Philippine Educator

Media

Part of Philippine Educator

Title: Philippine Educator
Description: Official Organ of the Philippine Public School Teachers Association
Issue Date: Volume XII (Issue No. 6) November 1957
Year: 1957
Language: English; Filipino
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extracted text: Vol. XII November, 1957 No.6 OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE PHILIPPINE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ASSOCIATION The GRK\T CHANDELIERS, l\Ialacanang, under which our nution's big men dine, chat and dance. ---... ,"' The LEGISLATIVE BUILDING where the members of the Congress of the Philippines meet and make the laws of the land. UNLIKE ANY OTHER PEN IN THE WORLD I 61 The only fountain pen that fills itself by itself ... it has no moving parts. Startling in its newness is the Parker 61, because it alone among fountain pens, fills itself by itself. It fills itself cleanlythrough the end opposite the point. It's done by capillary action in just a few secondsthe shining point need never be dipped in ink. For best resvlts and optimum writing performance, use Porker Quink in your Porker 61 pen. Factory Sales Representatives and Repair Service Station: Carbonnel & Company, Inc., 606 Trade & Commerce Bldg., Manila Tel.: 2-97-75 7·6138 The Fellow Traveler and Other Stories If you h~dn't been so busy scanning the heavel!s for the Russian "moon," you might have noticed that the coconut in your backyard was sprouting the dollar sign. And you might have seen a new meteor flashing across the constitutional skies - the Commission on Elections setting th~ stage for November 12 and letting -nothing bar its way. IT'S a metal sphere of 23 inches in diameter and 184.3 pounds in weight. The Russians call it Sputnik, meaning "fellow traveler." Early in Octob~r they threw it into an orbit 6~ degrees away from the equator. The ball now revolves around the earth from an altitude of 559 miles at the tremendous rate of once every 96.2 minutes. The launching of the "moon" was big news in the Soviet Union and the rest of the world. At the Russian embassy in Washington, where 50 scientists from 13 countries were being entertained after attending the International Geophysical Year rocket and satellite conference, an American physicist, Lloyd Berkner, asked to say a few words. "I am informed by the New York Times," he said, "that a satellite is in orbit at an elevation of 900 kilometers. I wish to congratulate our Soviet colleagues on their achievement." It was, indeeg, a good deal to crow about. For years now Buck Rogers and his travels from one planet to another made engrossing entertainment in the Sunday comic pages. Great adventure but pure fantasy. After the Russians had launched the "moon," one was not so sure Buck Rogers was so fantastic. But the sober rejoicing of the scientists was soon chilled by the cold war. "The present generation," said an official Russian announcement, "will witness how the freed and conscious labor of the people of the new socialist society turns even the most daring of man's dreams into reality." That fixed Sputnik as a new element in the cold war picture, in the arms race that has been going on for years now bttween the U.S. and the Sovit:!t Union: The Americans were working on a much smaller satellite. The plan called for a ball 21.5 pounds in NOVEMBER, 1957 By Benito Mencias weight to be thrown into an orbit at least 300 miles above the earth. Since this height would touch the edges of the atmosphere, the American "moon" was expected to "live" only a few days. Sputnik, well above the atmosphere, could keep going around the earth for years. In terms of the cold war, the significance of the R1Jssian achievement lay in the fact that, to launch Sputnik, the Russians used an operational baliistic missile driven br a rocket engine of extraordinary power. Two months ago the Russians claimed that they had perfected an intercontinental ballistic missile - a weapon of tremendous destructive power that could c1;oss continents as it hurtles toward its target. Sputnik itself is not regarded as too significant by a sector of American opinion as a weapon of war. Time, the U.S. news maga~ine, summarizes the situation in these words: "Many imaginative military planners have dreamed of satellite fortresses armed with nuclear missiles to shoot at the earth below. All space vehicles must be lightly built to conserve weight. They would therefore be vulnerable, and since they are forced to move in predictable orbits, they should not be too hard to shoot down. One suggested method of dealing with a hostile satellite is to shoot a modest' racket into its orbit, but moving in the opposite direction. The warhead would burst and fill the orbit with millions of small particles. Any one of these, hitting the sate!. lite \1 vith twice its orbital speed (36,000 miles per hour) would have the effect of a meteor, punching a hole and sending a blast of flame and shock into its interior." A,_ T a coconut central in Alaminos, Laguna, the Phil.J. ippine Coconut Administration (PHILCOA) inaugurated a new machine that can process oil direct from the coconut in one continuous operation and turn out coconut flour as a by-product. The inauguration coincided with PHILCOA's third anniversary. To PAGE 3 gh·e the occasion the importance it deserved, Benjamin Salvosa, chairman of the PHILCOA board, invited President Garcia to see the machi.ne in action. The President saw a new era of "unprecedented prosperity" for the coconut industry. Mr. Garcia's statement might have been too optimistic. The export of oil and flour rather than copra. has long been a ticklish problem. There is no doubt that the shipper - in this case the Philippines' would find the exportation Of oil convenient and p.rofitable. Oil, to begin with, takes less room and would therefore be cheaper to transport, whereas copra requires some care aboardship (it gets bone-dry, for example, if the hold is not well ventilated and thus lessens a good deal of its oil content). The trouble is that this arrangement would run into opposition by the oil expelling industries in the two major Philippine. copra outlets - the U.S. and Europe. ' - The ne''' machine - called the Hiller, after its inventor, Stanley Hiller of Berkeley, California - was the big development in the coconut industry during the year. In line with a research agreement, the machine would, when perfected, be distributed exclusively by the Philippine government in the Asian area. Industrialization of the coconut - to provide ne,,,,. jobs and spawn home industri'es - would therefore be in prospect. Of more immediate significance, however, is the fact that PHILCOA, during the three years it has been in operation, has succeeded in putting Philippine copra on a par with the best in the international market. This is a tremendous achievement: three years ago Philippine copra was considered the worst in the world. In 1954 the lT.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that unless quality was raised - some Philippine copra shipments were found unfit for human eon~umption - exporb:; would be stopped. No"" Philippine copra is moving forward. Europe 11eems to be sunnlanting the U.S. as the main outletduring- the 195'7 fo:;cal period, when Philippine copra export!'; totalled 984,500 metric tons, the European market accounted for 57 per cent of the Philippine p1·o<luction. And this did not mean that the U.S. was sliding out of the picture - under the Laurel-Langley Agreement, the Philinpine duty-free quota for the l 95G-58 period is 193,049 metric tons! This development has a tremendous impact on the Philippine economy as a '"hole. During the-fiscal ,year, exports of copra, coconut oil and desiccated coconut went up to a peak of $187.5 million, over 39 per cent of the total export trade. This maintfl,ined the ~oco nut indi.1stry in the position it has been enjoying since 1949 as the c@untry's No. 1 dollar earner. The Philippine dollar reserve, down to $180 million during the year, is the pivot around which Philippine economic development· revolves. PAGE 4 HOW clean will the November elections be? The Commission on Election::; - 'independent under the Constitution of all three branches of the government - is answering this question with a series of bold moves that is making people sit up and applaud. .. . - ' Chairmanned by a former jurist and diplomat named Domingo Imperial, the commission got the big headlines recently when it observed, with great politeness, that the secretary of defense, Jes us Vargas, seemed to be taking undue interest in the election machinery. Some units of the constabulary had been deputized by the combination to keep order during the polls. To prevent any slips in implementation, these units, met to discuss instructions from the commission. At every meeting Vargas was present, even, some reports said, to preside. This was what troubled the ·commission : for obvious reasons, it said, no appointee of a President running for reelection should put himself in a position where his 'motives might be misinterpreted. Add to this the fact that the commission had not named Vargas as a deputy. As you might have guessed, Vargas resente~ this-. His record in the military service; he said, reflected no tendencies on his part to 'exert undue pressure on behalf of the President. The cqmmission's reply was that Vargas ·would expose himself to a charge of contempt unless he stopped attending the meetings. As secretary of defense, Vargas had the right of supervision over the armed forces, but not, insisted th'e commission, over units assigned to do election duty. Vargas bowed. But this was not the end of the story - it proved to be merely a foretaste of what the commission· meant when it promised to do its business. The provincial treasurer of Aklan and an assistant were reported to have opened three ballot boxes without authority to do so. During an investigation, official ballots were found in the boxes. The two men drew prison terms of three months each and a fine of P500. This was the first time the commission exercised its punitive powers under the election code. In late October President Garcia signed an executive order establishing a barrio of Malitbog, Leyte as the new town of Padre Burgos. Creation of the town posed several problems to the commission - new ballots would have to be printed, m~w, precincts opened and new inspectors appointed. Since "the creation of the new town deprived voters of their residence in Malitbog, they would be disenfrartchized. The election code, the commission pointed out, required voters to be in residence in their towns at least six months prior to the balloting. Recalling that it had officially suggested that no new towns be created 30 days before election day, the commission intimated that it would call on the President to explain. Visibly angry, Mr. Garcia warned: "They had better not do that!" THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR Vol. XII NOVEMBER, 1957 No. 6 The Fellow Troveler and Other Stories by Benito Mencias Evaluation is the Basis of Supervision by Marcelino Bautista Quality in the Teaching Profession by $ir Ronald Gould Agricultural Cooperatives by Amado A. Lansang ... .. ..... •.• .. The Yardstick is the Child by Victoria F. Smith •••••• t • •••••• • • •• • •• • 3 6 9 14 19 Rizal's Characters in Modera Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 by Gregorio C. Borlaza Every Municipality Should Ha,ve a Public High School .. .. .. .. ...... . . ..... . ... 1 25 by Pedro T. Orata Ang Wikang Katutubo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 ni Dalmacio Martin Gabay ng Guro : Una at lkalawang Baytang ng Mababang Paaralan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 ni Lazaro M. Mercado Paraae of Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 37 by R. I. Cruz The Candidate and the Electorate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 by Anacoreta Ambas Chua Moral Standards for Boys and Girls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 by Teonila Aguilar NOVEMBER, 1957 Oflieial Organ of the Philippine Public School Teachers Asso~iation "Voice of 100,000 Teachers" Ricardo Castro, Editor Quirico A. Cruz, Managing Editor Laboratory in Teaching Good Citizenship . . . . . . . . 45 by Pedro T. Magadia Classroom Decoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 by Felipe S. Mojares Teacher Training Program by Arcadio G . . Matela Life of an Indian Primc:iry School Teacher by D. H. Sahasrabuddhe Fourteen Hills Away by Florencio Buen 51 . . .. . . . . . 54 56 Life-of a Schoolmaster in Belgium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 by Ivan Louis Let the Teacher Talk by Carlos G. Beltran How Responsible Are We? by Silvina C. Laya 60 61 Trade and Industrial Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 by Jose S. Roldan Good Discipline is Good Mental Hygiene . . . . . . . . . . 65 by 'lames /. Heaphy ~ubsc1'iptiott Rates The Philippine Educator is the official organ of the Philippine Public School Teachers Association, published monthly for ten · months during the year: Approved by the Director of Public Schools. Rates of subscription : P8.00 a year (ten issues), P.90 per copy. Foreign countries-P16.00 ($8.00) a year (ten issues). Entered as second class mail matter in the Manila Post Office. Office of publication - 27 Banawe, corner Quezon Blvd. extension, Quezon City. Tel. 6-51-73. PAGE 5 Evaluation is the Basis of Supervision £VALUATION is the basis of supervisory activities. The results of evaluation indicated the various phases of improvements. Research and evaluation determines the points of strength and of weakness of instruction, supervision and administration, the curriculum, and other phases of education. If through its various appraisal instruments and techniques, the work of evaluation and research discovers for instance, that learning is not an integrated whole and if it propels the necessary processes to change the methods and techniques of teaching to make learning an integrating process, that is supervision of the best kind. If research and evaluation discovers, for another instance, that the human relations involved in the educative effort are disturbed or distorted and if the way could be shown to secure mutuality of respect and understanding and commonality of purposes and interests in the educative effort, that too is supervision of a high type. In this sense and to this extent, research and evaluation is deeply involved in supervision. fhe importance of evaluation in paving the way to effective supervision is shown in the following quotation: "It has been repeatedly pointed out in this volume and elsewhere that only by knowing as accurately as possible the results of instruction can the processes of education be improved. The same situation pertains to improvement programs. There are many different ways of improving pupil growth. Teachers, supervisors, and administrative officials will naturally all want to use the most effective means, methods, and materials that they can command. To improve their selection of improvement programs, they must have some mode of evaluating the results of these programs. The point has been repeatedly made in this volume of the fact that the ultimate measure of the effectiveness of any means, methods, or device will be found in whether it effectively promotes teacher and pupil growth. And so it is with methods of leadership. Supervisors and administrative officials seem, in general, to have been more interested in the development of programs of activities than in their evaluation. As a consequence, we find ourselves PAGE 6 By Marcelino Bautista in the position of having r~ported in the literature of education all kinds of improvement programs and activities recommended by various members of the. school personnel, on the basis of their own personal experience, but without scientific validation. 'It' is true that from general observation it would seem that many of these programs are effective; but a closer study of them may show, as it has in other fields, that in fact they are often not p1;1rticularly effective. Unfortunately, such activities set other activities in motion, which in turn inspire still others, and so on ; until, without some considerable knowledge of the results of improvement programs, not only are isolated instances of ineffectiveness allowed to creep· into the means and methods of leadership, but also whole systems of doing things that could not be tolerated under more careful evaluation. Educational leadership today is decidedly hampered in many respects by traditional practices that would undoubtedly be eliminated with the introduction of more effective means and methods of evaluation. If the methods of educational leadership are to be constantly improved, steps must be taken to develop more accurate instruments for the continuous evaluation of their effectiveness." Barr, Burton, and Brueckner: "Supervision", page 754. The modern concept of educational supervision is that it is not "overseer" work; it is a consultative function in which supervisor and supervised work together and share each other's ideas toward improving the teaching-Jearning process. The responsibility for success does not lie mainly in the efforts of the supervisor. Success or the propelling of factors and influences that insure it are a joint responsibility of both supervisor and supervised. This concept is different from that obtaining in an industrial or commercial firm in which success depends largely upon the efficiency of machines and men interacting smoothly to improve production or increase sales. Supervision in education depends for its success upon the interplay of goodwill and understanding between and among human beings-learners, teachers, supervisors, and administrators. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR ' In the past there was felt some kind of authority emanating from a supervisor and flowing into and shaping the thinking and therefo1~e the work of the supervised. That is no longer an accepted concept in the relationship of the supervisor and the supervised. Note what authorities on supervision say in this regard: "l. Supervision is increasingly· objective and ·experimental in its methods. This stems from the scientific method in education." "2. Supervision is ,increasingly participatory and cooperative. Policies and plans are formulated through group discussion with ,.participation by all. This is the result of incre~sing insight into the nature of democracy and democratic methods." "3. Supervisory activities and opportunities af.e distributed among an ever larger number of persons as all 'come to contribute and to accept challenges to exercise leadership." - - - "Supervision" by Barr, Burton and Brueckner, page 11. - An authoritative definition of supervision is the following: 1 "Supervision is leadership and the development of leadership within groups whiCh are cooperatively: "l. Evaluating the Educational Product in the Light of Accepted Objectives of Education. a. The cooperative determination and critical analysig of aims b. The selection and application of th~ means of appraisal c. The analysis of the data to discover sh~ength and weakness in the product." "2. Studying the Teaching-Learning Situation to Determine, the Antecedents of Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory Pupil Growth and Achievement." a. Studying the course of gtudy and the curriculum-in-operation . b. Studying the materials of instruction, the equipment, and the sociophysical environment of learning and growth c. Studying the factors related to instruction (the teachers' personality, academic and professional training techniques) d. Studying the factors present in the learner (capacity, interest, work habits, etc.). "3. Improving the Teaching-Learning Situation a. Improving the course of study and the curricu- . !um-in-operation b~ Improving the materials of instruction, the equipment, and the sociophygical environment of learning and growth 1 Barr, Burton and Bn1C'l'k11cr, ''Supe1·vision," pag·e 12. NOVEMBER. 1957 c. Improving the factors related directly to instruction d. Improving factors present in the learner which affect his growth and achievement." "4. Evaluating. the Objectives, Methods, and Outcomeg of Supervision. a. Discovering and applying the techniques of evaluation b. Evaluating the results of given supervisory program, including factors whfch limit the success of these programs c. Eva!uating and improvi:qg the personnel of supervision." It is seen from the foregoing that the role which research and evaluation plays in ~dpervision is that of undergirding all the efforts to .improve the teaching-learning situation leading to or resulting in the growth and development of learners. Evaluating teaching-learning situationg precede that of making improvements upon those situations. In view of this role, those who do supervisory work should carry out the following activities: 1. Visit gchools, observe instruction, and assess reimlts. On the basis of observations and facts yielded by evaluative criteria and measuring instruments, they offer suggestions and exchange ideas with school people to improve a given teaching-learning situation in the following basic aspects: a. Enhance the extent to which (1) information, skills, and -attitudes are to be learned and applied in problem situations; (2) personality development of learners is to be manifested in desirable behavior; and ( 3) learners participate actively in effecting desirable changes in the life of their communities. 2. With the use of evaluative criteria and measuring instruments, researc.hers assess the effectiveness of other phases of school work, including supervision itsPlf. They offer suggestions in this regard to serve the follovdng purposes: a. To enable teachers to grow in self-direction, selfappraisal, and self-reliance. b. To enable the learners to acquire functional learning; and c. To enable supervisory officials to grow in competence in assessing the results of, and improving, upon the educative processes. 3. With the collaboration of te'chnical personnel in research and evaluation, evolve criteria for the use of supervisors in eYaluating school work. 4. Familiarize teachers in the field with the different research techniques. 