days, not Mondays

Rainy days (not Mondays) always get me down…



(courtesy of mylot.com)



When I was younger, I used to love the rain. I took pleasure in looking at the little drops falling like sticks from the sky. I reveled at the black and gray clouds swirling violently above. I found pleasure in watching the trees sway fiercely with each mighty gust of the wind, as if dancing. I enjoyed gazing at the brown puddles on the streets, mesmerized at the ripples made by each raindrop as it kissed the muddy water. Whenever my mother told us not to bathe in the rain, I would go up to our room, open my hands to catch raindrops and wet my hair so I would feel like I had played under the rain. Once, when I was six, I even let my umbrella be carried away by the wind and then laughed as I run after it (it was all beaten and bruised up when I got home, so I told mother that I accidentally let go of it because of the strong winds). Each morning after a rainy night, I would visit our small farm (we had a fairly big vegetable garden and a large kangkungan) and watched the tadpoles as they grew into frogs. Rainy days were indeed a perfect moment for me then. Until we moved houses.

It was July, the middle of the rainy season, when my parents decided to transfer to our new house. I was eight and very confused. My mother and two brothers had left with most of our things, but I was left with my father while he arranged certain matters. I cannot understand then why all our furniture were being packed and taken away, why everything was a mess, why all the adults were in pandemonium. I cannot comprehend why there were men battering down our house. I did not understand anything, nor realized that my chest tightened as I watched them removed the walls and the roof, that my eyes stung as they removed the windows of our bedroom where I watched the rain pours, or the stairs where my brothers and I run up and down, or the windows in the living room where we teased Allan Potpot and his sister whenever they wanted to watch in our TV.

As I try to figure out what was happening, the rain fell. It was a downpour. I ran inside our house and look for a place to take cover from the rain, but was unsuccessful since the entire roof was gone. Everything including me was wet and the water began to rise inside, bringing with it a few of our toys and old school things. I wanted the rain to stop, stop drenching everything, stop flooding my house, stop submerging my memories, stop engulfing me. But it did not. As the rain fell, my tears fell too. I understand one thing at that moment; I have nothing to go back to.

As I grow up, I understand why we needed to move houses at that time. It has something to do with the death of my youngest brother (it was just a year and a half then). Our parents had difficulty accepting what happened which led to their many quarrels, until they decided it was time for all of us to move on. And moving houses was the best option. It was quite a sudden decision, one we were not prepared for. It was difficult to adjust to our new environment in the beginning, but we tried very, very hard. My brothers and I always talked about our old ‘adventures’ and our playmates, and we even tried to re-enact most of our old exploits with our new found ‘friends.’ It also helped that our new environment is not as crowded as the one we are used to (for we have found this sense of privacy, a time only for ourselves). And thankfully, despite the pain, there were no permanent effects of the moving as we grow older (as researchers have proven otherwise). We all probably needed a change of environment to accept what happened to my brother.

(courtesy of vi.sualize.us)

Moving houses is really traumatic. And because of the not-so-good experience I had while we were leaving our old house (imagine an eight-year-old kid watching their house being torn down in the middle of a downpour with her hair and clothes dripping to the ground), I blamed the rain. And so, whenever it rains, I feel sad and gloomy, for it brings agonizing pictures in my mind. And later in my life, when most of the childhood memories have faded, I have associated rain with bleakness and sorrow.

So, Mang Egay, Mang Dodong and Mang Falcon, I want you to know that rainy days (not Mondays) always get me down. And dearest Sun, please come out of hibernation...

(Eggheads, the rain is pouring heavily this afternoon. There might be cancellation of classes tomorrow because of the flooding, the water lilies and the unfinished flood-control projects. So hurry home before you get leptospirosis, eczema and diarrhea when you wade in floodwater.)

FALLACY: Cakes and Fathers



source: eastleigh.towntalk



Last Sunday evening, we celebrated Father’s Day at my parent’s house. Our original plan was to bring my father and mother at the mall and have dinner, but because of the heavy rains, we cancelled our ‘date.’ We opted to have a simple dinner at our house, where we brought food and some presents and celebrated with my Tatay. It was a simple dinner, but Ganda had fun taking pictures of our gifts to her Lolo Max  (Chivas and boxer shorts*) as well as the food.

