Teaching adult illiterates

Media

Part of Woman's Home Journal

Title: Teaching adult illiterates
Language: English
Year: 1938
Rights
Fulltext: Manila, January, 1938 WOMAN’S HOME JOURNAL 47 “WOMEN OF THE. . . (Continued from page 10) tention cell. We must not forget Paciencia Latuja, who occupied much space in the metropolitan newspapers when she stabbed to death (with a mere sharpening knife) a masher who had been bothering her with his unwelcomed attentions. She was accused of homocide but was released when the judge ruled that she acted in self-defense. Chief of Police Torres took advantage of the publicity given to this case to warn girls and women to give mashers who abound in Manila their “due,” as Paciencia Latuja did. CANDON: First In War, First In Peace AN ILA may very well sing praises tn her sweetheart, Miss Carmen Planas, Cavite may justly applaud her Mrs. Cristina Aguinaldo-Suntay, and San Jose, Mindoro, may point with pride to Mrs. Olga Vargas and Mrs. Juanita R. Ptmzalan who sit in the town council, but Candon, Ilocos Sur, has a better reason to be proud of. She has three women in her Municipal Council, one of them, Mrs. Agripina L. Gacusan, obtaining the greatest number of votes ever cast for a Municipal Councilor in the history of Candon elections, Police and Treasury department reports both certifying to the same, and all adding machines functioning smoothly without a hitch. The other two women elected are Mrs. Potenciana Valdez and Mrs. Fulceda Abaya-Gray. Mrs. Gacusan is a vernacular writer of no mean repute and a prominent social worker and suffragette. She contributes poems, stories, and plays to the Bannawag, biggest Ilocano weekly, and her plays have been very successful. Mrs. Valdez is a former school teacher and an out and out suffragette. She is at present a retail merchant. Mrs. Gray is not a novice in the game of politics. Her husband is Salvador Gray, former Member of the Provincial Board of Ilocos Teaching Adult Illiterates Is a Full-time Job, Says Mr. Paterno Villanueva of the U.P. College of Education. 4 ( UT I like the work”, |“a he continued musingly, so much so that I am thinking of doing more on it if I get a chance abroad.” We were immediately interested particularly since we had heard that the Yale University was offering fellowships specially on that line of education. But Mr. Villanueva would not open up willingly on the subject, so that we had to keep a discreet silence. We looked questioningly at the letter of Yale catalogues and official-looking documents with Yale letterheads. “Yes,” he answered our unspoken query. “Yale does offer a good graduate course in Adult Education. But their requirements are pretty stiff. Good undergraduate grades (we were sure Mr. Villanueva could handle that requirement) and a reading knowledge of French and German”. And he added, “I must begin working on my French,” giving himself away. The Yale University, it appears, is interested in encouraging students to work on Adult Education projects, and is welcoming students on Sur and three times elected Municipal President of Candon. That Candon should choose to elect three women to her council is not in the least surprising. For Candon is used to lead in many things. Just as the First Cry of the Revolution was made at Balintawak for the Tagalog region, so was the first cry for freedom made at Candon for the Ilocano region. The municipality of Candon ranks FOR OCEAN PEARL BUTTONS Made in Manila COME TO OUR STORE AT 460 Calle Dasmarinas MANILA BUTTON FACTORY, INC. fellowships, particularly those coming from countries whose illiteracy percentage is conspicuously high. “China, for instance.” M r. Villanueva continued, “show illiteracy figures that the Westerners feel should be improved. In this connection, many foreigners, sometimes, ju^t naturally assume that the Chinese are a stupid race. But they fail to see that the Chinese who can’t read usually have had no opportunity to learn.” We remarked that the same thing may be true of the Filipino illiterates. “Exactly!” he returned enthusiastically. “Now if a Chinese student is accepted in Yale for this fellowship, all he can really learn would be general ways and means of approach which he could adopt for teaching his illiterate people, for, of course, their alphabet is so different from ours.” He wanted to talk about the “methods of attacks” used in the U. P. campaign against illiteracy. “We are maintaining projects in several localities, in Pateros, in Stanta Cruz, Laguna, Pasig, Tondo, Paco. Ermita, Polo, Cabuyao, and in Sta. Maria, Laguna. In these places, U.P. first in the amount of income, in the production of sugar and coconuts for the entire province of Ilocos Sur. The only second class municipality and the only town with women councilors in the whole province of Ilocos Sur, it is the first and only municipality in the entire Commonwealth with three women councilors. Such is Candon, first in war and first in veace. —By Teodoro Ayson. personnel actually make the trips to do the teaching. Other places like Cardona, Binang, Baguio, Isaoela, Antique, Masbate, Tarlac, an</ Pangasinan have to depend upon volunteers