5. Help teachers prepare informal classroom tests which will serve their own purpos~s of evaluating the results of their teaching. PAGE 7 One other concept of superv1s1on presupposes a supervisor who is all knowing in subject-matter and in the processes and techniques of teaching a specialized subject area and is possessed of the right combination of human qualities that can be brought to bear upon efforts to change teaching-learning situations for the better. It should be readily obvious that it is not always feasible to have a supervisor with these ideal qualities. That being the case, a fairly adequate and discerning process and technique that appraise many of the factors and elements constituting th~ teaching-learning situation could be considered as a substitute ~r supplementary agency for some of the functions of the all-knowing supervisor_:.the evaluative functions. Since the human qualities needed to implement change for the better may not be present in El,ach and every instance of appraisal, even if these · same qualities could be present in the individual supervi"!or most of the time, the objective findings of research and evaluation should at once appeal to all concerned as a pervasive motivation in themselves to undertake ch_!lnges for the better. Supervision of instruction or of other phases of the educational effort cannot be effective if appraisal is based mainly upon impressionp and surmises; opinion is not conclusive in pointing out strengths and weaknesses. Therefore research and evaluation are necessary instruments of supervision. The ordinary run of supervision often substitutes opinion and surmise for the objective appraisal .of the educational effort through research an'd evaluation, with the result that there is comliderable guess work. in connec- · tion with the attempt to improve the teaching-learning process. The, techniques and instruments of appraisal, assuming that they. can b~ made reasonably \'alid and reliable, can provide more adequate evidence O<f \VOrk being done and therefore ran carry great('i- conviction as to the worthwhileness 0f ideas and suggestiomi for improvement. The effective supervisor has therefore to provide himself with the equipment needed .for objective appraisal, because the anal~·Ris .and interpretation of teaching-learning situations can be better achieved through such instruments and techniques. One who goes out to the field, "looks at the s:!hools" and "sees what is going on" aml subsequently makes obsen:ations of what he finds based upon opinioi:i, surmiRe, feeling or imp1'ession is not per se doing supervision. The title of "supervisor" is not therefore important: what the "visitor" actually does as a result of objective assessment and what !mggestions nre offered to help improve the educational effort are the only things that matter. The foregoing viewg of supervision must replace the old view of overseership-that of placing too much ~·esp1.rnsibility and giving too much credit upon the work of the 10upervisor to effect expected improvePACE 8 ments upon the educational effort; and superv1s1on based on subjective evaluation must give way to one based on objective appraisal, otherwise supervision can become mere shadow-boxing characterized more than anything else.by the commotion raised in •·•visits" that amount ... to very little. With so many people rendering supervisory services in .the schools during the· last 30 years or so, there. should beo by now more evidence of effective school work. Is there? EvaluatioJJ and research should establish the facts, but the criticisms heard all around in respect to ·the quality of. public school products could be- one· evidence that we are not doing the job of supervision (and of cours~ instruction) effectively. Ideas at once surge into mind as to how to minimize shadow-boxing. Some of these can be drawn from what has already been said in the foregoing paragraphs. These are suggested: 1. Supervisors should know how to assess school work objectively. No one should be nermitted to make pronouncements about conaitions and suggest remedies for improvement without using objective appraisal. . 2. Supervisors should be provided with check 1,ists containing .. specific objectives (the things they want to look. for in respect to an~r subiect area or phase of school work to be observed). For instance, there should be a guide or check list on democratic supervision and for each of the subject areas. There should also be guides for the use of school administrators and for •the· assessment of the curriculum and of curriculum development itself. ~. Evaluative criteria of various phases of school work should be made available to the field to serve as guides in their (local school neoµle's) work and in their efforts to assess what they have and how to improve. upon it. Steps have been •taken irr the General Office to design these evaluative criteria. 4. Supervision shou!d be concentrated from tirhe to time on a: specific phase of school work and on specific geographical areas, under the immediate assignment of specific local and General Office supervisors. Supervision in thos.e fields and in those areas should be persistent until it can· demonstrate t~rough objective appraisal that some real achievements have been scored. The practice of super\risors going out periodically to ·~see what they can see" without definite i~eas and objectives as fo what to see',' how to see them, and how to improve upon them after these have been seen is one of those things that could come under the category of "shadow-boxing'~ activities. To cover too wide a ground with little or no idea of :qow -to cover the· ground and how to improve upon situations discovered result only in wh'at 'may be termed "jabbing" exercises that get school work nowhere. 5. Supervisors should find out what problems local school people are wdrking on for the pU1.1JOSe of contributing to the thinking and the planning of how THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR to remedy or improve upon situations. This would obviate duplication of effort and would obviate the necessity of commenting upon problems and situations of which local administrative and sµpervisory officials are already well aware. Some supervisory reports examined confain suggestions which, by 'their very nafore, seem to have already been for sometime the concern of local school people to remedy, but for which they have not as yet found any remedy for the reason of lack of funds and facilities. It is a perspicacious supervisor who can suggest a remedy that i's actually new and would work. Guess work, to be sure, will not provide that perspi(:!acity. , 6. Demonstration is the best kind of teaching. Supervisors should occasionally demonstrate to local school people newer methods and techniques of teaching rather than merely tell them "how to do it." "Show how" is always more effective than "Tell how." -1.t is hoped that the personnel of the Research. and Evaluation will bear these pointers in mind when they go out to conduct research and evaluation and to participate in supervisory activities. Quality in the Teachin!l Profession "THE impact of mind on mind and charac.ter counts for so much that the. most important element in the education service, after the child himself, is the person in closest contact with him. Whatever plans and schemes may .be made by ipoliticians, administrators and conferences, and however important they may be, in the last analysis the quality of our educational service is largely" determined by the intellectual, moral and spiritual resources of the teachers." This was the underlying theme of Sir Ronald Gould's presidential address to the .annual assembly of the World Confederation of Organization of the Teaching Profession, held at Frankfurt from August 2-9. Sir Ronald, who took as his subject "Quality in the Teaching Profession," began with a tribute of appreciation of the fact that the Conference was meeting in Germany. He said: "For many reasom1, we have eagerly looked forward to the WCOTP meeting on German soil. Human motives are invariably diverse and tangled, but' for at least three reasons we are glad to be in St. Paul's Church, Frankfurt, today. · STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM First, to us, this church is more than hewn stone and mortar, more even than aesthetic satisfaction. Like the British Houses of Parliament where long struggles have taken place for freedom of thought and of worship, for freedom from want and from fear; like the Place de la Bastille, which symbolizes the aspirations of .people everywhere for liberty, equality and fraternity; like Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was NOVEMBER, 1957 By Sir Ronald Gould adopted, the moat moving exposition of democratic rights ever penned; this building, St; Paul's Church, Frankfurt, for more t,ha~ :;i hundred years, has been identified in the minds of liberal thinkers evenrwhere with the stru~gle for constitutional government, for unity and f;reedom. For that reason we are glad to be here. Then, too, it is good for teachers to be in a country which has so enriched music, literature and art. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Goethe; Schiller, Durer, Holbein-the list is enc;lless. The contripution of Germany to the world's culture, the contribution to Christian and Humanist thinking puts us all in your debt. Again, no teachers' organization has done more to promote international co-operation amongst teachers than the Arbeitgemeinschaft. I was privileged to be at Dortmund only a few years ago when it was struggling into life. There i met that great internationalists, Leo Raepell, who had been Secretary of the pre-Hitler German Teachers' Organization, and who with Louis Dumas, George Papierre and others had done so much to promote international co-operation amongst teachers in the 1920's. Since then, German teachers inspired by people like Walter Schulze, have established the Sonnenberg Centre, dedicated to the promotion of international understanding amongst teacliers. We have seen its influence extend. Inspired by its activities we have seen teachers in other countries establish their Sonnenbergs. For all. this, we are grateful to Walter Schulze and our German colleagues. This organization has al:so played a worthy part in I.F.T.A. and W.C.O~T.P. With pride and gratitude PAGE 9 I recall great services rendered on many occasions by our old friends Madame Musolf, Bernard Pie.we and Heinrich Rodenstein. Words fail to express adequately the gratitude we feel to them for their consistent helpfulness, and, may I add, for all they have done to make this Coi1ference a success. At this year's conference we shall discuss one of the most pressing and important of all educational problems, the supply of teachers. This is important because what matters most in education is not the Ministry of Education, not committees, with their never failing supply of advice and exhortation, not School Boards, Local Authorities, Division Executives, Governors, Managers, Inspectors, Organizers, nor even the officers and officials of teachers' organiztttions, but those in closest touch with children-the - teachers in the schools. The impa.ct of-mind on mind and character on character counts for so much. that the most important element in tfie education service, after the child himself, is the person in closest with him. Whatever plans and schemes may be made by pdliticians, administrators and conferepces, and however important they may be, in the tast analysis, the quality of our educational service is largely determined by the intellectual, moral and spiritual_ resour:?es of the teachers. I do not wish to discuss in detail how to satisfy the need for teachers. We shall do that later. But I do wish to make two points, the first briefly, the second at greater length. First, beware of political statisticians, or more accurately beware of the politician's use of statistics. The number of teachers required is usually based on· the assumption that certain number of children should be entrusted to one teacher. And in almost every case the assumption is educationally unsound. I have never known official estimates of need based on what I would regard as a satisfactory numerial relationship between teacher and children. Thus no :::ountry over-estimates its teacher shortage: most under-estimate it, so there are not nearly enough teachers. In fact, I know of no country in the world where there are enough teachers or where there is a likelihood of enough teachers to achieve a satisfactory teacher-child relationship. QUALITY ANp QUANTITY . And my second point is this-beware of the risks inherent in the search for sufficient teachers, and. particularly beware of the risk of sacrificing quality for quantity. This risk is ever present, as many here could testify. To obtain enough teachers in Canada, the Unifod States, England and elsewhere, attempts have been made to Jo,ver standards of admission to the teaching profession. Tea-chers have resisted, for they know that if the standards in the teaching proPAGE 10 fession fall, the child suffers. For the sake of the child, we must recruit enough teachers, and above all, good teachers. In practice, however, governments, local authorities, and the public generally care little for high qualit~, in the teaching profession, and for many reasons. First, many believe that anyone can teach. "We all went to school," they say. "We know what was done there. We have taught our own children this, that or the other. What then could be simpler than to teach full-time"! Of course some ai:e born teachers: they could teach without training. Some are not born teachers: they might need a little training. Those with knowledge of- a particular subject could easily teach to an advanced level: those without such knowledge could teach infants or juniors." Is all this fanciful or exaggerated? Not. at all. I have heard these sentiments expressed by the ·public, and even by some prominent in university and journalistic circles. All these -sentiments are based on a contempt for teachers, and for the work they are doing. They are based on the belief that teaching demands no special knowledge or .skill. This is a fairly modern development. Do you remember what Goldsmith said of the teacher in the eighteenth century? "And still they gazed and still the wonder. grew That one small head could carry all he knew.'.' .And what did that small head carry? What did he know? In truth, not very much. H~ could read, write, count, measure and argue. But all recogn~zed he could do more than they. Times have changed. Most people today think they know as much or more than the professional teacher. QUALITIES OF THE GOOD TEACHERS But how little they really know of the qualities essential to good teaching! First, the teacher must know his subject; he mU"St know ,something of academic discipline; he must have som~ acquaintance with real s::holarship, for you cannot teach any subject successfully unless you know much more than you have to teach. Secondly, he must know something of children and how they develop, for as John Adams :r;~marked, John has to be taught as well as Latin, the child as well as the subject. Thirdly, he must possess technical efficiency, knowledge of the ~ethods used in teaching, and skill in applying them. Fourthly, he must know something of the educational system and the part it plays in the modern world. And fifthly and lastly, he must have that indefinable but recognizable combination of charaeteristics known as "personalitv". He must have faith, enthw.siasm, the power to en:!.OUrage and stimulate. He must regard his work as a profession, a vocation, a priesthood. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR These are the qualities needed in good teachers. They should be proclaimed from the housetops. By word and deed teachers should do everything in their power to explode the fallacious belief that anybody can teach. "NO SATISFACTORY SUBSTITUTE" There is another reason why quality in teachers is regarded as of little importance. ComJ:Ylercial interests and (alas!) some teachers have lent colour to the suggestion that there are reasonably satisfactory teacher substitutes, that books, films, filmstrips, radio and television can make the work of the teacher unnecessarY.. This is nonsense. There is no satisfa.ctory substitute for the teacher. I do not suggest that books, films, radio and television are useless. They are very useful, but they are aids· to the teacher not substitutes for him. The Psalmist, you remember, rebuked those who put their trust in horses and chariots. And why? Not because there was anything wrong with horses or chariots. But because success in .war was determined more by the self-sacrjfice, the convictions and the morale of the warriors. Horses and chariots were invaluable aids, but it was foolish to put too much trust in them. They were aids to the warriors, not substitutes for them. So to teachers I would say: use all the .aids you wish, but realize they are aids. Do not place too much trust in them, or children will suffer, and you will lend currency to the erroneous belief that there are substitutes for the vital relationships which exist between children and good teachers. CLOUDS OF GLORY? There is yet another reason why. the good teacher is undervalued. Many have accepted and proclaimed the immoral idea that progress is the law of life. Children, it is said, come into the world trailing clouds of glory. Nature, not their teachers, should show them the way. The children know best. Stand out of the way and let them do as they like. That is the way to perfection. No doubt you will think I have exaggerated. But I have merely summarized in simple terms what many others have said, often I fear, in more woolly and flocculent language, and some have actually organized schools on the basis of this absurd belief. "ORIGINAL GOODNESS" Now I have never believed in what some describe as the doctrine of original sin, that a child is born evil, and to help him on towards perfection, the evil should he beaten out of him. And equally I• believe that the. antithesis of that doctrine, the doctrine of original goodness, is educationally and socially disastrous. ·Schools cannot produce the results desired by NOVEMBER, 1957 parents and society' if children are given unrestricted freedom, or if (and I'm merely putting it another way) the teacher abdicates. In "Table Talk" Coleridge made the same point in an unforgettable way. "I showed him my garden" said Coleridge "and told him it was my botanical garden." "How so?" said he "it is covered with weeds." "Oh" Coleridge replied "that is only because it has not yet come to its age of discretion and choice. The weeds you see have taken the liberty to grow and I thought it unfair in me to prejudice the soil towards roses and strawberries." The lesson is obvious. The ground was given license, not freedom. The soil was not prejudiced towards roses and strawberries so it produced weeds. But our task, as I see it, is to give the child liberty, not license, to destroy weeds and to prejudice the soil towards roses and strawberries, to eliminate evil tendencies and to encourage all that ig good. And when we proclaim this is our task, the world will more readily realize the necessity of the good teacher. There is another, and the worst reason of all, why the world. ignores quality in teachers. Many want to get education on the cheap. The cost of employing any kind of teachers in large numbers must inevitably be high: the cost of employing good teachers is higher still: so to keep the cost down quality is conveniently overlooked. For this a heavy price is paid, the denial of the child's o:pportunity for self-development, and with it the denial of our own liberal ideals, ideals which have developed slowly' through the years, but are now held in common by Christians, adherents of other religions, and humanists. ' RIGHTS OF THE CHILD Let me state my own belief, and I believe yours and many other people's. I believe every child born has the moral right to life, health and the pursuit' of happiness, and also the right to self-development, that he has these rights because he is a child, not because he is the child of particular parents or because he has wealthy friends, but just because he is a child. Most politicians would subscribe to this belief, at least in words, but not all are prepared to pay price of translating belief into action. The price is heavy. If a country establishes an education system with .the limited objective of teaching children to read, write and count, and is not concerned about self-development, the most is relatively PAGE 11 small. But if every child is to be given the RIGHT to develop as far as his capacities permit, many good teachers are essential, secondary schools of various types must be provided: univ'ersities and institutions of further education mus~ be built, provision must be made for adult education; an1 d grants must be made available so that no one who could profit from the education provided in these institutions is denied access to them. And the cost is heavy. If a country, despite its inadequate financial resources, really believes a child has a right to self-development, and is working to provide the necessary opporhmities, I have no word of conqemnation, on)y gratitude and praise. But if ~ country is wealthy enough to make greater progress than it is and if words are contradicted by doing (and there are many such), actions and practical policies are determined without reference to ideals, that country is thoughtlessly or deliberately denying children a fundamental human right, and in my eyes stands condemned. PAYING FOR QUALITY But perhaps I am preaching too much. I should come down to a lower plane. Let me stat~ the case, then, for the expenditure of more money on education in more mundane terms. If people really' believe in the· democratic way of life, they must be prepared to pay for quality in ~eachers and the education service. And why? Because the ill-educated weaken and threaten t~ democratic way of life. Now I know words like "Democracy, "Peace," "Independence," "Freedom" and many more abstract nouns mean almost anything. We seem to have learnt too well a lesson from Humpty Dumpty in "Alice Through the Looking Grass." "There's glory for you!" said Humpty Dumpty. "I don't know what you mean by 'glory' " Alice said. "I meant, 'there's a nice knock-down argument, for you.'" 