Earlier in the afternoon, the three of us – Ganda, hubby and I – went to church and then to the mall and had an early dinner together where Ganda gave our gifts to hubby (boxer shorts and a PvZ shirt). Then we went out to buy cakes and kakanin. My mother asked me not to buy regular cakes anymore, but a brazo de mercedes (a creme-filled log cake made of meringue rolls filled with golden yellow custard filling), so we headed for Goldilocks. Surprisingly, when I got inside, there were no more cakes – no more log cakes, round cakes or rectangular or square cakes. All their display shelves and refs were empty, even their egg pies, cassava cakes and brownies were all gone. Panicking, I almost run and left my hubby and Ganda, and immediately went to Red Ribbon and found a horde – two long lines of people battling and grappling for the few round cakes left, almost snatching and grabbing what was left in the display shelf. I wasn’t expecting what I saw and I was really pissed of being the last in the line. I was about to complain to my hubby when they caught up with me, but then I realized there was nothing to be mad about. Those people were just like me, wanting a little something to bring home to their fathers or husbands or uncles or brothers. So I just whispered to him, “Nakakatuwa naman ang mga Pinoy, love na love ang mga Tatay nila. Inubos lahat ang cakes sa SM.” Those who have heard me smiled in confirmation.

It was funny, but almost true. So if we are to make an analysis out of this, it would be:         

         It was Father’s day.

        All the cakes in SM were gone.

        Therefore, most Filipinos love their fathers and husbands.

I know that this is another logical fallacy – the fallacy of hasty generalization which commonly involves basing a broad conclusion upon the statistics of a survey of a small group that fails to sufficiently represent the whole population (from wikipedia). Despite my fallacious conclusion, I am certain that there is still some truth to this. And I am so glad to know that there are many more lucky children out there.

We ended up ordering sanrival (four layers of cashew meringue sandwiched with French buttercream, and topped with chopped cashews) instead of brazo. It was a great choice for a great dinner on a great evening with a great dad.

(Eggheads, off you go. There will be no more seatworks for today. I have to go to the bakeshop and eat brazo.)

* As I was paying for the Chivas, here is my conversation with Ganda:

Ganda: From whom is that gift? Is it from you?

Me: No, all these gifts are from you.

Ganda: Even the wine? Lola always gets mad whenever Lolo drinks.

Me: Yes, even the wine.

Ganda: Ah, ok. You’ll just tell them it was from me, so Lola will not get mad at you for spoiling Lolo.

Me: Hmmm… Yeah.

SUPERHERO

Father’s Day na bukas at para sa amin, ito ay hindi lamang simpleng paggunita sa aking Tatay. Isa itong araw na aming ipagdiriwang na parang kaarawan din niya. Siyempre, may cake, pansit at regalo (at lobo daw sabi ng pilya niyang apo na si Ganda). Wala pa akong naiisip na regalo, ngunit maliban sa mga manok niyang panabong, red wine o Chivas lang ang nagpapasaya sa Tatay ko.

Taon-taon ay nakaugalian na namin ang ganitong salo-salo tuwing araw ng mga Ama. Iba na kasi ang nagiipon… nagiipon ng magagandang alaala upang pagdating ng araw na kukunin na siya, marami na akong baon. Masakit mawalan ng magulang, pero mas masakit mawalan ng magulang na hindi napagbuhusan ng panahon at atensyon. Ayokong umiyak kapag nawala na siya nang dahil sa pagsisisi. Iiyak ako dahil mami-miss ko siya.

Animnapu’t anim na si Tatay noong Pebrero, isang malaking milagrong maituturing para sa akin. Bata pa lang ako ay alam ko nang may sakit siya sa puso. Nine years old ako nang siya ay ma-stroke at muntik nang maparalisa. Nagdasal ako noon na huwag muna siyang kunin at sana ay makita man lang niya akong makatapos sa elementary, at nakatapos naman ako na kapiling siya. Ngunit isang buwan bago ako magtapos sa high school, inatake na naman siya. Akala ko ay hindi na ako muli pang mapagbibigyan sa aking dasal, pero nakatapos pa rin ako kasama siya. At noon ngang makatapos ako sa kolehiyo, dalawa sila ng nanay ko na naluluha habang pinapanood akong nagsasalita sa entablado. At hanggang sa ngayon na ako ay nagkaroon na nga ng pamilya, andito pa rin si Tatay, walang kasawa-sawa sa pag-agapay. (ang apo naman niyang si Ganda ang nagdarasal ngayon na sana ay si Tatay pa rin ang maghatid sa kanya sa pagtatapos niya sa elementarya.)