to whom are provided literacy and citizenship materials.” We wanted to know about the projects which we vaguely surmised might be complimentary to, if not identical with, the Federation projects along the same line. “Well, we have reading and writing, citizenship training, character education, current events, dressmaking, flower-making, fabric and glass-painting, knitting, cooking, horticulture, poultry, shoe-making, and making of useful articles out of coconut shell and husks.” An ambitious program, we thought, but Mr. Villanueva assured us that it was maki n g headway everywhere. “You see, the people who are in this work are volunteers and put a great deal of enthusiasm and good will into their self-appointed tasks. There are many problems, however, which come up every and then,” he sighed almost wearily. “Such as attendance. We have to do a lot of coaxing. Many of our pupils are quite mature, and have to be reasoned with to persuade them to come to the classes. They make all sorts of excuses, such as their work, the seeming uselessness of learning how to read and write. We even have to fight off odd suspicions beliefs and superstitions regarding excess knowledge!” But they go on, these modern knights who battle not against infidels, but against ignorance. “You know why we like the work? It takes us out of the routine of our school teaching and brings us face to face with real, actual living. We get to know every interesting people, and interesting stories. We start, for instance, by teaching a man to read and end up by helping him to combat the insect pests in his crops. They also have many usefhl, practical suggestions about farming or fishing that are worth while taking note of. And then, of (Continued on ne.it page) WOMAN’S HOME JOURNAL Manila, January, 1988 Official Candidates For Miss Philippines Conchita Yulo: Woman's Home ^Journal; Alicia Dreyff us: La Vanguardia; Marina T. Lopez: Philippine Collegian; Amada de Leon: Manila Daily Bulletin; Alicia Villareal: Woman's World; G-uia Balmori: Philippine Herald; Conchita Sotelo: Philippine Reader's Digest; Virtudes Guinto: Motor Review; Gloria Mijares: , Agricultural Life; Nemesia Magno: Cultura; Lydia Velasco: Ilocos Times; Lydia Unson: Far Eastern Advocate; Evelina Kalaw: Panorama; Lydia Varona: Campus Leader; Carmencita Chuidian: Baguio Magazine; Rosario Calvo: Nueva Era; Amparo Sotelo: Liwayway; Amparo Hernandez: Hiwaga; Remedios Kipping: El Comercio; Dolores Hernandez: Monday Mail; Nena Ampil: Orient Digest; Alicia Villanueva. La Union; Amelia Reyes: Philippines Progress; Milagros Lebumfacil: Bisay a; Filina G. Mapa: Guiwang Silangan; Lina Obicta: Excelsior; Maxima Carmelo: Promanade; Rosario Ferrio: TaUba; Girlie Martinez: Songs and Shows; Naty Angeles: Literary Song Movie; Fe Lacson: Commonwealth Magazine; O£elia Lizarez: El Tiempo; Naty Osorio: El Debate; Mena Escudero: Palihan; Gloria Tecson: Liwanag; Corazon Paras: Ing Katipunan; Lilia de Jesus: Philippines; Lily Mendaros: Insular Courrier; Remedios Araneta: Iloilo Times; Inocencia Kasilag: Mindanao Herald; Julieta Ledesma: Foto News; Amparing Gutierrez: The Builder; Jean Maria Urquico: Business and Finance; Celia Teodoro: Mabuhay; Elisea Laperal: Pioneer Herald; Pilar Taddy: Philippine Women’s Magazine; Josefina Cuaycong: The Rioteer; Natividad Paido: Perlas ng Silangan; Daisy Hontiveros: Cinema Magazine; Arsenia Francisco: Extra Liwayway; Helen Dosser: Khaki and Red; Felicidad Santos; Bandit a; Georgina Escamilla: Information. Balls Saturday, February 5—Candidates’ Ball Saturday, February 12—Exposition Ball Sunday, February 13—Cadets’ Ball Monday, February 14 — Vogue’s Night (Fashion Ball) Tuesday, February 15—Proclamation Ball • Wednesday, February 16—Prosperity Ball Thursday, February 17—Coronation Ball Friday, February 18—Cooperation Ball Saturday, February 19—Intercollegiate Ball Sunday Afternoon, February 20— Children’s Fancy Dress Ball Sunday Evening, February 20— 1938 Philippines Exposition Notes New Deal Ball Monday, February 21 — Visitors’ Ball Tuesday, February 22—U. P. Night Wednesday, February 23—Exhibition of Rhumba and Tango Thursday, February 24—Comparsas Ball Friday, February 25 — Bohemian Night Saturday, February 26 — Varsity Night Sunday, February 27—“Miss Philippines” Night Coronation Of Mias Philippines Or 1938 Legend The QUEEN MOTHER, Regent of the Kingdom of Baroxia, widow of the illfated King Augustus, announces to the court her abdication of the throne in favor of her daughter, the Princess. It has been the traditional custom of the ancient sovereigns that in the process of the coronation of a royal princess as queen, the Queen Regent had to order by proclamation the appearance before Her Majesty of one thousand of the most beautiful young ladies of the kingdom. These thousand beautiful young ladies had to' go into the forests on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year and collect the most beautiful spiders depositing them later in a huge glass ease which was placed in the great reception hall as a means of foretelling the future of the kingdom. On the morning of the eighth day, the Queen Mother, surrounded by her court in gala