'But 'glory' doesn't mean a nice knock-down argument," Alice objected. "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean-neither more nor less.'' Jn_ these days "Democracy" means just wha,t people want it to mean, so perhaps I ought to say what :it means to me. It is a method of government, based on the assumption, indeed the enormous assumption, that the ordinary man is wise enough to control his own destiny and that of others. In this method of government, decisions on what is to be done emerge from discussion, sb men must be S!Onvinced, not coerced-. Even when a majority still has its right to be treated with respect, and· the right, if the minority desires, PAGE 12 to work for a reversal of the decision. Thus Democracy is based on respect for the i~dividual, on human dignity, restraint and decency. Obviously, such a. way of life casts enormous responsibilities on the individual. Knowledge, understanding, toleration and wisdom are essential. Is it any wonder that Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote - "If there were a. god-like people they would have to be a democracy.'' Strong words perhaps, slightly exaggerated perhaps, but containing a profound truth. Autocracy can survive when ordinary people are ignorant and foolish, provided that the few are knowledgeable and determined. Democracy cannot survive unless virtually all the people are educated and wise. If they are not, what survives is not Democracy, but a sham, a facade, 'behind which the few control the many, an autocracy, benevolent or otherwise, :rpasquerading as a democracy. The price to be paid for inadequate education then, is the failure of democracy. DANGERS OF IGNORANCE There is another price' to be paid for an indifferent quality of education: It is a low standl;l.rd of living. The evidence for this is all aro.und you. Individuals lacking education more and more take the low grade jobs and with them low standards of living. Many countries are impoverished because the people are too ignorant to exploit their natural resources. The development of technical education in more advanced countries illustrates the same point. A friend of mine persuaded an employer, somewhat against his will, to releas~ his young workers for part-time technical" education. The employer. did so, not because he believed in what he was doing but because he could not deny his work people facilities granted by' other employers. And what happened? Within a few weeks, production increased and the employf;!r found that technical education actually paid dividends. And today, when universities want money to develop their science faculties, they turn in confidence not to the long-haired intellectuals, but to touch business men, the men with the brass, who know at first hand of the insatiable demands of industry for trained personneh \vho .know that education spells p'rosperity and ignorance spells poverty. In fact, the insistent demand for technical and university education is coming more from industry t~an from the masses of th~ people. To argue that all this cannot be afforded is nonsense. It is essential, as knowledge of a little elementary economics woulEl show. We do not live on uioney, but on· the products of industry. The value of our weekly pay packet or monthly cheque depends on what industry produces now, which in turn depends THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR on the quality of the products of our educational system. So living standards depend on what the schools have already produced. And living standards in the future, or what irtdustry produces in the future, will depend to a great extent on what happens in the schools now. If we want a prosperous future, we must invest in it, and invest by providing the best possible education system now. If we do not invest in this way, there is no future. The public needs to be told all this, and no one can do it so well as the teachers. If only teachers really understood the importance of their task and persuaded the world to understand it too, enormous progress would become possible. A few years ago J. Robertson Scott wrote"In hamlets I know best, the standard bearers of progress, civilization, evolution, well-doing, the high life, better living, true .religion-call it what you like-have been, without doubt, teachers at the schools." What faith in the teacher and his task! Robert Bridges, a modern poet, has the same sort of faith. He wrote"Here cometh the ne'ed and the fame of teac~ers, men of inborn nobility, called prophets of God Saviours of society, Seers of the promised land. The loved and lovable, whose names live for evermore, The sainted pioneers of civilization, under whom All wisdom won and all man's future hope is d~e." Perhaps, for some of us this' is an overdrawn picture, but I have met many teachers, working in all sort of situations, of whom all this could be said in sober truth. But in any case, this is the ideal towards which both teacher and society should strive ... It is therefore our duty as individuals, as members of WCOTP and it is a duty I believe you will accept, to encourage greatness, and to work individually and collectively to make teaching the gre~test possible force for good, to enable it to make the greatest contribution to the raising of intellectual, moral and spiritual standards throughout the whole world. We must not, we dare not fail." Reprinted from the Ministry's Report Schoolmaster and Woma11 Teacher's Chronicle (Journal of the National Union Teachers, Hamilton House, Hastings Street, London, W. C. 1.), Volume CLXXII. 2,506, August 9, 1957. .:1~ ..... ... i'I- W .. :JIC~S ! •WOOD •LEATHER •METAL V BEAUTIFIES! V ECONOMICAL! V INSECT-REPELLENT! Agricultural Cooperatives· I. Introduction SINCE the subject of this morning's discussion calls for a picture, I will begin my talk,' by asking you to join me in drawing a ment~l picture. Suppose that by some magic. or- miracle we woke up some fine day and found out that we, the academic supervisor's, the teachers, the employees and everybody else had become, besides our respective occupational or social and economic status, also merc'handizers, buying commodities in stores we ourselves owned and operated. We would all be, in addition to whatever else we might be, businessmen and capitalists, would not we? Surely, we would. And the situation would mean a few other important things. It would mean that the profits that the corner street retailers or grocery stores make everytime each one of us buys something would remain with us or would return to us. It would mean also that our usual money income~ would buy more and our peso go a longer way. And, it would of course mean that we would have less of profiteering or cheating, so common today, for the simple reason that we would not be playing tricks on ourselves. Hold that picture in your minds and let us look at another one. Suppose our farmers on the same fine day found themselves engaged not only in the enterprise of tilling the soil and raising crops but also in the business of marketing or distribution, selling the products of their farms, not to middlemen and profit-seeking individual traders, but directly to us the consumers or perhaps to us throllgh the stores we ourselves owned. That would make our farmers besides ~oilers of the soil, husinessmep and capitalists, would It not? Surely, it would. And such situation would mean a lot of other big things. It would mean, for example, that the farmers, now subject of many servitude~, would be earning a bigger income; they would be earmng the equivalent of the profits that middlemen, traders .and perhaps usurers, too, are making, buying and selhng farm products. Earning more our farmers would probably be encouraged to produce more. More . * Lecture d~liver<:d at the National Semina1• on "Co·operatI?n Tl~rough Educatio_n" for Academic Supervisors, ·Bureau of Pubhc Schools, Manila, 27 August 1957. . 1 Acting Head, Cool:!erat~\·e Department, .AC'CFA and l\Iember of the Faculty, Far Eastern University. PAGE 14 By Amado A. Lansang 1 production would mean more and perhaps cheaper commodities for all of us. It would mean more wealth for the country. Certainly the farmers would be able to buy more of the goods and services that they need but have been going without so long. That would mean more ~usiness for many people, therefore more employment opportunity, therefore more revenues for the Government, therefore more funds for education, salaries for teachers, and other essential public services. And it would certainly mean that the farmers could send their children to• schools that they might be better equipped to face the responsibilities of~ citizenship in a progress-conscious society. That is the other picture. Take the two pictures and put them together. Visualize the composite picture and its meaning to us. Does it not show broad economic prosperity, equitable distribution of wealth? Does it not indicate social harm_ony with the artificial barriers now separating people from one another or creating segmentations in society on the basic differences in property holdings and economic circumstances, removed or minimized? Does it not convey freedom, political stability, social security, balanced progress? Look at the picture again sometime. II. Agriculture in the Philippines Agricultural cooperatives spring from the problems that beset agriculture and out of the need of the farmers for relief from the many handicaps and hardships of their occupation. They represent an effort on the part of the farmers to overcome their individual inadequacies and conquer poverty by the weapon - perhaps the only weapon availabl~ to them - organized action. To provide background and perspective, therefore, for the discussion of agricultural cooperatives, it should prove helpful to review, even in a fast and cursory manner, the state of our agri~ culture and the conditions under which our farmers live and labor. Let us begin our review by noting certain peculiarities in agriculture as an economic enterprise. On the ·main, agriculture produces commodities in raw THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR form; that is to say, the products of the farm have .. to go through stages of processing before they can be ready for consumption. By established norms of the economic order or ~ystem, raw prock1cts or raw materials almost always. command low prices ·or get \ the lowest margin. This is the reason why an agricultural ·economy is usually characterized· by low incomes and therefore by national poverty. Agriculture, again, pr9duces crops on a seasonal basis. It takes time to plant and harvest a .crop. And crops themselves are seasonal: there are periods in the year when certain crops must be planted and harvested. This seasonal character of agriculture results in two problems:' first, the farmer invests comparatively more time and effort in the enterprise; and. second, there. are times when the supply of a given drop is abundant while at other. times, the supply ., is very 10w. The first result ultimately means low returns in reiation to the time investment ·to the farmers. The second :result leads. to fluctuation in prices-which can be disadvantageous not only to the farmer but also to the consumer. Following the iron-law - some call it the barbaric law - of sup-· ply and demand, prices fall ·during times of high supply, which of course coincides with harvest, and prices ris'e duting times M scarcity. The farmers, particularly under conditions prevailing in the Philippines, get the low prices, while the consumers, including in many cases the farmers themselves, pay the high. prices. The significance and implication of this peculiar character of agriculture can be better seen and appreciated by comparison with other industries. A manufacturer, for instance, especially the modern one, can produce commodities on regular day-to-day, indeed hour-to-hour basis. He has complete control over his production. If he wants to increase output to meet demand, or cut it down to avoid gluts in the market, he can do so by the simple process of regulating ·his production. Agricultur.al production cannot be so easily controlled.· Philippine agriculture operates under these universal peculiarities. And, in ad~itipn; it has its own special p1·oblemi:1. Philippine agriculture is ~till by and large feudal in cast and· pattern. ·Tenancy is very high, as high as 89 percent in certain provinces. Acreage per farmer is uneconomically low - the average size of farms is less than three hectares. Methods arQ antiquated, in many cases even primitive. which necessarily means low per hectare yield and therefore high per unit cost of production. Our average production per hectare in rice is less than 27 ~avans, and it has not improved during the last 30 NOVEMBER, 1957 years. Even in the more advanced sectors of agricultu~·e - sugar, copra,. and abaca - the yield is low and production cost per unit high compared to the record of other countries. Three other problems are specially relevant to mention in this discussion. First, the absence of legi. timate credit facilities and the prevalence of usury in aogriculture. Taken together with high tenancy, inequitable share trof)ping relations, small acreage, low or inefficient production, this problem can only mean, as it has meant, mass poverty among the farmers. Second, middlemen domination of the marketing of' farm produ'ce.. Agriculture, by its very nature, lends itself to ::i middleman system in its distribu.tive phase. In the Philippines, precisely because of the conditions we have described, this already natural tendency has been even more pronounced and cari·ied to such an extreme that we all know today. In simple terms, this situation means that the farmer has forfeited or forfeits a large portion of what otherwise would be his reward for his efforts to the middlemen who control or dictate prices, and, mind you, both to the producers and to the consumers. I might add in this connection t~at the control of middlemen is not limited to agricultural crops; it extends practkally to all other commodities. And, third, - something nearer to the subject of this Seminar - paralyzing ignorance, illiteracy and general low level of education among the agricultural population. This is a problem that cuts two ways: on the one hand, it makes progress slow and compounds the probleIJ\s. and on the other, 'it makes change or introduction of con:ective measures difficult and costly. It is against the backdrop of these conditions and problems that I shall ~ow attempt to draw the picture of agri'cultural cooperatives. III. Agricultural Cooperatives in the Philippines For more than a generation, from 1915 to 1952 to be exact, intermittent efforts were undertaken by the f Government to encourage and promote cooperatives in agriculture. These efforts had been . undoubtedly inspired by reports filtering into the islands about achievements of this form of economic . organization in other ·countries, notably the Scandinavian area. In spite of the strong need among the farmers for cooperatives, these efforts produced perhaps more harm than good. Several reas.ons may be given for their failure: imperfect appreciation of both the magnitude of the problems of the farmers and the nature of cooperation, totaf lack of or woefully inadequate PAGE 15 financial support, opportunism and outright dishonesty among the people who administered the projects, and, above all, lack of educational foundation and support. In no time, cooperatives that had been , formed, died without even the benefit of official or formal pronouncement of their death. Funds disappeared with nobody knowing where they had gone. What was left was a bad taste in the mouths of the farmers who felt that once more they had been exploited and deceived. This was to prove a serious obstacle in a later program to promote cooperatives. All these notwithstanding, however, during this 37-year period, there were enacted laws on cooperatives which, while for all practical purposes remained dead in the statute books, served as basis for the revival of the program in 1952. Among these laws, two deserve t0 be mentioned. These are Commonwealth Act No. 565 which provided among other things exemption from taxes of cooperatives, and Republic Act No. 3425 otherwise known as the Co- ' operative Marketing Law. The first provided a sub~tantial incentive and the second a general law for marketing cooperatives. Both are still extant. The cooperative movement in agric1i1lture did not ~tart in earnest until 1952 when Republic Act 821 \Vas enacted. This' Act set forth a program of farm credit and cooperative development and established the Agrh1ltural Credit and Cooperative Financing Administration or .ACCF A to administer the program. This program laid down four objectives, which are: 1. Extension of liberal credit to sma11 farmers in order that they may be released from the1 clutches of rurai' uRury ar:d at the same time to enable them~ to acquire essential tools of prod~ction. 2. Promotion and development of farmerR' cooperative · associations in order to strengthen the bargaining- po::;ition of the farmers in relation to other social and economic groups. 3. Establishment of an orderly marketing syst~m in order to enable the farmers to realize more income from the marketing of their produce. In effect. this part of the program seeks to emancipate the farmers from middlemen control over the distribution or sale of their crops. 4. Public education in cooperatives. A unique feature of the program is the introduction of a bold and unorthodox :acheme of credit in which the customary collateral is dispensed with or made unnecessary, the I?roductive capacity of the farmer being consid,l:!red sufficient to qualify him for a lo~n. To implement the program, the law authorized the ACCFA a revolving capital of PlOo PAGE 16 million. Later, Republic Act .S21 was amended by Republic Act 1285 which granted the ACCF A greater authority in supervising the operations of agricultural cooperatives. What the movement is today is closely and inseparably identifi.ed with the activities and operations of the ACCF A. ' When the ACCF A was organized in September, 1952, some 160 marketing cooperatives appeared in the registry of the Securities and Exchange ·commi~ sion and the Cooperatives Administration Office. Of these, however, only 72 responded to a c.all to report by the ACCF A and none of the 72 societies was found in proper organizational and operational condition under ACCF A's standards. To all intents and purposes, therefore, the ACCF A had to start on virgin ground or, to be more precise, to reopen ground which having been formerly broken had been hardened by stubborn stubs of past failures and a thick undergrowth of skepticism if not hostility to cooperatives. Yet another obstacle and obstruction met the program. Persons who had been reaping benefits from disorganized, helpless and unlettered farmers, to whom the ACCF A represented a threat to their ancien( and unchallenged power and privilege, offered resistance and tried by means open and disguised to undetermine the program. These included the unscrupulous landlords, the usurers and the middlemen. To this day they are still tryi.ng to wreck the program. -. In spite of all these odds and obstacles, after four Rhort but eventful years, today there are 450 farmers' cooperative marketing associations in active operation with a tota1 membership of over 260,000' individual farmers. These associations, or FaCoMas as they are now popularly known, embrace a geographical area extending to almost 11,000 barrios in 572 municipalitieR in 50 provinces. They are steadily growinJ?' in number as wen as in membership, business activities and in general participation in the social and _ economic life of the country. Organizationa11y and operationa11y, the FaCoMas follow the universal principles and practices of cooperation. They are capitalized by the farmer-members them.selves who by the democratic system of representation control and manage them. Their combined paid up capital today exceeds P7 million. In addition to their primary function of marketing members' produce, they serve as procurement or purchasing agencies for their members in both farm and household commodities. They also provide a practical and effective channel through which various aids and services are brought down to the farmers and the rural communities. Through them, for instance, extension and technical services in agricul-' THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR ture including introduction of modern culture methods and distribution of fertilizer are being channelled to the farmers and disseminated in the farming areas. They are thus multi-purpose in function as well as in the commodities they handle. The entire movement is pyramidal or federated in pattern. At the base are local FaCoMas organized on a municipal"level. On an intermediate level are provincial or district Federations formed by the primary FaCoMas in the area. Forming the top of the pyramid is a national federation-·which is known as the Central Cooperative Exchange. The CCE is establi;;hed by and has for stockholders the provincial federations and the FacoMas. Thus, in both organizational coverage and operational spread, the agricultural cooperatives are now nationwide in scope and undoubtedly in influence. During the last four years, these cooperatives and their members have been extended various types of cre<Ut in the aggregate amount of Pl26 millions. Mainly· as a result of ACCF A's credit and financing plan, the F'aCoMas have built or installed and purchased as of today some 158 modern warehouses with a total storage capacity of over 3 million cavans of palay, 105 ricemilJs of the latest type with a milling capacity of 5,487 ,000 ca vans of palay a year; two steel grain elevators,-~ rn tobacco buying stations, about lUU tobacco flue-curing barns, ::S refrigeration ana canmng ·plants and many other facilities essential w processing and marketmg. The Central Cooperative l!<xchan·ge operates a number of processing instaHauons the most important of whicn is a !'4 milllon tobacco rearymg plant. Out of the total loans extenaea l:Jy Al.;(_;!i'A, Pti4, '145, 5-,~.95 went to.farmer l]lembers m the rorm of production loans and farm improvement loans. The bulk of the last type of loans went to the purchase by the farmers concerned 01 over u4,000 carabaos. A complete evaluation and interpretation of the full impact and implication of all~ these facts will be dif11~ult at this time and within the limits of this discussion. A few of the obvious and significant results of the program may serve to identify or bring out the broad outlines of the cooperative picture. These are - 1. ro the extent of the credit extended, the stranglehold of usury has been loo~ened and broken, and, what may be even more important in the long run, the factor of credit has been introduced into the rural areas to break the inertia of feudal stagnancy. To the same extent, ·one of the shackles which has enslaved the farmer has been removed or is being effectively removed. NOVEMBER, 1957 2. Farm tools, modern storage and marketing facilities and installations have been established. That these are owned and operated by farmers' cooperative associations, is of paramount social and economic significance. At any rate, these facilities are valua. ble assets in economic development and constitute a force for modernization in agriculture including marketing. " 3. Through credit and cooperative marketing and purchasing, the farmers are increasing their incomes directly through greater production and better prices and indirectly through savings from usurers' interest rates and middlemen's margins. It is estimated that up to the close of the 1956 crop year, the farmers have realized a substantial amount of nearly P500 million on this account. 4 .. Filipino participation in the trade of the country has been and is being effectively and steadily enhanced. From nothing before 1952, for instance, the FaCoMas have handled during the last three years an aggregate of over 8 million cavans of palay, conservatiyely valued at P80 million. In trading of Virginia leaf tobacco, the FaCoMas have taken over more than 80 percent of the total trade. In all types of consumer goods, the FaCoMas through their commodity procurement and stores have been handling a considerable amount of turnover. All this represents sizeable ground captured from alien control. FaCoMas are thus proving effective instruments for the nationalization of trade. 