At dahil nga Father’s Day, may tula akong ginawa – sa tulong ni Ganda – para sa aking Tatay. Alam kong mababasa niya ito dahil maliban sa pagtetext at paggamit ng cellphone, marunong din siyang mag-surf sa internet (at paborito niyang maghanap ng mga lumang kanta sa youtube).
Happy Father’s day, Tatay!!!

LOLO MAX

Mayroon akong sikreto: ang Tatay ko ay superhero,

Superherong walang kapa at hindi maskulado,

Walang armas na panlaban, o sidekick na aso,

Walang extra powers, wala ring trono.

Wala siyang x-ray vision gaya kay Superman,

Wala siyang bat mobile gaya kay Batman,

Wala siyang web shooter tulad kay Spiderman,

Ngunit siya ay superhero kahit walang kalaban.

Superhero si Tatay sa kanyang paraan,

Mahinahon, malumanay, malawak ang kaisipan,

Mapagpasensya, palakaibigan, at maunawain,

Mabait, masipag at tunay na matiisin.

Ang Tatay ko ngayon, ang buhok ay puti na,

Ang mukha, noo’t leeg ay marami ng linya,

Tuhod ay may rayuma, mahina na ang tenga,

Ngunit mas naging mapagmahal na Lolo at Ama.

Para sa aking Tatay, sa Diyos ako’y humihiling

Dagdagan ang kanyang buhay, mga taon nya’y pahabain,

Sa mas maraming panahon, siya’y aming makapiling,

Ang panalangin kong ito, sana’y Kanyang dinggin.

Maligayang araw sa mga mababait na ama, katulad ng aking Tatay…

LARO, KALARO, KALARUIN

Matagal-tagal na rin mula nang ako’y magsulat dito sa Tagalog. Ilang araw na rin akong kinukulit ng limang taong gulang na alaga ko na magsulat ng kwento. Gusto nya kasing mabasa ang mga kwento ko sa kanya gabi-gabi, minsa’y tungkol sa mga childhood adventures naming magkakapatid, minsan naman ay sa mga childhood adventures ng aking tatay at nanay.

Kahapon, habang pinapaliguan ko siya bago pumasok sa school at pinapaalalahanan na magpakabait at makinig sa guro dahil Grade 1 na siya, tinanong nya ako kung mababait ba kaming bata noon. Medyo inaantok pa ako kaya sinagot ko sya ng “oo.” Ang tanging naging reaksyon nya sa akin ay “Weh??” Natawa ako sa malditang sagot ng pilyang bata. Pero noong gising na ang diwa ko, naisip kong tila mali nga yata ang naisagot ko. Hindi kasi kami mabait. Oo, mababait kaming anak, pero hindi kami mababait na kalaro. Kaya nga wala ako ni isang childhood friend na hinanap ako sa facebook para i-invite as friend o magfollow man lang sa akin sa twitter kahit wala naman akong twitter account. In defense, ‘di ko rin naman sila hinanap, no?! Di ko kasi alam ang tunay na mga pangalan nila.

Marami kaming kalaro noon, karamiha’y mga batang madudungis na inaapi namin. Dalawang pamilya lang ang may TV sa lugar namin at isa kami doon kaya marami ang nakikinood sa aming bahay. (WARNING: Kung gusto ninyong malaman ang mga kwento nila ay tapusin nyo ang pagbasa sa post na ito. Kung kayo naman ay kumakain at ayaw ninyong bumaligtad ang sikmura na parang laseng ay ihinto nyo na ang pagbabasa. Para sa mga interesado pero ayaw ng mga ewww! at yuck! na bagay, bahala na kayong i-edit at i-bleep ang lahat ng mga ewww! at yuck! na salita.)