attire has to open the glass case, and if the spiders have built their cobwebs without flaw during the previous night, the Queen Mother selects the most beautiful and most perfect cobwed, places it on a platter to be delivered to the Royal Princess as a relic and an omen of a brilliant future for the kingdom. However, if during the night the spiders have built their cobwebs imperfectly, it was considered a bad omen for the kingdom. In this case, the spiritual adviser of the Royal Palace delivers the Royal Princess to an executioner who conducts her to a cave where for centuries a giant spider, the most poisonous known in the world, has lived. In this cave the Princess is locked to be eaten up by the giant spider. When the much awaited eighth day comes, the Queen Mother accompanied by her entire court proceeds to the Great Hall and, after the usual ceremonies, she personally opens the glass ease. With great rejoicing of the members of the court, the Queen finds that all the cobwebs had been perfectly built. The Queen Mother immediately selects the most beautiful one and places it on a platter to be delivered to the future Queen of Baroxia, while the great tydings are being broadcast throught the kingdom. Provincial Participation Plans for the provincial participation in the Cortimercial and Industrial Fair of the 1938 Philippine Exposition are progressing satisfactorily, according to a preliminary report sent in by Rufino Luna, under-secretary of the interior who is directly in charge of the work of the department in connection with the fair. According to Mr. Luna, fourteen provinces have defiuitgly advised the department of their decision to take part in the 1938 Exposition and a score more are expected to send their replies to the department’s invitation to send exhibits to Manila in the next few days. The list of participants so far includes Davao, Lanao, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Nueva Vizcaya, Sulu, Zamboanga, Bulacan, Rizal, La Union and Ilocos Sur. In addition to these provinces, some of the chartered cities, like Baguio, Davao and Zamboanga are expected to take part independently of the provinces in which they are located. Baguio has never failed to participate in commercial fairs as an independent unit and its exhibits have been among the greatest attractions of the fair every year. The provincial participation this year will be as representative and as interesting as those of previous years, according to the department of the interior. The exhibits will give Exposition patrons a coprehensive idea of what is being done in the provinces in the way of promoting agriculture, trade and industries. The products of home industries, such as weaving, wood carving and other, promise to be of spacial interest both to Philippine residents and tourists. University Of The Philippines Exhibits fHE partiipation of the University of the Philippines in the Philippine Exposition this year will have as its prinipal theme the contribution of the state university to the agricultural development of the country, rogress in the development of new Philippine crops will be given special emphasis. Practically all the colleges and schools of the University are participating, their exhibits being intended to enhance the central idea above. There will also be other exhibits from the several units of the institution. Among the important ones are the following: (1) Local products used in the manufacture of vaccines and sera for the prevention of diseases; (2) a model showing the management of marginal lands for the production of firewood; (3) role of fundamental researches in the actual manufacture of finished industrial products; (4) different methods of standardizing tiki-tiki and the various uses of foreinsic chemistry and its application in the solution of crimes; (5) the organization, functions, and usefulness of the etcrinary Science Clinics; and (6) food preparation of Philippine products. COUNT and Countess Keigo Kiyoura, prominent members of the Japanese nobility, have arranged a total of seventy marriages during the sixty years of theor own married life. Count Kiyoura, who is a former Premier, has a distinguished record as a statesman, but the figures show that his success in matchmaking has been even greater. Not a single marriage he arranged has yet ended in divorce, possibly because the couples abide by his wise counsl which he never modifies: “Be loyal and tolerant, respectful and loving to each other, and mind the end as much as the beginning.” TEACHING ADULT... (Continued from page 47) course, the trips in the jogtolling U. P. jitney is good exercise,—for the bones.” The next moment he was very serious. “The government has allowed a P100,000 appropriation for the Office of -Adult Education to use in its projects. The University of the Philippines is doing its level best to help in the work. I hear that the Federation of Women’s Clubs has been doing a great deal also for the education of the masses. But our united forces are so inadequate. There is work to do, there is the will to do it, but do we have all the means necessary?” We did not need to answer his question.