5. Increased farm incomes naturally means increased purchasing power for the group in the population that needs it tnost. The additional incomes derived have thus generated activity in wide areas of business. Farm machinery, farm implements, trucks, construction materials, rice mills and many other items which the farmers individually would never have been able to afford, have been and are bein&" purchased by the farmers and their FaCoMas. The F'aCoMas are also building up and engaging in various industries. 6. Immeasurable in money terms but nonetheless far-reaching in the light of national security and economic development, the program of credit and cooperatives has brought hope to the depressed farmers, faith in democratic institutions and self-confidence in their individual and collective ability to rise above age-old misery and servitudes. The ·cooperatives provide a positive, constructive and satisfyin&" expression for the native instincts and impulses of the farmers as human being and as members of society. They are thus an effective counterpoise to the Huk movement which had at one time drawn desperate peasants to its bloody fold. In this connection, I recall the poignant words of the wife of Huk Commander Dimasalang of Nueva PAGE 17 MEDICAL EVIDENCE-·PROVES Blla,Clt xriOPoL STOl?S COUGHS FASTEST! 5 times better than any ordinary remedy, you've ever used before ! 5 Safely, quickly destroys disease germs that caus~ p r a ct i ca 11 Y a ll r e 5 P 1 • ratory infections. k b'e internal action Remar a k goes deep, quickly brea s h Vy hard -to -clear up ea , . bronchial congestion. Speedily loosens thick, ding· . g hard-to-cut phlegm .•. 1n I d' t S effectively me ico e phlegm-covered areas. NO ALCOHOL •NO NARCOTICS TASTES SO GOOD TOO ! Bl/l·a·Mt -·. with.XYl.OPOt ",,.,,_ fOR COUGHS, SORE THROAT, HOARSENESS foch fld.01. con loin$ E 11. of whilr P1ne Comp., I 10] 9'"·· f '~"d" • t1cc • ol Ho1ehound, O 511 gm.; Glucose. Ii· qvid.92.509vm.;Menthol,0 068gm.; Sol1qlic Acid,0 0 IA qm :C lilo1ofo1m.0.416 ml.,-011 PineTor.O 033tnl.; $ol1.1ble So,chorin,0.00Jgm ;Coramf'l.I 500 ml., Amrnon;um Chloride, I ]60gm .• Honey,4 37 5 ml; Oil ol ~Hl7pl111,0.130 ml.; XYLOPOL,Brand ot He>rl,.10«;001.0 IOOgm.;D•llWed w.,~, q ... 100 001111. 2>-l - --- ----- --------· -- --,· Eci.ia when she said: "If the ACCFA had beeil established earlier, my husband would not now be a dissident leader; he would be a FaCoMa leader." Such in bold outlines is the picture of the agricultural cooperatives in the Philippines. The picture; I dare s~y, is one of promise, of hope, of positive wMth. rt is the picture of enskived ·farmers regaining their freedom, of the oppressed rising to a new life of creativeness, of the common people taking thefr place as self-conscious partners and participants in the task of building a just and self-reliant societ~'· IY. Spots and Shadows The picture, however, is not all light and brightness. It has dark spots and shadows. A~ I have noted earlier, the cooperatives have enemies who would not want them to grow, Certain landlords, usurers, middlemen syndicates are known ~o be using every means fair or foul to obstruct their progress. Deep-rooted I'.abits of individualism, in tl;le deadweight of inertia, 'a dense attittJde of resignation to accustomrd fate on the 11art of the farmers do not easily yield to the demands and disciplines of cooperative enterprise. Those who are used to slavery take to freedom slowly and with unsure gait. Long suffering, it seems, has sapped_the spirit of ambition in many of our farming folk. Lack of ·managerial experience ·and skill in the towns and barrios to administer and direct the business operations of the. cooperatives is •a seri.ous handicap. And, above all, creeping opportunism; dishonesty and corruption are restricting tM area of choice for suitable cooperative leaders and officials and constitute a real drag to the rapid development of trust and· confidence which are essential and· indispensable to successful cooperation. V. Conclusion But all these difficulties are in larger or lesser degree natural concomitant of all social and economic reforms. They are the bitter heritage of colonial submergence and backward economies brought into contact with the predatory materialism of modern civilization. They must be taken as aspects to a complex problEm which can only be overcome- and solved through education, Cooperation, like all progress and every social form, must be nourished and sust.ained by a systematic and purposive educational process on which, in fact, the cooperative system consciously relies for its validity and vitality as a way of life: ' . i Given the required support and sustenance by the eclucatiow.1 system, the cooperative movement can become an integral. and living part of the country's institutions and. thereby ta,ke firm root in the faith of our people who conceived it and can fashion it as an. instrument for tlfeir common advancement in sociai and economic well-being. The Yardstick is the Child* "I HAD _no idea there were so many things about our schools·that we liked." This wa~ the most common reaction of parents, in eight .discussion groupsl scattered thruout Philadelphia, who set out to study their expectations for .their children, and to evaluate the schools in terms of their expectations. Six of the eight groups have been meeting once a '"'eek for the past three years to discuss problems which they themselves set up. The other two groups have been operating for two years. For this particular study, each group met for two-hour discussions. The problem was broken down into four questions: 1. What is your child getting from his school exnerience that vou are happy about? 2. What should he be getting that he is not? 3. What is he getting that ~·ou are not sure of? 4. What is he getting that you don't want him to get? Two of the questions were handled at each meeting, and the questions were presented a week in advance. The leader requested members of the group to think seriously about the questions and to discuss them: around the dinner table, at bridge and canasta parties. with relatives, friends and neighbors. They did this so successfully that they brought interested new members to the group. The leader encoural?'ed complete freedom of thought and expression. She tried to refrain from comment and to take down their thoughts as expressed by the participants. (It should be remembered that these g-rouus have discussed and have had interpreted to them many problems dealing with philosophy of education, methodology, curriculum and child behavior.} Here then is the thinkinl!" of about two hundred parents on the questions which were considered. The Things We Like What is your child getting frorn his school experience that 11ou a.re happy about? The number of reactions to this question far outweighed reactions to the other three, and the percentage of agreement was· * Reprinted from Thr Nationn.l Elementary Pl"incipal. Volum~ XXXIV; Number 4, December 1954. Executive and Editorial Office. 1201 Sixteenth Street, Northwest, Washington 6, D.C., U.S.A. 1 There are 24 such !!roups in Philadelphia under the direat.ion of the Division of School Extension of the School District of Philadelphia. · · NOVEMBER, 1957 By Victoria F. Smith higher. All eight groups were agreeably and pleasantly surprised at the long list of things they liked about our school system. Here are some of the ways they expressed it: The way children like school. It's the beginning and end of everything. When my kid says, "I don't think I better go to school," I'm really worried. School makes children feel important - even my little first-grader. Her teacher is responsible. I know it! Children become individuals. A kindergarten said to his mother, ''You can't go! It's my room, my teacher, my schoel, my desk - even the toilet is made just for me!" Our schools are willing to try anything new to benefit. the child. My son di!'lliked Day Camp but begs to go to school. It creates enthusiasm and a sense of belonging. M:v child loves school - she's just bubbling over. Comments on. ciwriculum.. "School today opens so manv vitas. The kids just blossom." "It was cut and rlried for us. Today there is no set pattern. They bring words and learnings from the outside '''orld." "Mine often says, 'I had a wonde1·ful time in school today.' lt's not always because she was successful either." There was s;rreat enthusial'lm for the various trips. tours and outside activities. "Some parents just don't take children places, and it's so important." "My daughter always has so much to talk about." These parentR praised the emphasis which our schools are placing on democratic liie in the classrooms and schools. plays and dramatic productions which encourage freedom of expression, safety education with children taking part as guards, handwriting, music and rh~·thms, patriotism, and nature study. They especially appreciated the fire and retention drills which they said "give the child1~en a sense of security and a lack of fear of the atom bomb." Parents stressed the fact that education today is well rounded. ("Many families are so onesided.'') It includes the outside world and a variety of experiPAGE 19 en~es - everyday living as well as culture and history. "The difficult and challenging tasks which they deal with now are so much more interesting to the children." · There was great praise for the langµage arts program. Parents felt children were being taught careful pronunciation and enunciation, and, along with those th,ngs, poise and ease in public speaking which they felt they had missed out on. The "show and tell" periods were especially mentioned because "they teach them to talk freely and encourage the shy child." "It is wonderful the way children are being taught to read the newspapers today. I wish I knew how!" "I like the way the schools introduce and tea~h about religious holidays regardless of creed." There was much enthusiasm for clubs, handwork, and hobbies. "My boy made a screwdriver. I can't believe it! He made scoops and a cookie cutter. It teaches them that things can be made as well as bought. And they learn to take turns with tools and machinery." Strong approval was exnressed for the free discussion periods in the high schools and the sex education there. "Some parents still can't approach their chil<lren." -- "I like the social studies program. Things are tied together. It makes more sense than the way I learned it - reciting dry facts - states bounded by this and that." One person spoke in highest praise about a nutrition unit. "It really taught my daughter to eat. She wouldn't touch eggs. Then they ate breakfast in school. No\v I can't keep enough eggs on hand! School did it for her. The:i.· get more out of school than we can do for them. If the teacher says it, it's so!" C:lwractrr erl11cntin11. There was almost <1ne hundred percent approval of the job our schools are noing- in ieaching children to get along with others. "Tht>>· accept people for what they are." "When a child is sick they send cards." "They help each other." "The>• learn to take direction and criticism from others." "School help8 them to become aware of charitahle organizations in their communities." "I love the w0a:v children are encouraged to share reliirious beliefs." "Spiritual values are stressed without reference to creeds." Hearty appreciation was voiced for training in responsibility and leadership. "School made her get away from me. She is more on her own." "Yes, they learn to go ahead on their own. I'm so thankful for that. My boy can busy himself in a constructive way." "School helps them to mature. We want to ke~p them babies." PAGE 20 "My child was aware, of responsibilities before, but not to the point where he would check himself. This he got thru teaching." Mh. Joy-to-Any-School System said, "I think we ought to thank the school for anything they do in the way of character education. They have so many odds against them." Habits and manne1;s. Stress placed on habits and manners received high praise. Reporting on a school party one child said, "I was eating with my mouth closed." "My child said, 'The teacher told me t.o wash my hands before eg"f;ing.' I only told me to wash my hands before eating.' I only told her a thousand . times!" "My boy said, 'Mrs. K. said you should eat whole wheat bread.' So did I - but it didn't lJlean anything until Mrs. K. said it!" Met hods. "Methods have improved two hundred percent. They have kept up with the times. They are wonderful. The children are so relaxed. They are learning .and enjoying it." "The number stories are so interesting. They combine play with work .. Children don't .realize they're learning." "Grouping teachers gave them power of concentration." "With these newer methods, it's easier to learn. Fractions were a mixed-up mess to me. They still are!'' St.a.ff. There was much give and take among these groups as to the quality of teaching in our schools. But it was generally agreed that the variety of teachet"Si - excellent to poor - was good for the children because it taught them to adjust to different people in authority which is so necessary to happy living. For thP, most part, they spoke of staff members with highest praise, appreciation, and affection .. "Our children love and respect our principal. She always has time to stop and praise them for the 'vay they look or sorrye nice things they do." "My daughter was always afraid of the doctor. She went with her group to get booster shots. He kidded her. Now Rh e's not afraid anymore. She loves the school .. nurse, too." " 'The teacher said' carries· great weight. It has to be that way - right or wrong.'' "They're not afraid of the teachers as we were. Only the bad child got to see the _principal in my day." Teachers today are more enthusiastic,· have broader knowledge, are' more interested in problem children and in letting parents know, are more human and so understanding. "My little boy is so nervous. He can't keep still. He gets it from me. In correcting THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR him the teacher called him to her al)d put her arm around him. He was so thrilled! He's trring hard now and he's so much better." Home and school. Strong and concerted approval was expressed for the increasingly close relationships of parents and teachers thru the Home and School Associations. 2 "Parents are encouraged to come to school and are more welcome than ever before. Parents know more about schools. The children urge us to go." "Yes, I found out just the other day that there was a PTA in my day but I never heard of it then. The kids beg you to corrie today whether they're having trouble .or not." These special services came in for profuse praise : regular physical examinations, speech correction, banking, stamp selling, counselling, films, radio, TV, provi~ing milk for young children at reduced prices, reading adjustment, remedial classes, orthogenic backward classes, orthogenic disciplinary classes, scout tr?ops, cooking, sewing, homebound classes and discussion groups for parents. Most of the parents in these groups had visited our school for crippled children, school for visual handicapped, school for the deaf and hard. of hearing, nutrition and heart classes, school for, delinquent boys, and Wissahickon' Farm School. The most gratifying reaction to these trips was, "I'm proud to be a Phil~delphian and glad, more than glad, fo pay taxes to provide outstanding services such as these to the public." Faoilities. . In onfy one group were there comments in praise of the physical facilities. They mentioned the attractive rooms with plants and pictures, the little cots1for napping, and the shelves of books with titles that appeal to such a variety of childish interests. The Things We Miss What .~hould the child be getting that he is not getting? Parents were vociferous with respect to homework. They felt that a school should have consistent homework policy. Homework should be the type of work that "a child can put his hands on at home and not run around after." They need more training in how to go after information they are asked to get. Many parents expressed a desire for definite and uniform minimum requirements for each grade level and for ev.ery school, regardless of location. "There should b~ more stress on fundamentals." This was echoed in every group. "More drill - purposeful and meaningfuL" Teachers should make the child see the importance of drill. Four groups stressed the need for a definite time for handwriting. "Scholastic stahdards should be higher." . 2 We have 150,000 ~embers of the Home and School Council in Philadelphia today. NOVEMBER, 1957 One woman said, "Work is work, not a game. They get to junior high and have a rude awakening. There is too much playing in the elementary school." There was a minority in several groups which felt that the social studies are too hazy. There is no con-. ception of chronological order of history and location . of places. "History should begin at the beginning." Mrs. L. said, "Theoretically, I am for the social studies. But not according to what my child is getting - unimportant detail, misrepresentation and incorrect facts from children's reports, and wholesale copying of meaningless facts from books. Nine months were spent on China. My boy doesn't know what the Adirondacks are! This week they started Liberia. If it were not for the fact that he is an interested child, he would know very little about the United States, · England and France." Some parents expressed a desire for a prescribed course of study in manners, more attention to habits of cleanliness, a special library period, striving for understanding of all people, and teaching about all forms of government. Two groups made strong pleas for more physical education and for supervised play at recess and after school. One group expressed a desire for more vocational guidance, more direct teaching of how to study, specially in the high schools, more written composition, more good literature, and a greater challenge in the junior and senior high school pr~grams. Character education. Qne group felt that we need character education. "There is too much cheating, probably because there is too much emphasis on marks and city tests plus the fact that they must have, certain marks to get to college.'' "There is too much keen competition in school work, and in the world for that matteJi --- to the point of throat cutting.'' There was strong objection to this last statement. "No! °There is competition wherever they go. What we need is .more stress on kindness toward each other." Methods. A minority referred to our methods as, "Too slipshod! Everything is a game. Life is no game! The number stories are just contraptions. · Sure, the children enjoy coming to school. It's a picnic! Boy, will they get a boot whe~ they go to work! Satisfactory for one is not satisfactory for another. When you get a job you do it regardless!" "There should be more discipline. There is too much freedom. Those that take advantage set a bad exa~ple for others. The teacher needs respect and order to help the children learn." · A small number asked for special attention for the child who is absent bec'ause of illness, more opPAGE 21 portunities for the gifted child. and more supervision in the schoolyards. Sta.ff. Two groups felt we should have better trained, healthier, and more capable teachers and principals who are truly interested in and know how to teach children. The following were mentioned in one group only: There should be men teachers. A child should be prepared for the next teacher, especially if she is different. The strongest and best teachers should have first grade. There should be stricter dealing with incompetent teachers. The elementary, junior and senior high schools should work '<>gether. "One doesn't know what the other is doing." 'There should be more direct and actiTe supervision by the principal. Facilit.ies. The majority expressed the need for more space and more play areas. There was a strong dei.;ire. for smaller classes, more teachers, bigger and better schools with more adequate supplies and lunchroom facilities, and more and better books, plus more books which may be brought home. The Things We Question H'hat is your child getting that you are.not sure of? Two groups questioned the value of handwork which requires three pounds of flour and one pound of salt for making a map, or two quarts of boiling starch water mixed with mx for finger printing. One group talked at length seriously questioning the value of an annual dramatic production. "There's not much learning going on. The children taking an active part are the privileged characters. Children feel umortunate when they get the teacher who is in charge of the production. She is unqer s1;1ch tension and often explodes with the children. If they want l\iiss X to put on a production like this, she shouldn't have to teach a regular class, too. We realize this is an effort to get parents out, but does it get them into other worthwhile activities concerning the school? There was much conjecture and difference of opinion aa to sex education. Some felt that it should not be delayed until junior and senior high but should begin in the elementary school. A minority felt strongly that such education is the job of the parents. Tl:l.ere was question as to the following: "Shouldn't we have more practical courses to train us for living - courses such as family life, mating, PAGE 22 marriage and child care?" "I wonder if we shouldn't place more emphasis on self-directed interests and activities." "Perhaps religious tolerance is overdone," said a few. ''I'm not sure it isn't pointing out differences." A minority was clubiom; about certain gym activities where extreme danger is involved, like rope climbing, student government in the elementary school; competition in collecting for charities; the wide freedom of choice allowed teachers with r.espect . to the curriculum. Character education. "Should we not strive for wiser guidance in behavior? Children often say and write what the teacher dictates or wants. They don't really think this is so themselves." Met hod. Two groups seriously questioned "too much individual freedom and self-expression. They don't fear teachers today. Childre11. like grown-ups better if they mean what they say." "Shouldn't more attention be given to the quiet shy child?" one group asked. Another questioned leaving children in charge of other children. "Won't it make a child a squealer?" St.an·. One group questioned the value of retaJning teachers "whose quality of work is way below par and who are apparently not emotionally fitted to teach." The Things We J}on't Want 'What is your child getting thq,t you don't want hini to get? "Holes in his shoes and the seat of his pants" as a result of rough play in the schoolyard! This idea was mentioned by several groups. A majority placed great emphasis on the inevitable and eternal soap words and silly rhymes which seem to be a part of child growth. Some observed that the teacher has little or no control over the situation. - Mrs. R. said, "Watch what happens to your daughter when she goes from elementary to junior high. Bang! Everything changes - lipstick~ dress, the opposite sex. She goes haywire. Something is ~rong in this adjustment process. Something ought to be done about it!" "High school students get too many big ideas about what the world owes them. They demand too much." Curriculum. A majo,rity of the groups tnade these critical comments -0n the subject of homework: Too much of it in high school. "Two hours daily is too much. The teachers need to get together on this." Homework which is boring. "My son got a list of words to break down and use in !liff erent forms for six solid weeks." THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR Homework as punishment. Uncheck homework. "Discourages children, and encourages bad habits. The teacher· says, 'Hold on to them and some day I'll collect them, but she never does'." Two groups voiced strong feeling against football and competitive sports between schools. "There should be more interclass gain es. These should ·begin in the lower grades. Let them play the game for the joy of it with every child taking part." Methods. Two groups objected to detentions as punishment. "The good have .to pay for the bad." In one group only, the following objections were ci~: . Certificates for perfect attendance. "Children worry about absenc~ and want to go to school .even when they are sick.'