Luksong-tinik
(filipinolifeinpictures.net)

 Isa sa mga madalas naming kalaro noon ay sina Buroy at Bunso na mga anak ni Aling Lydiang-sapi. Sila ay magkapatid na sipunin na palaging hubad at punong-puno ng itim na linya ang mga leeg at kili-kili (eww!), na madalas gusto sumali sa aming mga laro pero iyakin naman at parang sirena ng ambulansya ang mga bibig kapag ngumawa. Ayaw namin sila kalaro dahil para silang spitting cobras na nandudura (yuck!) kapag nagagalit. Nang minsan naglalaro kami ng sumpit (na ang ginagamit na bala ay buto ng munggo), nandadaya ang magkapatid dahil kapag wala na silang pambala ay mambabato na. Kaya nang ma-korner namin sila ay pinagsusumpit sila ng kapatid kong si Taniboy nang walang humpay hanggang sa maubusan ng pambalang munggo. Siyempre, bilang supportive na ate ay umuwi agad ako at humanap ng pambala. Nang wala akong makita, dumampot ako ng  diyaryo at iyon nga ang nginuya ni Taniboy (hindi ko pa alam noon na masama pala sa kalusugan ang pagkain ng papel, lalo na kung walang sawsawan) at ipinang-sumpit kay Bunso. Nang matapos ang labanan at lumabas mula sa eskinita sina Bunso at Buroy, para silang mga dressed chicken na nagka-chicken pox. At iyon na nga ang naging simula ng aming awayan – walang katapusang batuhan, habulan, suntukan at siyempre spitting (inedit ko na, nakakadiri kasi talaga) – na natapos lamang nang sila ay lumipat na ng bahay.


Piko
(filipinolifeinpictures.net)

May isa pang grupo ng magkakapatid na madalas ay amin ding nakakalaro, kahit ayaw nila kami kalaro. Sila ay sina Ritang Beke, Noneng Palaka at Pepeng Tahong (actually, kami lang magkapatid ang nagbansag nun sa kanila). Si Rita ang mas matanda na palaging may bitbit na sanggol na kapatid at palaging asul ang pisngi dahil sa tina (blue dye) na sa likod ng tenga nya na gamot daw sa beke. Sumunod sa kanya si Noneng na komang na ay kuba pa ang dibdib at madalas din may beke kaya tinawag siyang palaka. Panghuli si Pepeng na laging namumutiktik ang ilong sa natuyong sipon at lagi naming nakakalaro ng piko at kalog-tansan, at palaging nakapalda pero walang suot na panty. Kaya kapag nagkakalog-tansan kami ay madalas sinasadya namin na mapunta ang tansan sa loob ng palda nya para umuwi muna sya at magsuot ng short. Pagbalik niya ay nakasuot na nga siya ng short… na butas. Kaya aasarin na naman namin siya hanggang sa magsawa na siyang makipaglaro. Ganoon kami palagi, makikipaglaro, mangaasar tapos ayawan na. Kahit na lumipat na kami ng bahay, nagkikita pa rin kami nila Rita dahil malapit lang sila sa nilipatan namin. Pero kapag nagkikita kami, hindi nila kami pinapansin magkapatid, dahil Noneng Palaka at Pepeng Tahong pa rin ang tawag namin sa kanila.

Ang pinaka-madalas naming ‘kalaruin’ noon ay si Allan Potpot (minsan Allan Liit o Allan Galis ang tawag namin) isang batang punong-puno ng galis-aso ang katawan (eww!) at madalas ay may tumutulong condensada sa tenga (yuck!). Ayaw naming siya kalaro dahil talaga namang parang may nakatapak ng TNT (tunay na bleep-bleep) tuwing nandyan siya, pero dahil naawa ang nanay ko sa kanya at sa kapatid nyang si Jasmin – na isang mestiza ngunit sipuning bata na nagsusugat na ang ilong sa pag-up and down ng sipon – wala kaming magawa kundi papasukin sila sa sala para makinood ng Carebears, He-Man, Voltez-V o Voltron. Tuwing mangyayari yon, miserable ang buhay naming magkapatid hindi lang dahil sa amoy na tinitiis namin kundi sa pandidiri sa kakaibang habit ni Potpot na gawing popcorn ang kanyang dried skin wounds (major yuck!!!). At siyempre, hindi kami papayag na kami lang ang miserable, sila din dapat (nyahahaha-hak!). Kaya, habang nagluluto si Nanay sa kusina at kami ay nakaupo sa sofa, pinagmamasdan naming mabuti ang dalawang kapitbahay at pinaplano ang mga susunod na galaw. Kukuha ng tingting ng walis si Taniboy at lalagyan ng upos (cigarette butt) ang dulo, at dahan-dahan isusulot sa tenga ni Potpot. Maiinis sila at magagalit pero hindi pa rin sila aalis. Kapag wa epek ang upos, kukuha kami ng pulbo at paliliguan sila sa ulo. Kung hindi pa rin effective, titiradurin namin sila ng hilaw na alatris o kaya ay magtatatakbo at magsasasayaw sa harap ng TV o kaya ay papatayin na naming tuluyan ang TV, kaya aalis na sila (tagumpay!).  