~ , Too much regimentation in art. "Destroy creativeness in children." The reputation of a child follows him. Teachers are influenced by this. It's always nice To eat your fill Of good things 1 Rice 'n Chicken ... Then top it off Wiih wines and suchBut if afterwards You're "stricken ... In Conclusion Here you have a picture of what two hundred interested parents would like for their children from the school. The greatest percentage of ·agreement is found in what they are satisfied and happy about. · At no time was there o"ne hundred percent agreement. This is a healthy sign - democracy in action. Fundamentally, people are the same in any business, industry or profession. They criti~ize and complain about things which confuse them and which they do not understand. After three years of work with parent discussion groups, I am convinced that there is no greater hope for the solution of our ecluca_tiona.l dilemma than a well-informed, participating and interested public. As with most problems of any natUre, discussion will help towa.rd solution. Some problems can never be completely solved and are ever with us,, but discussion will pave the way toward mutual understanding. And it is well to remember that "Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should." FOFtMULA-E.ACM ,.ABLET CONTAIH•1 MA.GN!SIUM HYORCIWIO[ .309 aw. With sour stomach, Woes. regrets ... Just ask the man for PHILLIPS TABLETS! 25-1 Eating and drinking are among life's greatest pleasures. But when over-done, rememberPhillips Milk of Ma.gnesia Tablets in ·the cellophane packet are convenient and economical. P hillips Milk of Magnesia Tablets always give safe, ,sure and fast relief from upset stomach or acid indigestion. Next • time you suffer from stomach upset, try Phillips Tablets and see for you0 rself ! ' They can be carried in pocket or purse. Take one anyfime, anyplace for stomach distress. They just "melt" in your mouth! PHILLIPS' MILK of MAGNESIA TABLE.T,S Rizal's Characters in Modem Setting, (Pirst of a series) THE Rizal law and the Spanish law have at least one aim in common: to make the Filipi~os better acquainted with the works of great Filipino leaders of thought. Rizal is the foremost Filipino thinker, and two of his most important works are his novels, the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo. In this series of articles the writer intends to present some of the l·haracters in these novels, both in the Retting of Rizul's times and in that of the present-day Philippines. As this series of articles is primarily intended for school teacher::; we shall begin with the schoolmaster and perhaps give him a comparatively more detailed treatment than those following. The schoolmaster was an unnamed school teacher for whom Don Rafael Ibarra, deceased father of Crisostomo Ibarra, the hero in Noli Me Tangere, had procured a house and whom the said Don Rafael furnished with the things he needed so he could pursue his profession (teaching). Out of more fhan two hundred pupils enrolled only about twenty-five were attending due to poverty, prejudices, a language of instruction which the pupil did not understand, an enforced use of corporal punishment which terrified and demoralized the pupils, and an unhappy, frustrated, and insecure teacher. The schoolmaster was a kindly man with a natural ~~-mpath~· for children, a keen sense' of their needs, and a knock for experimenting with new teaching materials and more effective methods of instruction. He tried to di8card the whip and found the results satisfying. "I later convinced myself," he said to Crisostomo Ibarra, "that it was impossible to reason out with the ferule and the scourge within sight, because fear upsets the most serene pupil, aside from the fact that a child's imagination is keener and he is more impressionable .. ;I believed that above everything else, I should inspire the children with confidence, a sense of security and self-respect. Moreover, I believed that the daily sight of flogging killed compassion in the heart and extinguished that sense of dignity which is very hard to re~over once it is lost ... "1 In other ways he tried to make ·the school life of his pupils happy. "I made them believe that they possessed PAGE 24 By Gregorio C. ~orlaza better qualities than was really the case and this belief, which they tried to live up to, spurred them to study, just as confidence leads to heroism ... I kept on and noticed ... that the child ·who was praised in the presence of others studied twice as hard the next day."2 No sooner had the schoolmaster disc!ircled the whip, however, than he was sent for by the Spanish curate who was the most powerful ·man in town, and told to return to the use of the whip, otherwise the schoolmaster would be reported infavorably to the Alcalde. Even the parents of the pupils, who themselves used the whip liberally at home, found fault with his sparing the rod. They accused him of spoiling theh· children who, they thought, would never learn without being constantly subjected to flogging. With a bleeding heart the schoolmaster was. forced to return to the use of the whip, and the pupils began to hate him all over ag.ain. He became sick because of the emotional strain, and he became more unhappy when he recovered and found that his pupils were not happy to see him back. ·He tried to introduce something useful into the classroom and he made use of functional materials printed in Tagalog. "Seeing the impo~sibility of teaching them Spanish and translating so many hook8,'' he told Crisostomo Ibarra further, "I tried to replace them little by little by short quotations from useful books in Tagalog such as the Treatise on Manners, by Hortencio and Felisa, a few agricultural manuals and so forth. Sometimes I myself translated such little works as the history of the Philipipnes by Father Barranera ... "3 - He copied a map of, the province which he saw in the provincial capital and used it as visual aid. These things, he did in the hope that his pupils would remember him_ less bitterly in afteryears, but again he was. blocked by the same elements that had compelled him to stop sparing the rod. In addition to the foregoipg frustration the schoolmaster was subjected to indignities in the presence of his pupils, and he noted that "The children do not respect the teacher the moment they see him ill-treated 1 Jose Riz;!.l, ~oli Me Tangere (Translated by Feliciano Basa and Francisco Benitez), Oriental Commercial Co., Inc., San Juan Rizal, 1933, pp. 177-178. 2 Ibid #p. 178 3 Ibid p. 181 THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR and failing to assert his rights . . . a teacher needs prestige, a good name, moral strength, a certain independence ... "4 These things-prestige, dignity, a certain independence - the schoolmaster could not have, but he had to sacrifice his pride and go on teaching because " ... I must make a living, as I have a mother to support, and I have yielded to my fate as a corpse is tossed about by the rolling waves."6 The present day teacher is much happier than the schoolmaster we have just presented. He is not only permitted but even required to use the dialect as the medium of instruction in the lower primary grades and as an ~uxiliary language in the upper grades. His tenure of office is protected by the Civil Service, and he is forbidden, not required, to use corporal punishment. He is comparatively better paid, although his present salary has not given him and his family a sufficient degree of fip.ancial security. Many of his kind still have to sacrifice their sense of dignity and go on teaching because they have a family to support! The Noli's schoolmaster would find himself happier if he could return to life and to teaching· in the present-day schools in· the Philippines, but there are a few, fortunately vanishing, forces he would still have to contend with. There are still some parents who think instruction in their days was better than that of the present and who do not believe in soft pedagogy or in the use of the dialed. ~he Spanish curate is no longer there to make his life miserable and to threaten his security of tenure, but his place has been taken over by some. politicians who make a sham of the merit system and make teachers toe the line or face the prospect of banishment to remote places, non-promotion, or persecution for electioneer4 Ibid p, 174 s Ibid p. 176 ing after an election. 6 And there are still a few old fashioned school officials, fortunately getting fewer and fewer each year, who interrupt their recitations and find fa_ult with their methods in. front of their. classes; resent the, mere attempt on their part to explain their own sides of a question; transfer them to undesirable stations ostensively "for the good of the service" but actually due to political pressure or other non-valid reasons; often threaten them with poor efficiency ratings on an efficiency card which many of them have never been permitted to see since they entered the service; etc. This type of school officials have been gradually yielding to a more democratic one, but enough of them are still around to remind the schooimaster of his unhappy days. Perhaps the· schoolmaster would be happy to find many of his ideas vindicated - the use of the dialect, (Tagalog) as the medium of instruction, the wisdom of which has been demonstrateq by the Iloilo experiment; the adoption of functional materials; and the use of visual aids. But it might sadden him to find that the holding power of the schools,. though improved, is still weak,7 and perhaps he would not be exactly happy to see th~ products of the new system - the teen-age gangsters in urban centers; the children who seem to have lost the traditional reverence for their elders; and the young people who have come to worship science to the extent of believing that they have no more use for God.8 The school master would certainly hate to see the Spanish curate restor~d to the position he occupied in his days, but he would probably realize that religion, which he once hated because he hated- the man who stood for it, has its intrinsic -value and its valid place in the education of the child. 6 Yay Marking, Lesson Plan for Politicians, Women's Magazine, September 13, 1957, p. 4. 7 Ibid p. 11 s We Created God! U.P. Man Says - Headline, Sentinel, Manila, August 31, 1957. Every Municipality Should Dave A PBS (Second Installment) 1. Let's Have More, not Fewer, Public High Schools JN. THE p~evi~us article, I tried to show 1 that clo~mg pubhc high schools that do not meet certam standards becaus~ of financial difficulties is not the solution to the. "crisis in the public high schools." Such a policy \\·ill solve the problem by ,killing the patient. The operation will be successful but the patient dies as a result of it. NOVEMBER, 1957 By Pedro T. Orala As I said, the only ones to profit from it would be the owners of private high schools to which the students will go after the public high schools are closed; furthermore, they will pay more for less education. They will pay, not only for the inferior education that they get, but also the profit of the private school owners who ar~ in the business, not for education, but for the money that they can make on the students. They will get pure academic instrucPAGE 25 ... ·---... •· I • • I I I I • I ' ' : FEVERISH? I I I .. ______ ..,,_ _____ _ Here's Fast RELIEF! . .. --... --. ------.. ---. ---.. ·, . I I I I I I SPEEDY SAFE For that headachy,feveri~h feeling that usually accompanies ::i col<t,take fast-acting CORT AL! CORTAL brings you dependa- I' ble relief with amazing ~pei:d... I peps you up too! · I WHENEVER PAIN STRIKES Coll for) I Cort al! I , I I FAST•SAFE•SUIE I I I•. t•bl .. <onl•inf' At•l'rh•licylic A1ill O.:U 1m.; I e Phtft•ctlin O. U 9m.; C.lf•int 0.05 9"'· 12 • 'l I ·------- ----tion, 1which is all that can be ~iven ~ith a very high ration between students and staff su~h as the case in the pi·ivate high schools ,\•hich, for more than three times as many schools and nearly twice as many students, employ the same number of teachers· as the public high schools with much fewer students. The classes in the private high schools, for the most part, are held' in over-crowded rented buildings in noisy envirorl.ments, compared with the public high schools which, for the most part, have followed standards in $UCh matters - such as requisite site and fairly adequate room~ located in g·ood and quiet envitonments. There are many other considerations than cost and quality of education. Close the public high schools and there will be more intellectual unemployment. Will the teachers prefer to be without jobs altogether or to go without vacation szlary (or with delayed vacation salai·y) occasionally? It is true that many of them will probably be hired by the private schools, but will they be better off (or worse off) there? If the experience of my father-in-law who has been teaching in a private school in Urdaneta for several years is a fair example - he never received any vacation salary and oftentimes he and the other teachers• did not get paid or got very little after the owner from Manila came and helped himself with the fees first - then, one has to think twice before jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Then too, because the costs will be more, enrollment at the secondary level will decline, the consequence of which will be more youth out of school, greater social problem, and educational degeneratio!l. And, as a result of the parents finding out that aca~ demic education does not pay, our prese:qt enthusiasm for education will gradually deteriorate uritil many will look• at· education, school or school teacher with suspidon if not disdain. And that would be a catastrophy indeed, and when we reach that· stage, which is not remote, considering the very low quality of education offered in commercialized private secondary schools, the race between civilization and catastrophy wm be decided in favour of catastrophy. And, once again, the problem will be solved by killing the patient. We take great pride in the fact that Filipino parents ar~ willing to go into au· kinds of sacrifices in order to send their children to school. But, as Congressman Enverga told me a year ago, many parents are now skeptical about education especially in normal,schools because after making the sacrifices, their children came home empty-handed and less able and willing to help on the farm than before. , We must not underestimate the mentality of our peo.ple, or overestimate their enthusiasm for something that gives nothing in return but a headache. There are limits even to stupidity, and we are 'not stupid as a people. CATCHING, COLD? ---------------I I : Here's Fast :RELIE·F!, --------------SPEEDY - I SAFE For that headachy,feverish feeling that usually accompanies a p cold.take fast-acting CORT ALI CORT AL brings you dependa. f ble relief with amazing speed ..• I peps yqu up too! 1 WHENEVER PAIN STRIKES Coll for:cortal : FAST•SAFE•SUIE I • .......... n,ein1: Au•r•1•r:,,1:c ac:11 0,JS ,.,, I I "'•"••••in o.n 1111.· cou,111 .. O.Ol t"'• 12·1 I -----.-... ,--~We must open more public high schools. Certainly, we must fight against any attempt to close the pubiic high s::hools without a corresponding weeding out of private high schools whose curricul.a and standards of education are very much lower. For, upon v.-11at reasoning in the name of common sense do the propone.p.ts of the closure of public high schools base their claim that better standards of education could be obtained in schools operated for profit than in schools where the profit motive does not enter in at all? Certainly, a school with, say 1,000 students, can have a better standard of education if operated as a public enterprise than if established as money-making business, assuming that the sole support comes from· ~uition fees. 2. One Standard for Public and Private High Schools If there is to be any closing of high schools - which I am not advocating - it should begiri with the private schools. Standard for i;;tandard, I am quite willing to bet that, with very few exceptions, the majority of the private high schools would be closed before any of the public high schools. But there should not be double standards - one for the private high schools, which is very lax and flexible, and another for the public schools, which is stiff and inflexible. I have never argued for lowering of standards, but I would fight to the last ditch any effori'. of injustice against helpless parents and students and in favour of profit-making school executives who are in the school business not primarily for educational ser-vice but for the money that they can make for themselves. By all means, let us raise the standards of education·. in both the public and private schools, but let us not kill the ones with the higher standards first or, put it this way, leave the ones with lower standards to stay. · · The Director of Public Schools is right in his insistence. upon good standards of education at all levels of education. Obviously, many public high schools are operating on defidt spending, whfch cannot last long. But, the solution is not to close such high schools, but to find ways and means to improve the finances so that standards can be maintained or impro'ved. There are• such means in our country with its unlimited resources and even funds being speut for less worthy causes. I shall deal with this in the next article, but in the meanwhile students and staff members in the public high schools should ·start organizing against any· effort placed upon· the closing of their schools. In a true democracy, such as as ours is claimed to be, the people must rule, not overruled. I am very certain that it is the will of the people of the Philippines that secondary education should be universal, not selective. And it can be. NOVEMBER, 1957 3. A Public High School in Each Town Possible I am not for the closing of any high school public or private. I am for maintaining and improving existing ones and opening still more until every boy and girl of secondary school age is given the opportunity to develop their capacities; and abilities to the utmost. This can be done, as it is being done in many countries, some of which I have already mentioned. Following are only a few of the ways that I can think of at the moment. Others on the spot can name more, and it is hoped that this series of articles will stimulate :interest enough among our teachers, students, parents, and other lay grcmps. The high school problem like the educational problem, is always with us and it is everybody's duty to help find an adequate solution. First, Dr. Aldana suggested that all the present public high schools need as subsidy from the National Government is P4,000,000 a year. That is a little amount compared with the P120,000,000 in the national budget for education. And yet, it will make considerable difference in educational standards in our 350 public high schools, and furthermore, that little amount will save from half going to waste the 120 million pesos which are spent to maintain elementary classes. That amount should be doubled, in fact, in order to open 350 more public high schools, and it will mean only PS,000,000. We spend Pl0,000,000 in order to have a bi-election, with is an unnecessary expense, not to mention many other undesirable effects of the practice of having a general election every two years instead of once every four years. But even without doing away with the bi-election, it is a mighty poor financial officer, who cannot find a way to save or provide such little amount which is only chicken feed, to use a term that reminds us of the occupation when we were all richly poor - loads of money that bought little. Second, if no funds could be found from unappropriated amounts or by cutting down unnecessary expenditures, new sources of funds should be devised. The Public Schools Foundation Act of 1955 has been suggested after a study of the economic and financial conditions of the Philippines by a Unesco expert, an 'American, Dr. J. Cayce Morrison. Its purpose is "to giv·e the people of the respective provinces, chartered cities, municipaliti€s and municipal districts a more direct opportunity through local governments, to participate in the improvement of their public schools." The Foundation programme will restore to these local entities taxing powers which were taken aw,ay from them by the infamous Educational Act of 1940. It ., is patterned after modern school legislation in progressive countries, and it should work even more successfully in the Philippines because of our traditional attitude towards education. In 1947, the people of the Philippines in thousands of open forums in every nook PAGE 27 and corner of the country, voted in favour of more .taxes "provided that they will be exclusively for the maintenance and improvement of the schools." Third, I would improve the curriculum of the secondary schools so as to provide opportunities for gainful work experience. By subsidizing the secondary schools with little money they can be made self-supporting in the long run. The subsidy may be. in the form of land, equipment, and revolving fund for capital to establish work projects. Given the very poor conditions of our homes and communities, our roads and bridges~ not to mention sanitary facilities, the more than one million students and would-be students in our secondary schools - public and private - can be mobilized to make the necessary improvements if they are paid good money for .the work. Besides earning, when they are learning, they will acquire habits of work, thinking, and thrift which will prepare them, better than all the facts that they can learn from books, for better living in whatever homes and communities they may find themselves after school. There are examples to show that this can be done not only abroad but at home also. We can learn from the experience of others and we must learn from our own experience. We now budget for the elementary schools in the huge amount of 'P120,000,000 a year; for the institutions of higher learning - the University of the Philippines, Philippine Normal College, Philippine College of Commerce, the C.L.A.C., . the many agricultural colleges all over the Philippines, not to mention others - we probably spend ai total of from P25,00'0,000 to P50,000,000 a year. Why, in the name of adequate and complete educational system as provided in the Constitution of the Philippines, is the middle stagethe secondary level - not given even one centavo. Are not the young people Filipinos, and is not their education important enough for the Central Government to provide and maintain ~t a high standa:rd consistent with the value that such education could mean to the social amelioration of the Philippines? Why is the secondary school the most neglected institution of the Philippines, when the fact is that in most countries more public funds are given to it than the institutions of higher learning. 4. Mobilize Public Opinion for More Public High Schools Why? Why? These are the questions that our students and teachers in the public high schools and the parents that support such schools should ,be asking during this election campaign. Let me suggest a way to make our voice heard by our President, the members of Congress, and our voters everywhere. Let public high schools org-anize in every province to demand, by due and orderly process of petition, that the Executive and the Congress provide PAGE 28 funds to subsidize the public high schools.in amounts that should be adequate to supplement what the parents can pay to help maintain such schools. In particular, the student council of each public high school should organize a meeting of all the students in ~hich the facts be aired so as to show the need for help, the possible sources of Junds,, and the determinatfon of the students to continue their studies. Then, a resolution to be signed by the students and their parents be sent to the President and to every Senator and Congressman in the province. · Here is a chance for the National Federations of PTA's to organize local PTA associations all over the Philippines on behalf of more adequate financial support of secondary education by the provinces and municipalities, and of finap.cial aid...-to such schools from the central government~ If the PTA's all C>Ver the country pass resolutions in support of the move and send to the President and members of the Congress, I am most certain that action will be taken to provide. the .funds. Our public officials are very sensitive to such public demands, especially ·from students and parents. Then, I would suggest that public high school teachers organize in the same manner and make a similar approach. This is one time-they can and should write to the powers that be about the matter and suggest what can be done to. solvf" the high school crisis. We have been very successful in getting appropriations and funds for extension classes through this method - "No money for high schools, no vote next time." If the Congressmen and Senators 1istened to th pleas of parents on behalf of little children, they will be more apt to listen to them speaking on behalf of young people who would soon be old enough to vote. If the young people, themselves, make their voice heard, too, I can well imagine the consequences. _ If we organize this year in the manner I have suggested, I believe that we will get funds for high schools in the next budget or that measures will be passed to raise the necessary funds. We have the money to spend on unnecessary things like a bi-election for which PI0,000,000 is set aside by Congress. There is money to eStf blish more colleges. There is mone~ to finance industries: which must depend upon an educated labour force to succeed, why isn't there money for the education and training Of one million youth who a1·e old and strong enough and willing enough to work and help develop the country economically if given longer and better training? Let the students and parents .speak their minds, and the money will be provided by the Congress, which never failed to do so when pressed to do so by organized public opinion. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR Concluding Statement Sl10u)d public high schools be closed for lack of funds? I have tried in the two articles to analyse this problem, to give my answer to it, and to show the reasons for my position.. The latest trend in the world today being to make secondary education universal, it w~uld be a backward step for the Philippines to close the municipal high schools, which are maintained by tuition fees and'contributions from the parents, on the ground that such fees and contributions are not sufficient to maintain high standards of instruction and to pay teachers' salaries. Such a step would be unfair to the students, whose schools will be closed, l;>ecause they will either have to stop or continue •their studies in the private schools where they will pay more for less education. Besides, , the curriculum in the private secondary schools being predominantly if not purely academic, to d.istinguish it from the ·general curriculum in the public high schocHs which is 25 to 40 per cent vqcational, to place-the 200,000 public high school students in the private· sehools would agg~avate still more the .already precarious situation that we face because of bookish training that the majority of our student population now receive in schools, colleges and universities. The only ones to profit from the closing of municipal public high schools would be the educational businessmen who are in trade nrimarilv for the profit that they can make from the students. It would be tragic for both the young people and the country to close the public high schools and leave the private high schools, the great majority of which have lower standards to off er to continue operating for profit only to their d'wners. It is ironic, to say the least, that while in other countyies, England, France, Thailand, to name only a few, secondary education is free and compulsory (in England and France, within a short time), meaning the Government assumes all financial and other responsibilities, in the Philippines where the parents are willing to pay for such education and even put up buildings on sites purchased by them, the Government which 'pays not a single centavo for secondary education threatens to close public high schools which the parents are unable to maintain according to standards prescribed by it. The very least that the Government can do in the circumstances, it seems to me, is to aid such high schools, being thankful that the parents of the school children are willing to foot most · of the bill. The fact is that there is money ,to aid even double the number of public high schools now, and I daresay even including the private high schools whose counterparts elsewhere receive such aid. The Congress will, no doubt, provide it if public opinion is mobilized, as in the past, in favour of national aid at least to public secondary schools. They never failed before, and they will not fail this time. There are no idle rumors. Rumo1·s are always busy. -Irving Hoffman NOVEMBER, 1957 Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the da1'k. You· know what you'1·e doi11g, but no one else does. -Bandleader Phil Harris I don't·think there is a single person in the world who doesn't 'covet freedom and place, but those' of its who work for freedom or peace must think of it not only for us but ·also for others. -Ichiro Hatoyama (Prime Minister of Japan) If people in each village worked in cooperation and'unison, no miserable person would be found in it. · _.:Acharya Vinoba Bhave (Indian land re'form leader) PAGE 29 Ang Wikang Katutubo1 N ANG sumulat si Rizal sa mga kababaihan ng Malolos noong 1889 upang magbigay ng kanyang kuru-kuro tungkol sa ikabubuti ng mga Pilipino ay ginamit niya ang wikang Tagalog. Ang aking palagay sa bagay na ito ay inisip ni Rizal na sa wikang Tagalog siya dapat makipag-usap sa mga kilalang babae sa Malolos noong mga panahong yaon sapagka't !along madaling magkakaintindihan ang mga Pilipino at lalo ring maliliwanagan ang diwa ng ibig sabihin kung sa katutubong wika siya magpaliwanag. Tayo naman ay lubos na nakakaintindi ng wikang Tagalog dito sa bayang, higit sa lahat, ay pugad ng mga !along kilalang mananagalog sa Pilipinas, at sa araw-araw ng ating buhay ay Tagalog ang ating ginagamit lalo pa nga at mahahalagang bagay ang ating paguusapan, kaya't ipahintulot ninyong sa wikang' ito ako magpahayag sa inyo ng kaunting pagmamasid at kuru-kuro. Ginamit lamang ni Rizal ang banyagang wika sa kanyang mga sinulat kailan pa ma't nakararami ang mga di Tagalog sa kanyang mga sinusulatan. Tungkol sa makasaysayang sulat ni Rizal noong 1839 ay nais ko lamang tawagin ang inyong pansin sa isang tagubilin ni Rizal na may kinalaman sa gawang pagtuturo at pagbubukas ng isip ng mga kabataan: Gisingin at ihanda ang loob ng anak sa balang mabuti at mahusay na akala; partnwmahal sa puri, nwtapat at timtinwng loob, mali1canag na pagiisip, nwlinis na asal, maginoong kilos, pagibig sa kapuwa, at pagpipitagan sa Maykapal, ito ang it11 ro sa ana k . . . Ang binanggit na sulat ay ipinadala ni Rizal sa mga kababaihan ng Malolos bilang pagbibigay-dangal at pagbati sa balak na magbukas ng isang paaralang panggabi sa bayang Malolos kahit na malaki ang pagtutol ng kura sa kumbento. Ang mga babaing ito ay umaabot sa dalawampu ang bilang, at kasama rito, ayon sa ulat ni G. Epifanio de los Santos, ang mga sumusunod: Alberta Ui-Tangcoy, Teresa Tantoco, Maria Tantoco, Merced Tiongson (asawa ni Sandiko), Agapita Tiori.gson, Basilia Tiongson, Basilia Tantoco, Paz Tiongson, Felicisima Tiongson, Leoncia Reyes (asawa ni Graciano Reyes), at Olimpia Reyes. 1 Sa pagpupulong ng "Rotary Club" ng Malolos, Setyembre 14 .. 1957. PAGE 30 Ni Dalmacio Martin Sa isang sulat ni Marcelo H. de! Pilar sa kanyang kamag-anak na si Josefa Gatmaytan, petsa Marzo ng taong 1889, ay 'pinakapuri ni Del Pilar ang ipinakitang pagka-ma:kabayan ng mga taga-Malolos na hindi niya, diumano, makita: sa mga babaing taga-Bulakan, Bulakan. Isa ring pagkakataong napakamahalaga na ang nasabing kuru-kuro ni Rizal ay sa mga taga-Malolos niya ipinatagubilin. Nqong mga panahong yaon ay ang Malolos ang maipalalagay na cabecem ng pakikilaban at pagsulong. Sa dahon ng ating kasaysayan ay ang Malolos ang naging !along tanyag na bayan sa ating lalawigan dahil sa mga di malilimut3;ng pangyayari' na, sa kawalan ng panahon, ay hindi na natin iisa-isahin sa ngayon. Sapat ng banggitin ko ang pangyayaring sa isang pook na ngayon ay sakop ng Malolos ay sumilang ang Unang Kapulungan ng Pilipinas, at sa katunayan ay sa araw ng bukas, ika-15 ng Setyembre, ay idaraos ang tatawaging Malolos Day bilang parangal sa kasaysayan ng bayang ito. ~ Mga ilang bagay pang dapat papanumbalikin sa ating ala-ala ay ang mga sumusunod: Ika-13 ng Setyembre nang si Aguinaldo at ang kan_Yang mga kawal ay bigyan ng ultimatum ni Heneral Otis na lisanin ang paligid ng Maynila; ika-14, o baga ay sa · anibersaryo ng petsang ito, dumating si Aguinaldo sa Malolos, at sa ika-15 nang ang mga kinatawan ng Pamahalaang Rebolusyonaryo ay magtipun-tipun sa Barasoain. Isang dakilang pagkakataon ang araw na ito para sa atin. Ang nais kong tukuyin sa inyo sa pagpup:.ilong nating ito ay ang natutungkol sa wika sa ating paaralang bayan. Ngayon ay panahon ng pagk~kagulo sa wika, at pati ng mga nag-aaral ay nagdaranas ng kaguluhan. May tatlong bahagi ang aking iuulat sa inyo: (l) Ang Ingles sa paaralang bayan sa Pilipinas. (2) Ang Tagalog, o Wikang Pilipino, sa paaralang bay an. (3) Ang katutubong wika. Itong huli ay nagkakaroon ng malaking· ibig sabihin sa mga dak~ ng Pilipinas na labas sa Katagalugan. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR Alam na ninyo marahil kung paanong ang Ingles ay naging wika ng ating paaralan. Nang· utusan ni McKinley na tumungo rito sa Pilipinas ang Pangalawang Komisyonado Pilipino na pinanguluhan ni Taft ay itinagubilin ni McKinley ang maagang pagbubukas ng mga paaralan sa ikatatahimik at ikasusulong ng bagong kasasakop na Kapuluang Pilipinas. Ang payo ni McKinley ay gamitin sa pagsisimula ng pagtuturo, o sa mga mababang grado, ang wikang katutubo ng bay an. Hindi naluwatan at n'apatunayan ng mga Amerikanong puno ng paaralan na napakaraming wika sa Pilipinas, at walang maaaring gamiting isang wi}rn lamang sa pagbubukas ng paaralan. Ganito ang paliwanag ni Atkinson, puno ng mga paaralan noong mga panahong yaon : Walang maestrong Americana, o Pilipino man, na. sapat na nakaaalam ng gramatika ·ng mga nagdadamihang wikn sa Kapuluan, at kurig ang wikang katutubo ang ginamit sa lahat ng dako ay .~igurong ang mga prayleng Kastila lamang ang 11u1.aaring -manungkulan sa paaralan. Wala ni isang ·wikang ko.tutubo na kasing-yaman ng Ingles at kasing-tumpak sa mga pangangailangan . ... Matangi sa rito, at ito ay napakamalaking-baga11, ay walang librong magagamit na 1iasu.sulat sa. wikang Jca.tutubo o dialecto. Labis na pahahaba ang ating pagpupulong kung iisa-isahin ko sa inyo ang iba pang mga nagsipamuno na nagpayo na Ingles ang atlng gamitin sa paarala11 kahit na ang ganitong pasiya ay hindi ganap na sang- · ayon sa atas ni McKinley noong 1899. Dapat ding sabihin dito na hindi lahat ng Amerikano ay sangayon sa palakad na Ingles ang tanging dapat gamitin. May mga Amerikan~ dito sa Pilipinas at gayon din sa Estados Unidos na tutol sa kautusang ito, ngunit ang kanilang kuru-kuro ay hindi naghari sa matibay na pagsalungat ng mga unang nagsipamuno sa paaralan. Maaari nating sabihin ngayon na marahil ay hindi nagkamali ang mga unang punong ·Amerikano sa pagpapalaganap ng Ingles sa lahat ng' dako sapagka't, una, tutoo ngang magluluwat ang pagtatatag ng isang modernong educational s-ystem kung hihintayin munang· makagawa l)g mga libro sa lahat ng wikang katutubo sa Pilipinas mula sa Batanes hanggang Sulu. Sa pangalawa, ay hindi marahil madadali ang pagkakaisa ng buong bayang Pilipinas kung hindi binigla ang paggamit ng Ingles sa lahat ng dako. lkatlo, ay hindi gaanong makatutulong sa atin ang mga maestrong Amerikano kung hindi Ingles ang ipinasiyang gamitin. Sino, maliban sa kanila, ang makatutulong sa atin noong mga panahong yaon? Ang mga paring Kastila kaya na katatapos lamang kalabanin noong himagsikan? Patuloy ang pagiging popular ng Ingles sa di mabilang na taon. Ang Service Manual ng Bureau of Edumtion ay ganito ang tagubilin noong 1927 tungkol sa bagay na ito: NOVEMBER. 1957 Sa patuloy na pag-gamit ng Ingles, bilang wikang opisyal, ay dapat alalahanin na hindi hinahangad na palitan ang mga katutubong wika sa buhay pang-ara,w-araw. Ang mga dialecto ay sigurong di m.aaaring mamatay 'sa taha.nan at sa paguwwp pang-pook, at ang mga ito ay hindi dapat makaqambala «~a opisyal na patalcarang Ingles ang gagafliitin so. mga. paaralan. Maging ang dimalilimutang Monroe Survey Commission noong 1925 ay hindi nakapagbigay ng malinaw na tagubilin sa bagay na ito, at nagkasiya na lamang ang mga eksperto ng komisyon na sabihing sa pagtuturo ng lcabutihang-asal at kabaitan ay maaaring haluan ng wikang katutubo kung kaka.ilanganin. Kinilala ng komisyon na may mga diwa at uri ng pangungusap sa buhay ·ng Pilipino na hindi magiging akmang-akma kung sa Ingles natin sasabihin. Isang halimbawa na nito ang salitang Tagalog na "pakikipag-kapwa tao." Papaano natin masasabi iyan sa Ingles nang buung-buo ang uri ng ating ibig sabihin? Dumating ang panahon nina Gallego, Bocobo, Lope K. Santos, at iba pa. Unti-unti nilang ginising ang ating pansin sa malaking nasayang na pagod sa pagtuturo sa kagustuhan nating maging Ingles na lubusan ang ating pakikipagusap sa ating mga batang tinuturuan. Una-una, ang Ingles ay hindi tunay na atin, at gaano man kabuti ang maestro ay may mga salitang mahirap maintindihan ng mga batang hindi naman sa wikang Ingles ipinanganak at pinalaki. lkalawa, gaya na nga ng aking nabanggit, ay may uri ng ibig, sabihin sa Inang Wika na hindi maililipat sa Ingles ng hustong-husto. Dumating ang taon ng 1930, at nag-aalimpuyo noon · ang ating pagkampanya sa independensya. Nagkataon namang naging Vice-Governor-General natin si George C. Butte, at ang ginoong ito, bilang Kalihim ng Pagtuturo, ay gumulat sa mga puno ng ating· paaralang-bayan nang kanyang taas-noong sabihin na kamalian ang hindi natin paggamit ng wikagg katutubo sa ating pagtuturo ng mga bata na: ang karamihan, wika niya, ay naghihinto ng pagaaral pagkatapos ng dalawa o tatlong grado, Ganito ang sabi ni Butte: Pagkata.pos ny isa,ng masusing pagaaral ay ako ay humantong sa paniniwalang ang pagtuturo sa paaralang elementarya sa Pilipinas ay dapat rwmamit ng wikang katutubo (siyam na wika ang kabuoan sa .~iyam na rehyon) pagkakaroon ng kinakailanganq libro at mga ma.esfrong may sapat na paghahanda. Pagkatapos maging Commonicealt.h ang Pilipinas ay isa na sa kauna-unahang tagubilin ng tinawag na Quezon Educational Sur-vey Committee ang sumusiinod: Ang mga maestro sa· paaralang-p1:i-niarya ay dapat pahintulutang makagamit ng katutubong wikci ( dialecto) upang ma katulong sa kanilang paqtuturo, gauci halimbawa. ng aritmetika, geoyrapya, ist.orya, at ibang social sciences. PAGE 31 Mga ilang taon lamang bago sumapit ang petsang ito ay bawal sa mga paaralan ang pagsasalita ng dialecto o katutubong wika, at ako ay isa na sa mga estudiyante sa elementarya na napaparusahan pag ako ay gumamit ng kahit isang salitang hindi Ingles sa loob ng paaralan. Nang si Dr. Jorge C. Bocobo ay maging Kalihim ng Pagtuturo ay unti-unting nabago ang palakad sa paggamit ng wikang katutubo. Ang konstitusyon ng Commonwealth ay bagsaad na sa panahon ng transition, o kaya ay hanggang 1946, ang wika ng paaralan ay ipagpapatuloy sa wikang Ingles, at ganito ang itinakda kung sa Ingles babasahin: "The educational system shall be cond_ucted principally in th~ English language." Ipinaliwanag ni Bocobo na sa salitang "principally" ay napapaloob ang pasiya na, "secondarily," o paran,g pangpangalawa, ang wikang hindi Ingles ay maaari ding gamitin. Tangi sa rito, pagkatapos ng sampung taong transition, wika ni Bocobo, ay hindi na tayo sakop ng nasabing transit.-Jry provision ng konstitusyon. Patuloy hanggang sa dumating ang digmaan noong 1941 ang paglaganap ng paggamit ng wikang katutubo. Nang matapos ang digmaan noong 1945 - pagkatapos ng panahong (kung gagamitin natin ang salitang lansangan) naluma ang Ingles-ay halos wala nang dapat ipasiya kundi ang pagpapatibay ng ating sariling diwa at damdamin sa pagka-Pilipino. Kasama na rito ang pagpapahalaga sa sariling atin - wika, ugali, kurikulum, kasaysayan, at iba pa. Kung kapos man sa Ingles ang mga bata noong bago magkadigma ay lalong naging kapos sa Ingles ang. angawangaw na batang lumaki at nabuhay noong panahon ng kadiliman, o kaya . ay panahon ng mga Hapon. Ibabalik ba natin sa Ingles ang ating paaralan, at nasisiguro ba nating hindi lalobg magiging malaki ang kapangulugihan kung ating itatabi ang lahat ng layunin sa pagtuturo sa nais nating makabawi sa pag .. iingles? Sa mga Pilipinong nagtataka kung bakit ang mga bata ngayon ay hindi makapagsalita ng' kasingbuting Ingles gaya ng mga nagsimula ng pagaaral noong 1920 o 1930, ito ay dapat natin ipaala-ala. Ito ay dala ng isang di maiiwasang pagbabago, at paglakad ng ating pagka-Pilipino, at hindi natin d4pat tangisan ang mga yumao, o kaya ay sisihin na parang bulag ang lahat at madla. Ang ating dapat isaisip, sangayon sa aking kuru-kuro, ay pagbutihin natin ang pagtuturo ng ating sariling wika, ang mga taga-Cebu sa Cebuano, ang mga taga-Pampanga sa Kapampangan, at iba't iba pa. Hindi ko ibig sabihing dapat tayong masiyahan sa tinatawag na bamboo English, o kaya ay purihin natin ang Ingles sa balu-baluktot. Ang aking ibig sabihin ay sa 75 por syento ng ating mga bata na hindi nagpapatuloy ng pagaara:l pagkatapos ng elementarya ay huwag na nating pag-ukulan ng lahat ng ating lakas ang pagtuturo ng Ingles. Ang ating pagukulan ng pagod at pawis sa pagtuturo ng Ingles ay yaon PAGE 32 lamang na magsisigamit ng wikang iyan sa kanilang karera o p'ropesyon, alalaong baga ay yaong mga magpapatuloy sa high school o sa unibersidad. Ako ay nagpapalagay na i'to ang ating magiging palakad sa darating na araw. Dito ay makukunan natin ng leksyon ang ginagawa ng mga Hapon, Hindu, Intsik, at iba pa. May mga nagdaang panahon na tayo ay nalilipus ng tuwa kung naririnig nating ang mga bata ay mabuting umingles. Ang tunay na edukasyon ay hindi Ingles lamang. Kung ang bata ay mabuti mang umingles, ngunit kapos naman sa mga kinakailangan ng pagka-mabut~ng tao, ay hindi sapat na edukasyon ang ating ibinibigay. Ang tunay na edukasyon ay maaaring isagawa sa alin mang wika na katutubo sa sangbayanan. Ito ay aking sariling kuru-kuro na niaaaring makaiba sa inyong minamabuti. Pagkatapos ng digmaan ay mga Amerikano na rin ang nagpa-ala-ala sa atin na :maaari tayong nagkakamali sa ating palakad sa · paaralan. Ipinapayo nil~ ang pagbabago. Noong 1949 ay isang komitiba ng mga eksperto ang ipinadala rito ng UNESCO sa hiling ng ating paniahalaan, at ito ay pinanguluhan ng Amerikanong si Dr. Floyd W. Reeves. Kabilang sa komitibang ito si Dr. Paul R. Hauna na, alam na ninyo, ay naging masusing tagapayo ng ating Kalihiman ng Pagtuturo. Naito ang payo n·g komitiba: .Ang Misyon ay ganap na nagmasid sa mga prnbinsya at kcmilang nakita na madalas ay mala king pagod at hirap ang ginugugol sa pagtuturo ng 1l'ikang banyaga at dahil dito ay kakaunting panahon ang natitira sa pagtuturo ng tunay na nilalaman ng mga pinagaaralan. Lalo pa nga sa mababang grado, ang kinauuwian ng pagt.uturo ay ang pagmemernoria ng mga salita sa isan!J wika 11a hindi r1aanong naiintindihan ng rhga bctta, kung kaya't kaunting panahon lamang ang natitira sa pagiisip o paggamit ng mga itinuturo sa ikabubuti ng pamumuhay o mabuting-asal. Isa pa ring Amerikano, si Dr. Clifford Pratort na espesyalista sa pagtuturo ng Ingles sa University of California, ang nagpaala-ala sa atin noong 1949 na ang palakad natin sa ating pagtuturo sa mababang grado ng lipus na Ingles ay mahahawig sa kamaliang turuan ang batang ~erikano sa Nueba York ng salitang Turkish, at Turkish lamang, bagama't pagkatapos magaral ang batang Amerikanong nasabi ay hindi_ na niya gagamitin ang Turkish sapagka't• alam na ninyo, Ingles ang wika sa· Nueba York. Itinagubilin ni Dr. Prator ang pag-uumpisa sa mababang . grado sa wikang. katutubo. Sa isa kong pagbibisita sa kabisayaan ay nakita ko ang isang pangkat ng mga estudyante' sa isang, vocational school na gumagawa ng isang konkretong drfoeway. , Ang maestro ay ulit-ulit sa pagtuturo sa mga estudyante sa wikang Ingles ng kung papaano ang gagawin sa pagtatrabaho, paghahalo ng simento, paglalagay ng bakal at bato, at iba't iba pa. Pinagpayuhan siya _ ng superintendente na kausapin ang THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR kanyang mga eskuwela sa salitang Cebuano,· at ito naman ang sinunod ng guro. Maniwala kayong nadali ang p'agkakaintindihan, at dahil dito marahil ay nadali at napaigi ang kanilang ginagawa. Sa isang .