Sago't Gulaman
(filipinolifeinpictures.net)

Paglabas ni nanay mula sa kusina, magugulat na wala na sina Allan at Jasmin, at sasabihin naman namin na ‘tapos na po kasi ang palabas.’ Pero hindi naman naming palaging sinasalbahe ang magkapatid. Minsan ay kusa din namin sila tinatawag para makalaro (kapag inayawan na kami kalaruin nila Buroy, Bunso, Rita, Noneng at Pepeng) at kapag ayaw nila ay bibili kami ng bente-singkong cherry balls (5 piraso ang singko noon) at bibigyan sila, o kaya naman ay papainumin sila ng sago’t gulaman na ginawa ni Nanay. Papayag na ang magkapatid, yun nga lang, kami ang bida at sila ang mga kalaban kaya bugbog na naman sila. Natapos lang ang kanilang kalbaryo nang kami ay lumipat na nga ng bahay.

Huli kaming nagkita ng mga kalaro namin sampung taon na ang nakalipas. Alam ko na hindi nila kami na-miss man lang, maliban sa mga cherry balls, ET (chichirya na may papremyong pera at laruan sa loob), Pee Wee at Nips na naibibigay namin sa kanila. Pare-pareho kami nagkahiyaan sa aming muling pagtatagpo – kami ay hindi nakalapit sa kanila dahil sa mga masasamang ginawa namin noon, at sila naman ay hindi makalapit sa amin dahil marahil sa takot na i-bully na naman namin sila.

Aaminin kong habang sinusulat ko ito ay natatawa ako sa aming mga kalokohan. Pero matagal ko na naisip na mali ang mga ginawa namin noon. Hindi man ako nakahingi ng tawad sa aming mga naging kalaro, at least inamin ko pa rin sa sarili ko na hindi tama ang mga ipinakita namin sa kanila. Kung mababasa lang nila ang post na ito, may message ako para sa lahat ng mga pinaglaruan naming kalaro: Salamat. Salamat dahil kayo ang naging praktisan namin sa buhay. Kayo ang naging inspirasyon namin para magtagumpay. Hindi na kami nangbu-bully ngayon, pero hindi naman kami nagpapabully (subukan lang!).

Kaya ang moral lesson ng kwento natin ngayong araw: Upang magtagumpay, huwag manlulugi o manlalamang pero huwag din naman  magpapalugi sa iba. Bata pa ay magpraktis na. Siguraduhin nyo lang na hindi kayo ang pagpapraktisan.



K+12: More Education or Better Education?

Our classes had just opened this week. We decided to start ours a week after public schools had started and we chose the 15^th instead of the 13^th (because we don’t like the number). Luckily, despite the exodus of students from private institutions (like ours) to public schools, our population had a 12% increase this year.

One big educational change that is about to be implemented by the government (that we are looking forward to and at the same time, dreading to) is the K+12 curriculum. It is the government’s latest attempt to solve the numerous educational problems that has been in existence for decades. The K+12 Basic Education Program will add two years to our present 10-year basic education – it will have kindergarten, 6 years of elementary education, four years of junior high school (Grades 7 to 10), and two years of senior high school.

The following information is from the 2010 Department of Education Briefing Report:

FEATURES OF K+12 (K 6-4-2)

1. Kindergarten and 12 years of quality basic education is a right of every Filipino, therefore they must be and will be provided by government and will be free.
2. Those who go through the 12 years cycle will get an elementary diploma (6 years), a junior high school diploma (4 years), and a senior high school diploma (2 years).
3. A full 12 years of basic education will eventually be required for entry into tertiary level education (entering freshmen by SY 2018-2019 or seven years from now).