-;cience class sa intermedya ay nagkaroon ng leksiyon na natutungkol sa tinatawag na air pressure. Tatlong 'uri ng ·air pressu1·e ang ipinaliwanag ng pinagpapawisang maestro. Tanong siya ng tanong sa mga bata sa wikang Ingles kung kanilang naiintindihan, at an_g mga bata naman ay walang irnik na parang nahihiyang itinataas ang kamay. Isa o dalawa Iamang sa mga bata sa buong klase, sa loob ng 30 minutos, ang umako sa buong klase at nagligtas. sa maestro sa ganap na pagkapahiya. At ang -iba pang sagot ng mga batang listong sumagot ay mali at di tama. Ipinagpayo ng aking kasama sa maestro na ibigay ang leksiyon sa wikana- Iloko, at ito naman ang sinunod ng maestro. Maniwala 1cayong parang sumiklab ang pag-iisip ng mga bata, at mula na noon ay lubos silang nagkaintindihan at nagkasl:!-gutan ng kasiya-siya ng tungkol sa air pressure; Sa nais nating mapagbuti ang Ingles, kung magkaminsan, ay walang natutuhan ang ating mga nagaaral kundi Ingles lamang. ' N gayon naman ay maitatanong ninyo: Kung ang paggamit ng katutubong wika sauna at pangalawang grado ang magiging palakad sa lahat ng dako, papa.;. ano naman ang hinaharap ng wikang Tagalog para maging pa;gkapuluang Wikang Pilipino? Kailangan pa ba natin ~ng Wikang Pilipino sa ibabaw ng ibaibang katutubong wika sa iba-ibang dako? Ang bagay na ito ay isang malaking paksa sa maikling pagpupulong na ito upang masuri ng buong liwanag. Ngurii't gagawin ko_ ang aking kaya upang maihain sa inyo ang ilang kuru-kuro. May mga bansa sa ibabaw ng m1,mdo na nagkakahati-hati rin sa kanilang katutubong wika, at isa na riyan ang India. Ang Nepal ay isa pa rin na iba-iba ang wika ng mga mamamayan. Ang China ay nasa ganito ring kalagayan. Ang mga bansang ito kaya ay hindi maaaring sumulong at umunlad dahil lamang sa bagay na ito?' Sa Mex,ico ay marami ring iba-ibang dialekto, at ang Mexico ngayon, sa lahat ng Amerka Latina, ay si)'."ang !along pinakamalakas ang pagsulong. Ang mga bansang nabanggit, sa kabila ng bukod-bukod na mga dialekto, ay gumagamit ng isang wika upang maging tanging opisyaJ. Dito sa atin sa Pilipinas ay ipinasiya ng ating konstitusy.on noong 1934 na magpalago tayo ng isang wikang pangkalahatan, at ang _wikang iy.an ay _katutubo rin sa lupang Pilipino. Tagalog ang napili sa bagay na ito. Isisingit ko muna ang isang pagpapaliwanag ng natutungkol sa India, Nepal, at Me.xico. Sa India, ayon sa aking pagkaalam, ay wikang Hindu ang ginawang tanging opisyal na wika sa buong bansa. Sa Nepal naman ay iyong tinatawag nilang Nepal. At -NOVEMBER, 1957 sa Mexico ay Kastila naman ang pangkalahatang wikang opisyal. Kung maitatanong ninyo kung / bakit ang Mexico ay nakapagpalago ng Kastila sa isang lupaing hindi naman katutubong Kastila, a_t kung inyong itatanong ngayon kung bakit hindi Ingles ang ating palaguin upang maging tunay na pangkalahatan ·sa Pilipinas, ang akin lamang masasabi, bagaman at hindi ako eksperto sa bagay na ito, all ang Mexico. at ang Espana ay nagkasama ng halos apat na raang taon, isang pagsasamang, dahil sa kalapitan ng Mexico sa Espana, ay nagkaroon ng maayos na pamamahala. Tangi pa sa rito ay maraming Kastila ang nagsitira sa Mexico buhat sa Espana. Nang humiwafay ang Mexico sa Espana noong 1821 ay laganap na ang Kas- . tila sa lahat ng dako ng Mexico. Mismong• mga mestisong Kastila ang nagsipamuno sa rebolusyon sa Mexico ng dumating na ang panahong ang dalawang ban&ang ito ay dapat maghiwalay. Ang rnga katutubong Indiyo sa Mexico, maaari pa ring ipalagay, ay tila hindi kasingtitibay o kasingdami ng mga "indio" sa ating Kapuluan (isang tawag sa ating- mga kalahi ng mga punong Kastila noong kanilang kapanahunan). Hindi maaaring palubugin ang dugong Malayo, bagaman at nakikita natin kung papaanong unti-unting nadadaig o nangangaunti ang mga Indiyo ng lupaing America at ng mga pulo sa Pasipiko. Samakatuwid, kung nais nating tayo ay magka.:: roon ng isang pangkapuluang wika.na makakabuklod sa ating lahat na mga Pilipino, isang wikang magaga-:mit nating parang sagisag o pangilala sa pagpupulong ng mga bansarig malaya sa daigdig, ay tayo ay pinagsabihan na ng ating konstitusyon na dapat maging katutubong atin, hindi Ingles at hindi rin Kastila, kundi Tagalog ang ating rnagiging batayan pangumpisa. Sayang at may mga Pilipino pang hangga ngayon ay pinapaghahari ang regionalismo, nguni't ito ay hindi rin natin dapat ikabugnot pagkat ang lunas ay makukuha natin sa rnabuting pamamalakad at pagkampanya. Dito nandito ang kahalagahan ng tulong ng ating mga paaralan. Sa isipan ng ating mga bata ipinupunla ang binhi ng pa~kamakabayan sa wika at sa ibang bagay pa man. Ang mga 1 bata ngayon ang magiging mamamayan sa kinabukasan. Sa isang pagtitipun-tipon sa Tokyo ng mga Hapones at Pilipino noong nakaraang Disyembre ay sinabi ng isang namanghang maestrong Hapon sa akin: "How well you Rpeak English!" Kung tatagalugin, "Kay inam ninyong magsalita ng Ingles!" Hindi ko malaman kung dapat akong matuwa o mahiya. Ang pagkapunta namin sa Hapon noon ay upang pag-aralan ang kanilang mga paraan ng paglilimbag ng. mga librong magagamit sa ating mga paaralan. Sa bagay na ito ay malaki ng ganoon na lamang ang pagkasulong ng mga Hapon kaysa sa atin. Naibigibig kong isagot: "I wish we knew less English and mor'e of your technc:Jlogy," o kung tatagalugin ay, PAGE 33 "Hindi bale kung kapos man sa Ingles kung eksperto naman sa inyong teknolohiya." Sa isang pagtitipun-tipon ng mga Filipino sa America ay nagkaroon ng isang palatuntunan. Ang unang bilang ay ang pag-awit ng pambansang awit. Dahil sa ang nalalaman lamang ng mga Filipinong nandoon ay ang pinag-aralan sa wikang Ingles, ang awit ng mga Filipino, ng kanilang sagisag ng bansa ay sa wikang ginagamit ng mga Amerikano. Hindi ha kabiruang sabihin natin na tayo ay may independensiya na ngayon, kung ganyang tayo'y parang nahihjyang gamiting taas ang noo ang talagang atin? May tungknlin tayong mga taga-Katagalugan. Una, dapat tayong gumamit ng tinatawag na discrecion, alalaong-baga, ay malaman natin kung saan dapat gamitin ang wikang Tagalog upang ang mga di-Tagalog ay hir:.di magtampo sa atin. Fagpinabayaan natin ang Tagalog at wala kundi Ingles ang gagamitin natin sa ating mga pagtitipun-tipon ay sasabihin sa atin ng niga di-Tagalog na, anya, "Tingnari mo silang Tagalog; para bagang nahihiyang gumamit ng kanilang katutubong wika. At ngayon ay iuutos sa ating gamitin natin ang Wikang Fambansa." Kung tayo naman ay magkamali na Tagalog tayo kete-Tagalog kahit saang dako at kahit na sino ang ating mga kausap, lalo pa nga't hindi tayo matututong humingi ng pansintabi, tayo naman ay makakainisan ng ating mga kapuwa Filipino. Ito ang discrecion na ating dapat gamitin sa lahat ng oras. Nguni't ang isa namang pamahalaan na halal ng bayan ay may dapat na lakas upang ipasunod ang ilang napagtibay na bagay na hindi pagmumulan ng pagkakahati-hati. Tinutukoy ko ang mga bagay na: !along magpapatibay sa ating pagkamalaya at pagkapilipino. Tingnan na lamang ninyo ang inyong tinatawag na residence certificate, o papeleta. Ito ay sasabihin ninyo marahil na isang munting bagay lamang, nguni't ito ay isang munting bagay na labis magpapakilala ng ating tunay na nilalayon. Hindi kaya magiging mahalagang kadag-dagan sa pagpapalaganap ng Wikang Pambansa at sa pagsisikap ng mga maestro na :qiaituro an,g wikang ito sa lahat ng dako sa Pilipinas kung ang mga dokumento na kagaya nito ay isusulat at ililimbag sa Wikang Pilipino? Masdan ninyo ang mga babala o karatula sa daan, at pinapalad kayo pag kayo ay nakakita ng nasusulat sa wikang Tagalog, mula rito sa Malolos hanggang sa Maynila, lugar ng katagalugan. Oo, mayroon diyang ANG TIBAY, nguni't aninawin ninyo sa ibaba ng karatula at makikita ninyo ang salitang, THE WEAR THAT LASTS. Doon naman sa Polo ay may makikita kayong karatula na ang sinasabi ay PUTONG FULO. Nguni't sa ibaba ay nakadagdag ang, GOOD FOR HEALTH, TAKE HOME A BAG. Ganito ba ang pagpaparangal sa Wikang Pilipino? Hindi ba parang ikinahihiya· nating mga Tagalog ang isang wikang pinaglalaanan natin ng malaking gugol upang maituro sa mga paaralan ? P;\GE 34 Wala akong ibig sabihin sa lahat ng ito kundi nasa atin din· ang ika-susulong o ika-babagsak ng natutungkol sa Wikang Pilipino. Ang gawa' ay mahalaga kaysa sa salita. Ang magkakapatid ay maaaring magtuksuhan ng hindi magbubunga ng masama; lahat ng Pilipino ay magkakapatid, kaya mabutihin natin ang kaunting punahan at pintasan sa ating mga ginagawa. Ang biro sa akin ng ilan kong kaibigang di-Tagalog ay ang mga Tagalog daw ay may kaunting pagka.:.hambug, ngunl't lalong naging hambug ng ang Tagalog ang maging saligan ng Wikang Filipino. Ito'y hindi ko isasama ng loob. Lalo. kong pag-uubusan ng kaya upang ang mga di tumutulong ay maging katulong ng maluag sa loob. Bil.ang katapusan ay nais kong ipunin sa maikling sa11ta ang ,.aking kuru-kuro. Ang wikang Ingles sa paaralang Fifipino ay nag-umpisa ng paglubog mula noong magsiuwi sa America ang mga maestrong Americano. Ang Ingles ay hindi mamamatay, nguni't magkakaroon lamang ng tamang lugar ("nasa lugar", sa salitang karaniwan). Ang Ingles ay magpapatuloy na pagaralan sa high school at sa unibersidad ng mahabang panahon. Nguni't hindi ako naniniwala na ang wikang ito ay siyang maghahari sa pagtuturo sa elementarya pagkalipas ng ilan pang taon. Hahalili sa Ingles ang mga katutubong wika sa tinatawag na primarya, at lalago naman sa lahat ng elementarya ang Wikang Filipino k~hit · na sa pook na labas sa katagalugan. l)iag-uqsap-usap ang mga guro at mga tinuturuan sa wikang kanilang ganap na maiintindihan. Hindi ikahihiya ng mga taga Ibanag ang sila ay turuan sa Ibanag, at hindi rin 'ipagbabawal ang salitang ito sa kanilang mga paaralan. Yayaman ang ating mga sariling wika. Madadagdagan ito ng mga modernong pangungusap. Dadami ang mga babasahin sa lahat ng dako. Mabubungkal ang ating isip sa sariling wika at mahuhubog ang ating damdamin na pahalagahan ang katutubong atin. Ang salitang pang-araw-araw sa mga pook at nayon ng Filipinas ay siyang magiging salitang pampaaralan matangi lamang ang matataas na' grado sa mga kumakarera. An.g mga ito ay bibigyan ng ganap na pagkakataon upang makapag-aral na mabuti ng Ingles. Dahil sa pagbabagong ito ng kagamitan ng mga katutubong wika, ang paaralan at ang tahanan ay di na magkakahiwalay - lagi silang magiging malapit at_ magkaakbay Ea pagkukupkop ng ating kabataan. At sa ating ·nadaranas na pagrnarnahal sa ating katutubong wika ay makikilala rin ng boong bansa na ang Wikang Filipino pala ay atin din, at dito na magmumula ang pagkilala sa khhalagahan ng isang wikang pangkalahatan na nanggaling sa sariling. atin. Dadali ang pagtuturo ng Wikang Filipino sa mga paaralan hanggang sa ito ang pagkakaisahang gamitin sa darating na panahon sa ating tinatawag na literatura, siyensya, parnahalaan, negocio, at iba't iba pang panig ng ating kabuhayang pambansa. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR Gabay ng Guro: Una at Ikalawang Baytang ng Mababang Paaralan Ni Lazaro M. Mercado SANG-AYON sa kautusan ng Kagawaran Blg. 1., taong 1957, at sa hangaring maisagawa ang itinatadhana ng batas sa Akta Republika Blg. 1124, ay pinagsikapang isagawa ang isang palatuntunan na hahantoug sa isang matiwasay, makabansa at makademokrasyang pamamaraan ng pagtuturo sa Pilipinas. . ' Ang Pangkat 10 ng nasabing Palatuntunan ay nagtatadhana ng pagpapagamit ng sariling wika na maging sangkap ng pagtuturo sa mga una at ikala·wang baytang ng lahat ng paaralan at itinagubilin sa mga nangangasiwa ng mga paaralan ang pagsasagawa· nito sa la~ong mainam na Pamamaraan. Ang mga Lawak-Aralin ay binigyan ng kani-kanyang takdang panahon o haba ng sandali na dapat iukol sa bawa't isa katulad ng mga Araling Panlipunan, Sining ng Wika, Kalusugan at Agham, Palatuusan, Sining at Pangangalaga ng Katawan at Pagpapanuto sa Gawain. Sa mga Lawak-Araling ito ay ang Sining ng Wika ang pinaguukub.n ng mahabang panahon sapagka't ito ang pinakamahalagang paksang-aralin at tangi pa sa rito ay ang paksang-araling ito ang siyang saligan ng pagtuturo ng iba pang mga paksang-aralin. Ito ang sanhi kung kaya ang paksang ito ang kinakai1angang bigyangdiin ng lahat ng gur'o. Ano ang Sining ng Wika? Ito ay isang paksangaraling kinapapalooban ng mga aralin tungkol sa paghahatid ng mga kaisipan sa pamamagitan ng pagsasalita o pagsulat. Ang mga paksang nalulukuban nito ay ang mga sumusunod: Wika, Pagbaybay, Pagbasa, Pagbigkas at kasanayan sa pagsulat ng Wikang Pilipino. Ang maka-bagong paraan ng pagtuturo nito, ay ang p~gsasamasama ng mga paksang-aralin sa Sining ng Wika at ang kaugnayan ng mga ito ay nababatay sa mga suliranin, mga balak at mga kawilihan ng mga bata, at ang mga nasabing aralin ay mga sangkap lamang sa ikalulutas ng mga suliranin. NOVEMBER. 1957 Sa paggawa ng mahabang banghay ng pagtuturo sa Sining ng Wika tungkol sa isang pangkat para sa una at ikalawang baytang ay nararapat isa-alangalang unang-una ang mga kawilihan ng mga bata na siyang dapat pagbatayan ·ng mga gawain sa paglutas ng mga suliranin. Ang mga pangkat na batayan ay kinukuha sa mga Ataling Panlipunan sapagka't ito ang nagdudulot ng -mga karanasan at gawain na hango sa tunay na buhay. Ang kabauan ng panahon sa pang-araw-araw na pagtuturo ng Sining ng 'Wika sauna at ikalawang baytang ay 110 sandali. Ang 80 sandali ay itinatakda sa pagtuturo ng mga paksang-aralin at ang ginagamit ng guro flY saril~ng wika. Ang 30 sandali ay iniuukol ng guro sa · pagtuturo ng Ingles sa pamaraang pakikipagsalitaan lamang ng mga bagay-bagay na madaling maunawaan ng mga bata. Sa ikalawang baytang hY nararapat na ring ituro sa Ingles ang . mga talakay tungkol sa palatuusan at dapat na ring ituro ang pagpapabasa upang kung dumating sila sa ikatlong baytang ay nang hindi maging biglaan ang paglilipat buhat sa paggamit ng sariling wika na tungo sa paggamit ng wikang Ingles. Kung ang pagtuturo ng pagbasa sa Ingles ay sa ikatlong baytang pa isasagawa ay sapilitang mahuhuli na sa panahon at ang mga araling dapat makuha sa baytang na ito ay hindi na magagampanan nang lubusan. Ang panlahat na layunin ng guro sa pagtuturo ng bawa't papgkat ay napapalaman sa isang kapasyahan tungkol sa pagsasagawa ng mga pangunahing layunin sa pagtuturo na itinatadhana sa_ bahaging-5, Pangkat XIV ng ating Saligang Batas na nagtatadhana ng sumu8unod: Sapagka't ang Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas, sa bahaging-5, Pangkat XIV ay nagtatadhana na "ang lahat ng paaralan ay may layuning linangin ang kagandahang-asal, pag-unawa sa sarili, pagkamakabayang-diwa at kasanayan sa paggawa at magturo ng mga tungkuling kapamayanan", at Sapagka't, lubhang kailangan na itong mga pangunahing layon ng pagtuturo ay lubusang makilala upang ang pagsasagawa nito ay maging matagumpay sa lahat ng paaralan at iba pang mga sangay ng pagtuturo ng bansa: Ngayon, at dahil di to, ay Pasiyahan ng Mataas· na Kapulungan at nang Mababang Kapulungan ng Pilipinas na nagpapahintulot, na sa pagsasagawa ng nasabing pangunahing layunin ng pagtuturo na itinatadhana ng Saligang Batas, ay magiging tungkuiin ng paaralan at mga sangay nito sa Pilipinas - PAGE 35 CLINICAL RESEARCH PROVES Ang Huro .Sa Mga Mamamayang Pilipino: 1. Ang mamuhay nang marangal na pamumuhay na akay ng pananalig sa Diyos at pag-ibig sa kapuwa tao. 2. Umibig at maglingkod sa Republika ng Pilipinas at buong pusong turnupad ng mga tungkulingbayan, buong-diwang isagawa ang pansarili at panIipunang ka:rapatan, at buong katapatang tupdin ang mga kadakilaan ng diwa ng pagkakapantay-pantay na siyang dapat mamalagi kailan man; 3. Upang makabasa at makinig nang may-pagkaunawa, magsalita at sumulat nang may kahulugan, mag-isip at kumilos ng katumpakan sa paglutas ng mga suliranin sa pang-araw-araw na buhay; WO rk s di rec t I y through 4. Upan~. magkaroon ng kakayahan sa pagtatag. lay ng mahms na pamumuhay at makatulong sa paVQU r Stomach Wa 11 I mamagitan n~ masaganang paggawa at sa makadi1 ~ • wang paggam1t at pagpapasalaya ng mga kayama~ ... goes Straight tO the SOUrCe of your pain ! nan ng bansa sa ika-uunlad ng kapaniuhayan ng Pilipinas; THE "WAITING" WAY When you take an ordinary pain-reliever that must pass through the valve in your stomach before it can do any good. relief is delayed until the valve opens. Medical authorities have found that some ingredients in a pain - reliever can actually slow down absorption through the stomach wall and delay relief of pain. But wht-n )"011 take tripleact1on CAFIASPIRINA there is no unnecessary delay - no CAFIASPIRINA 'S 3 MARVELOUS "PAIN FIGHTERS'" GIVE VOU 3 Times the pain-relieving action of aspirin I :JHEIE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE THIS NEW- FOi• MULA, TllPl.E·ACTION CAFIASPlllNAFO• FAS• 5. Upang maisabalikat ang malinis na pamumuhay sa kabighabighaning paligid upang maging matipuno ang katawan at angkop na kaisipan sa pagtugon sa mga pangangailangan ng makabuluhang buhay; n1,GE~TLE1, LONGE1-LASTING PAIN RELIEF. 6. Upang mapamalagi ang kaisahan ng mag-anak, Imagine, CAFIASPIRINA gives you mamuhay sa maligayang tahanan at isagawa ng bunot one but two instant-acting pain- . . ' relievers-plus a third ingredient that ong kabubhan ang tnngkulm sa tahanan; gives you a "lift" from that depressed · "'let-down" feeling that often accom- . . panies pain. All .three of these "pain 7. Upang gam1tm nang may kabuluhan ang pafighters" work_ togeth~r to bring you nahon ng paglilibang sa ika-uunlad ng sarili at ikathe fastest relief poss1bl1.>. Before you .. know it your pain is gone - so is that paghlmgkod sa purok; miserable depressed feeling that accomoanies pain. Science has proved that new for· mula Cafiaspirina is faster - you can prove it too! Try Cafiaspirina now, at any time of night or day, for speedy, gentle, sure relief from pain of headaches, colds, trancazo, rheumatism, neuralgia! 8. Upang pahalagahan ang mga smmg at sulat upang maabot ang sariling-katuparan sa pamamagitan ng pagpapayaman nito sa pagbibigay ng kanilang bahagi; ilapat ang agham at idagdag sa pandaigdig na natipong karunungan, upang ang buhay ay maging mayaman at masagana; waiting for it to go through the valve in your stomach to start s working. Medical evidence shows that the instant a CAFJNEW FORMQL ASPIRINA tablet starts dissolving in your stomach, it is 9. Upang isagawa ang kapamuhayang Pilipino, papamalagiin ang napakahalagang pamana sa ating sandigang kaalaman, lalu~g-lalo na sa kagandahangasal kung ginagamit sa kaunlaran ang mahahalagang karanasan ng Jahi; at absorbed through your stomach wall- and goes straight. to the source of your pain. : That's why CAFIASPIRINA gives amazingly fast relief 1 •. i. 10. Upang maunawaan ang ibang bansa, linangin ang mabuting pakikipagkapuwa sa mga tao rito, pal~wigi:p. ang sanhi ng pandaigdig na kapayapaan at katiyakan ng ulirang pagkakapatiran ng buong daigdig .. Parade of Heroes (A tableau most appropriate for the celebration of Bonifacio Day) The cast includes: Princess Urduja An Arabian Scholar Lapu-lapu A Slave Diego Silang and . 4 or 5 revolutionists Marcelo H. del Pilar Dr .. Jose P. Rizal A Spanish friar . Three Spanish civil guards Andres Bonifacio and 4 or 5 Katipuneros Tandang Sora - : Gregorio del Pil~r and 3 or 4 revolutionists An American officer and a- soldier Apolinario Mabini President Manuel L. Quezon ' Jose Abad Santos and his son, Pepito 3 or 4 Japanese soldiers President Ramon Magsaysay Commentator Chorus (Selected boys and .girls - 15 to 20) (Note : fn order to make the tableau realistic, participants should be dressed in authentic costumes. One good reference where· such costumes could be copied is Philippine· Saga by Otley Beyer.) The Tableau Curtain is closed: Chorus sings "Filipinas, .My Motherland." Commentaor - In the history of a nation, its men and women ·have always · played an important part. Very often a 'nation produces men and women of outstanding traits of wisdom, valor, pa~riotism, loyalty and sincere love of country. The Philippines is blessed with the' lives of these noble men and women whose ardent struggles for our liberty are a priceless heritage which we should forever cl;ierish in , our hearts. Such a legacy date~ back to the early times-far back in Pangasinan, a flourishing Kingdom in Northwestern NOVEMBER. 