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL (GRADES 11 AND 12)

• 2 years of in-depth specialization for students depending on the occupation/career track they wish to pursue
• Skills and competencies relevant to the job market
• The 2 years of senior HS intend to provide time for students to consolidate acquired academic skills and competencies.
• The curriculum will allow specializations in Science and Technology, Music and Arts, Agriculture and Fisheries, Sports, Business and Entrepreneurship.

Rationale

• To decongest and enhance the basic education curriculum
• To provide better quality education for all
• The Philippines is the only remaining country in Asia with a 10-year basic education program
• K+12 is not new. The proposal to expand the basic education dates back to 1925.
• Studies in the Philippines have shown that an additional year of schooling increases earnings by 7.5%.
• Studies validate that improvements in the quality of education will increase GDP growth by 2% to 2.2%.
• Minus 2 instead of plus 2 for those families who cannot afford a college education but still wish to have their children find a good paying job. Right now, parents spend for at least 4 years of college to have an employable child. In our model, parents will not pay for 2 years of basic education that will give them an employable child. In effect, we are saving parents 2 years of expenses. The plan is not “Plus 2 years before graduation” but “Minus 2 years before work.”
• To inspire a shift in attitude that completion of high school education is more than just preparation for college but can be sufficient for a gainful employment or career.
• A change in the system is needed because of:

Ø Insufficient mastery of basic competencies is common due to a congested curriculum. The 12 year curriculum is being delivered in 10 years.

Ø High school graduates are younger than 18 years old and lack basic competencies and maturity. They cannot legally enter into contracts and are not emotionally mature for entrepreneurship / employment.

Ø Other countries view the 10-year education cycle as insufficient.

WHAT WILL SOCIETY GAIN FROM K+12?

• K+12 will facilitate an accelerated economic growth.
• K+12 will facilitate mutual recognition of Filipino graduates and professionals in other countries.
• A better educated society provides a sound foundation for long-term socio-economic development.
• Several studies have shown that the improvements in the quality of education will increase GDP growth by as much as 2%. Studies in the UK, India and US show that additional years of schooling also have positive overall impact on society.

metropolitanmanila.com

K+12 EDUCATION VISION

Graduates of Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program will:

• Acquire mastery of basic competencies.
• Be more emotionally mature.
• Be socially aware, pro-active, involved in public and civic affairs.
• Be adequately prepared for the world of work or entrepreneurship or higher education.
• Be legally employable with potential for better earnings.
• Be globally competitive.
• Every graduate of the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program is an empowered individual who has learned, through a program that is rooted on sound educational principles and geared towards excellence, the foundations for learning throughout life, the competence to engage in work and be productive, the ability to coexist in fruitful harmony with local and global communities, the capability to engage in autonomous critical thinking, and the capacity to transform others and one’s self.

But just like many other proposal that challenges the status quo, the new system is subject to oppositions and criticisms. Isagani Cruz of Philippine Star had pointed out the following cons of the K+12:

1. Parents have to shell out more money (for transportation and food) for the education of their children.
2. The government does not have the money to pay for two more years of free education, since it does not even have the money to fully support today’s ten years. DepEd must first solve the lack of classrooms, furniture and equipment, qualified teachers, and error-free textbooks.
3. We can do in ten years what everyone else in the world takes 12 years to do. Why do we have to follow what the rest of the world is doing? We are better than all of them. Filipinos right now are accepted in prestigious graduate schools in the world, even with only ten years of basic education.
4. As far as the curriculum is concerned, DepEd should fix the current subjects instead of adding new ones. The problem is the content, not the length, of basic education. As an editorial put it, we need to have better education, not more education.
5. A high school diploma will not get anybody anywhere, because business firms will not hire fresh high school graduates.
6. While students are stuck in Grades 11 and 12, colleges and universities will have no freshmen for two years. This will spell financial disaster for many private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
7. The drop-out rate will increase because of the two extra years.

As an educator, the K+12 seems to offer a lot of long-term advantages. Take note of the word SEEMS… educators and parents can only hope for the success of this system. It appears to be a clever solution that stands a good chance of working, since DepEd is basically keeping the present system intact and will "sandwich" it between a preparatory kindergarten level at the start, and a Senior High School subsystem at the end.  But despite the government's vision, the cons presented above will definitely hamper the immediate iplementation of this system as well as its success, and will surely affect the majority. One thing is sure though, K+12 is just one answer to the piles of problems facing Philippine education. I hope that for the sake of progress, our legislators and fellow educators will give it a chance.