1957 By R. t . Cruz Luzon, ruled by an intelligent· and brave woman, Princess Urduja. In her we see a Filipino who would not consider her race or herself inferior to any other race. (As commentator finishes talking, curtain is opened. On the stage may be seln Princ~ss Urduja, sitting on a make-believe throne, talking to an Arabian scholar.) PRINCESS URDUJA - I greet you with the salutations in your own tongue. May I know why you refuse4 my invitation? ARABIAN SCHOLAR - Because my religion allows me not to cut with infidels and mingle with. barbarians. PRINCESS ·URDUJA - qn a somewhat initiated voice) Infidels! Barbarians! Bah! That's what you people from far away lands think of us. But look around you, my dear guest. Our chairs are made of sandal wood. My thrnne has an embroidered, silk canopy. Look at my royal robe. It is made of the riche.st and finest silk in the orient. My jewels are made by royal experts and goldsmiths of the Kingdom. My s6ldiers have swords with handles of gold. (Enters a slave with a piece of paper, phinted stick and stick; bows to the Priocess and gives her the things and leaves, all the while bowing.) An on this paper and with this ink, which my attendant has brought me, I have written for you in Arabic letters the name of the merciful and compassionate God. Tell me, my dear traveller, are these tokens of culture found among barbarians? , ARABIAN SCHOLAR:, - (feeling ashamed) I beg your forgiveness for my ignorance of your country. -when I go back to my country, I will tell them about the Philippines and its culture. Allow me, dear princess, to express my gratitude for your hospitality. (bows and continues to bow as he leaves the Princess. Princess Urduja stands and goes to the back side of the stage.) Commentator - This defiance was shown again by Lapu-lapu, a Mactan chieftailJ. He was the first Filipino to conquer a Europea11 conqueror. PAGE 37 (A march is played as Lapu-lapu, proud and defiant, enters the stage. A slave enters running bearing a rolled piec.r of paper; bows to Lapu-lapu and hands him the paper) SLAVE - Datu Lapu-lapu, Magellan sends you this message. (Lapu-lapu siezes the paper, unrolls it and throwing' it on the ground, pieces' it with his kampila11. Then angrily, he dismisses the slave, who bows as he exits.) (The march is played again as Lapu-lapu goes to join princess Urduja.) · Commentator - No sooner had Spain set upon the Philippines than began a series of abuses. The Filipinos were forced to work without pay. High tribute was imposed on them. Their lands were taken away from them. Fired by a spirit of free. dom, Diego Silang led the revolt in the !locos. (A march is played; Diego Silang with his men enter the stage.) DIEGO SILANG - My countrymen! For two hundred years now, the Spaniards have been our masters in our country. This is the time to show them that we can rule ourselves. We cannot continue as slaves forever. Let us be our masters. Expel all the Spaniards from the Ilocos. REVOLUTIONISTS - Down with the Spaniards! (As they brandish their bolos.) (The march is played; Diego Silang goes to join Princess Urduja and Lapu-Iapu; the revolutionists leave the stage.) Commentator - This and subsequent revolts led the Filipinos to ask for reforms. A high winter in Spain found one of our Filipino reformers in the street gathering cigarette stubs to appease the pangs of hunger and cold.) (A piece of music quite sad in tune is played as Marcelo H. del-;Pilar enters, pulling his coat close to him, pretends to pick up ciga_rette stubs and smokes them.) MARCELO H. DEL PILAR-{in a sad voice) At least Bulacan is warm and there is no lack of food but (making voice louder and raising his right arm in defiance) the fight must go on! I must continue to write in the La Solidaridad and make known to Spain the reforms my country needs. I know, someday, the victory will b~ ours. (Exits to join the others on the stage as piece is played.) Commentator - Of the Filipino reformers, the most noted and the best beloved by the Filipinos and the one that time has proved to be by far wisest was Dr. Jose Rizal. In his "Noli" and "Fili" he urges Spain to reform her government in the Philippines and points out, that unless, this is done, the Filipinos may some day rise against her. Of course, the Spaniards did not like this so they PAGE 38 imprisoned him in Fo~t Santiago. The night before December 30, we find him sitting in the cell writing his "Last Farewell." (Chorus sings "Maria Clara's Lullaby" as Rizal enters the stage, sits at his table, takes his' pen and paper and pretends to write. Once in a while, he stops to read softly what ·he has written or thinks of what he will write next. Then picking up his paper, he read the first and last stanzas of "My Last Farewell" in Spanish.) DR. JOSE RIZAL - Mi Ultimo Adios ........ . (After reading, he folds the paper, puts out his lamp and hides the paper in it.) Commentator - The morning of December 30, 1896, was rather cloudy. Dr. Rizal, with measured steps was. led to Bagumbayan to be executed . (Chorus sings: "Bagumbayan" as a priest and two Spanish civil guards enter; goes to Rizal; soldiers bind his hands at the back; lead him from the cell; priest walks besides Rizal. At a distance, a drum beats time and then beats rapidly as the civil guards aim to fire. At the words: "Fire", civil guards pretend to fire ; Rizal kneels and drops on the stage with his face up.) Commentator - Thus a~otber son fell in the night. ~buse continued to be committed. Reforms were not heeded. Finally when the Filipinos could no longer bear the oppression and' upon the discovery of the Katipunan, Bonifacio and his men gathered on the hills of Balintawak on August 26, 189.6, to declare war aga}nst Spain. (Chorus sings: " ......... " as Bonifacio bearing his flag, and his Kat,ipuneros enter the stage.) BONIFACIO - (Taking out and showing to hjs men a piece of paper) Look, this is the symbol of our vassalage to Spain. I will tear this into a thousand pieces. Tear your cedulas also. (Katipuneros take out pieces of paper, tear them and throw them away.) Let us put an end to their tyranny. Remember Bagumbayan ! Down with Spain ! Long live the Philippine Republic! (as he· raises his flag and holds high his bolo.) KATIPUNEROS - (drawing their bolos) Down with Spain! (holding bolos with points up.) .. BONIFACIO .....:.. Advance! (Runs holding high his flag and his bolo at the sound of firing; Katipuneros follow. Bonifacio joins the other heroes on the stage.) (Soft music is played as Katipuneros enter again, one or two limping; one with his' hand on his head. All of them softly sighing.) Commentator - In the hills of Balintawak, there was a patriotic woman named Melchora Aquino, popularly known in the community as Tandang Sora. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR She was poor and unlettered but full of love of her countrymen. She attended to the needs of the Katipuneros by providing them with food and other necessities. (Soft. music is. played again as Tandang Sor.a ent~rs with a basket. From it she puts out ·a piece of clean cloth and some leaves and binds the legs, head::; and arms of the Katipuneros; offers a drink to one or two of them. As music ends, Tandang Sora joins the other heroes while the Katipuneros one by one leave the stage.) Commentator - The revolution spread to many provinces. At this time the Americans came. George Dewey and Aguinaldo agreed to help one another against Spain. Somehow 'or other, a misunderstanding arose. The Filipinos fought the Americans. Aguinaldo was forced to flee to Palawan in the north to avoid surrendering. Without taking up any rest, they· went -up the dangerous lll_!)untain trails until they arrived at Tirad Pass. At Tirad Pass, he called a very young general to hold the pass against the Americans. (A march is played as General Gregorio del Pilar enters with his men.) GEN. DEL PILAR-Come,-my men! We will defend· Tirad Pass to the last man ! {Advances as firiijg begins; all die. Enter American officer and soldier, saluting) AMERICAN OFFICER - Mark the grave of this fel. low general. AMERICAN SOLDIER - (saluting) What shall I write, Sir? AMERICAN OFFICER - Put. these words: General Gregorio del Pilar, Killed at the battle of Tirad Pass,· December 2. 1899, Commanding Aguinaldo's Rear Guard, An Officer and a Gentleman. AMERICAN SOLDIER - Yes~ Sir. (Salutes and "leaves.) Commentator - Thus another valiant son died with but one hope - to see the Philippines happy and free. When the Americans came, they found the yearning for freedom as strong as ever. They restored them for self-government. However, the fight for liberty was carried on. Independence missions were sent to the United States. A nevertiring, vigilant leader, distinguished orator and statesman was the late President Quezon. What stands out as a landmark to all ~his ceaseless efforts was the Tydings-McDuffie Act which paved the way for Philippine Independence. (Chorus sings: "Bathala, Bless Our President" as Quezon enters carrying some papers.) NOVBMBER,. 1957 PRESIDENT QUEZON - (taking out a paper and reads a portion of the Tydings-McDuffie Law which deals on the granting of our independence.) (Chorus sings: "Bathala Bless Our President" again a~ Quezon joins the rest of the heroes at the back of tbe stage.) Commentator-And then came World War II. Once more the Ph.ilippines was plunged into war but with a more ruthless enemy. Plunderings, killings, stealing and spying were rampant. The Filipinos were forced to side with the Japanese or else face death. True to the ideals of a patriotic, freedom-loving people, the memory of one man stands eut at this time. Rather than give up to the Japanese important papers about our govern. ment which were entrusted in his care, he pre, ferred death. He was no other than the late Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos. (A march is played as Jose Abad Santos, his son, Pepito and three Japanese soldiers enter; shouting once in a while; the soldiers push the old man crying "Kura-kura ! Surong ! Rakad" to show harshness ; Pepito continues to cry. At one side of the stage, they stop.) J. ABAD SANTOS - Do not cry, Pepito. Show them that yqu are brave. PEPITO '-- (still crying) Y- - es, Father b-but you are leaving us. J. ABAD SANTQS .- My son, I know how you feel. But look at me, Pepito. This is a rare opportunity to die for one's country. This is my chance . (Father and, son kneel together, pray and then embrace each other; 2 Japanese soldiers take away Jose Abad Santos while 2 others almost drag Pepito to the opposite side of the stage.) PEPITO (trying to loose himself as the soldiers hold him tightly) F-Father ! Father! (Shots are heard off-stage. Commentator - At last MacArthur returned and liberated us from our enemy. Peace "'as restored. True to her promise, America granted us our independence. A new Republic was born on this side of the globe. The Philippines is now a member of ~he family of free-loving natioN.s. Believing that the strength of a nation depends upon the masses, measures have been done to improve their conditions. Lawless elements were encouraged to become useful citizens again. Lands were distributed, more schools were opened~ roads were improved and artesian wells put up even in the remotest barrios. Finally, for the first time, in the history of Malacaiiang Palace, its doors were opened to the people and at its entrance, was President Magsaysay, the "Great Guy" and "Lover of the Poor." PAGE 39 ("Mabuhay'' is played as President Magsaysay enters the stage; stands half-facing the audience and extends.his arms in an act of welcoming.) PRESIDENT MAGSAYSAY - (after piece is played) Come, my people! The palace is yoqrs. If you can not come to the palace, just send ine a letje~. I will see what I can do for you. (Mabuhay is played again as he joins the rest of the heroes and curtain is cl,osed.1 Rizal and Del Pilai" stand up to join the others. Abad Santos also comes in again to be with them. When 'all are in a line, curtain opens once showing all the heroes in the tableau.) Commentator - This, my friends, i~ a short presentation of the legacy handed to us by our hero~s. They have lighted the torch of free'dom for us. Let us keep that torch burning forever! Chorus sings: "We Love Our Heroes:" At end of song, all heroes bow and curtain closes. REFERENCES: 1. Agorilla, Amado L. Stories Of .Our Country. Manlapaz Publishing Co., Manila 1951. 2. Beyer, Otley H. 3. Fernandez, Leandro H. A Brief History Of The Philippines. Ginn and Co., Boston 1947. 4. Zaide, GregQrio. The Philippines (NOTE: This table.au was presented by the Laboratory Elementary Department of National ['eachers College at its Literary-Musical Program in connecnection .with its 29th Foundation Day, September 28, 1957 under the supervision of the Program ·Committee of the Elementary Student-Teachers' Organization, of which the writer is an adviser.) ' ' The Candidate and the Ele~torate Social Studies Objectives 1. To appreciate the beauty and importance of election in a democracy. 2. To develop dght attitudes towards the exerci~e of one's right of suffrage. ::\. To acquire standards of values as a candidate as well as a voter. 4. To gain a broader knowledge of the rules and regulations affecting election. 5. To understand the reasons for the prohibitions stated in the election code on the use of firearms, selling of liquors, etc. 6. 'J;o know the different kinds of elections held in the country. 7. To subscribe to the idea of intelligent voting notwithstanding blood relationships. 8. To help dessiminate wise election ideals to the people. 9. To be able to vote wisely in an election. 10. To justify the big sums of money utilized to finance every election by our government. · 11. To be aware of the platforms presented by each political faction. PAGE 40 ·By Anae0,reta. Ambas Chua Content: 1. Why is election important in a democracy? 2. Why is it considered a beautiful practice among democratic entities? 3. What is meant by election,. suffrage? 4. Whiit should we consider as a voter? 5. What are the faulty practices among -0ur people in choosing their candidat~s? 6. What are the rules promulgated for the .hold~ ing of elections? 7. What does our constitution say about the qualifications of a candidate and those of a· voter? 8. What does the General Instruc,tions related. to election say ? 9. Wnat precautions are taken by . our. 'govern:m,ent in order to insure a peaceful and clean el~ctions? 10. What are the different kinds of electicms in our country ? 11. How are they classified? 12. How do yo9 judge an intelligent voter? 13." What. should be our election ideals? 14. How much does the government._ spend for the holding of elections ? THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR 15. What are the items of expenditures? 16. What are the platforms of our political parties at present? 17. Who ate responsible for the services to' the people on election time ? 18. How can you help hold a peaceful election? Suggested Activities: Research Work On: 1. Meaning of political parties, elections, and suffrage. 2. B~ginni.ngs of political parties in the Philippines. 3. Kinds of elections: 4. Methods of voting and counting of votes. 5. The commission on elections. 6. The qualifications of both the candidate and the electorate. Oral Activifl.es: 1. Conducting and taking part .in an election rally or meeting. . 2. Reporting on the present set-up_ of our :r;>olitical parties. 3. Giving nomination talks, explaining candidates platforms, . etc. 4. Interviewing politicians and studying their platforms. Projeet: 1. Holding an election following a make-believe real election. 2. Engaging in an all out campaign for intelligent voting. Field Trips: 1. Vis~t to the headquarters of each political party ahd make inquiries. 2. Visit :the polling places in the community, the booths and precincts. Language Arts Objectives: 1. To interpret literature read in the light of one's past and present experiences and one's observation· of day to day happenings. 2. To acquire the necessary vocabuiary needed for an intelligent voter or candidate. 3. To be able to make an outline. 4; To organize ideas and happenings in a com:. position. 5. To be able to talk spontaneously on a subject matter. 6. To reap and interpret graphs and charts. 7. To avail oneseif of the library facilities as a help m solving problems. NOVEMBER 1957 8. To organize sentences clearly and understandably. 9. To provide further experiences in group work. Content and Activities: Readi~g Activities: Read from; Primer of .the Philippine Constitution by Singco 1. The meaning of suffrage 2. Q.ualificatfons of voters 3. Woman suffrage 4. Importance of suffrage 5. The duty of Voters· 6. Th~ right of Voters 7 j The Commission on Elections Read from: Government of Our Republic by Zaide. 1. Meaning of Political Parties 2 .. Importance of Political Parties 3. Majority and Minority Parties 4: Beginnings of our. Political Parties . 5. _Our Present Poµtical Parties. Read from : News· and :Magazines: · i. Speeches ~f candidates 2". Electorates' comments 3. Governnient's preparation for the coming election Read from : Revised .. Election Code and . General Instructions: 1. Method of registering, voting and canvassing 2~ Works of the Board of Election Inspectors 3. Prohibitions during registration and electibn days. Writfen Work 1. Writing reports on facts gathered 2. Filling in election forms 3. Writing speeches 4'. Writing announcements, notices and pro paganda 5. Writing letters about 6. Writing outlines Vocabulary ·Development: Political party' campaign poll clerk split independent precincts ballot boxes oath election majo_rity opponents affidavit prohibit marked ballot statement of result electorate minority I PAGE 41 election returns candidate literature chairman ballot term polling place watcher thumbmark cancel elector rivalry resident limitation booth electoral voter. inspectors guard rails canvassers protests Speech Improvement Exercises: 1. Nursery rhymes as: a. The Elephant and the Bee b. Thrt?e Little Frogs c. An Old Woman Who Swallowed the Fly or others 2. For Stream of Speech Development: a. short original speeches b. other fitting literature 3. Correct pronunciation of Words with a Schwa References: A Primer of the Philippine Constitution by Singco Got•ernment of our Republic by Zaide Rei•ised Election Code General Instructions for this Election Constitution of the Philippines Newspapers and lvI agazines Candidates Propaganda , Election Literature f1·om. the Commission on Elections Moral Standards for Boys and Girls Major Problem - How can we help bur boys and girls maintain the prin~iples of right and wrong pertaining to their character, conduct, intentions 'or social relations? I. General Objectives: 1. To know that a good Filipino should try to gain ~ncl keep perfect health. 2. To konw that a good Filipino should have selfcontrol and should be self reliant. 3. To know that a good Filipino is reliable and knows how to play fair. . 4. To know that a good Filipino does his duty in the right way. 5. To know that a good Filipino is cooperative, kind and loyal. II. Specific Objectives: 1. How to keep their clothes, body and mind clean. 2. How to control their tongue not to speak mean, vulgar and profane words. 3. How to be self-reliant by learning to think, choose and act for oneself. 4. How to be reliable by being honest in his word and his act. ''' l\Iiss Teonila Ag-uilar i,.; a teacher of Grade III, Bonifacio Elementary Sl'hool, Manila. PAGE 42 By Teonila Aguilar* 5. How to be a good loser and generous winner. 6. How to do his duty well, so as not to burden other people. 7. How to do the right thing in the right way. 8. How to work together for the good of one people and country. 9. How to treat others kindly regardless of color, religion or social standing. 10. How to be loyal to one's family, school, city, town, province, country and humanity. III. Content Outline; A. ·what moral is: 1. Conforming to a standard of .vhat is good or right. 2. Establishing principles of right and wrong in behavior. , 3. Pertaining to character, conduct, intentions or social relations. B. Moral standards for boys and girls 1. The law of health: I I will be healthy in body and mind. 2. The law of self-control: I will be self-controlled in tongue, temper and · thoughts. 3. 'fhe law of self-reliance: I will be self-reliant, thinking and choosing for myself. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR 4. The law of reliability: I will be reliable, honest, iH' word and" deed. 5. The law of clean play: I will play fair, playing for the success of my team and the fun of the game. 6. The law of duty: · I will do my duty, easy or hard. 7. The law of good workmanship: I will be a good workman, doing the right thing ip the. right way. 8. The law of teamwork: I will observe the law ·of teamwork co-operating heartily with others. 9. The law of kindness: I will be kind in thought, speech and act. 10. The law of loyalty: I will be loyal to my family, school, town, ~ity, province, country and humanity. C. Characteristics of a morally µpright boy or girl 1. Well-groomed a. Clean clothes b. Well-combed hair c. Clean ears d. Well-brushed shoes 2. Speech a. Soft-spoken e. Clean teeth f. ·Nails trimmed g. Carries clean handkerchief h. Legs and feet clean b. Does not.speak vulgar or profane language c. Does not gossip 3. Actions a. Honest g. Industrious b. Truthful h. Cheerful c. Helpful i. Reverent d. Polite j .. Reliable . e. Kind k. Thoughtful f. Obedient I. Generous IV. Suggested Activities A. Initiating, Stage m. Loyal n. Patriotic o. Thrifty p. Res'pectf ul q. -Responsible 1. Conversatfon on how one can keep clean in body, in· action and in mind. 2. Reading short paragraphs on "The Right Things To Do." 3. Relatipg personal experienees on how one .can be kind, honest, industrious, thrifty, etc. B. Structu~ing the Room : 1. Displaying picture of children in their everyday chores. 2. Reading slogans : a. An honest centavo is better than a stolen peso. b. Politeness is to do and say - The kindest thing in the kindest way. c: A stitch in time saves nine, etc. C. Probable Questions: 1. What is the meanfog of moral? 2. How 'can we be clean in body and mind?' NOVEMBER, 1957 3. Why do some children speak bad words? 4. How can we avoid quarreling with ot-her children? I 5. What kind of children does God like? 6. How can we make ourselves be loved by God and other people? 7. What good things should children do? &: What are the different habits that children form? 9. Are there ba!i.l children? 10. Why do these children become bad? etc. D .. Gathering Materials and Information: 1. Children may invite some resource persons in the persons of the principal, assjstant princii}al, or guidance counse_llor to talk to them on the p,roper behavior, children should follow at home, in school, and in the community. The pupils may be free to ask questions from the resource person. E. J;>iscussions : 1. What is a good child? 2. How can a child become good? 3. Why do children need -lSecome good? 4. What kind of' children will they be? F. Self-Expressional Activities: 1. :Reporting - a leader or any member of the group will report on the problems worked by them. 2. Creative Activities: a. Pupils may dra\v - a clean boy or girl, or whatever virtue they would like to present with proper captions. b. Cutting letters for their slogans. c. Making posters. · d. Collecting pictures. e. Making an album of the ten laws. f. Cr_eating short poems or rhymes. 3. Writing activities: _a. Writing proverbs b. Writing a three-sentence storyHow Can I Keep dean _How Can I Be Honest, etc. . G. I:'resentation of Group Work Under Group Leaders. Children comment on the quality of work done by giving constructive criticisms. H. Culminating Activities: a. Recitation of the ten laws or morals. b. Unit test - to determine each child's knowledge gained in the study of the unit. I. Evaluation: A. Self-evaluation 1. Do I know the real meaning of moral? 2. Do I understand the ten laws to become a wellbeha ved child? PAGE 43 3. Do I know what benefits I will get by being well-behaved? 4. Do I know that if I obey the "Law of Loyalty" I am obeying all the other nine laws of the good Filipino? B. Evaluate what is presented and what activities or results will be displayed. V. Anticipated Outcomes: A. Attitudes and Appreciations: 1. To be physically fit for daily work. 2. To be able to control oneself. 3. To be self-reliant. 4. To be reliable. 5. To be able to play fair. 6. To be able to do the right thing in the right way. 7. To be able to do one's duty faithfully and efficiently. 8. To be able to cooperate wholeheartedly with the leader as well as with all members of the group. 9. To be able to be kind in every way. 10. To be loyal to on_~'s famHy, school, city and country. B. Knowledge and Information: 1. What moral is. 2. What are the moral standards to follow to become a good Filipino citizen. 3. What things to do to become an upright boy or girl. C. Abilities, Skills and Habits: 1. Efficient use of banks, magazim::!s or other reference materials. 2. Ability to listen attentively while another is reciting. 3. AbiHty to raise and solve problems. 4. Ability to speak in clear cut sentences. 5. Skill in locating reference materials. 6. Skill in organizing materials gathered. 7. Habits of working with the least possible noise. 8. Habits of neatness in all types of work. 9. Habits of staying with a problem until solved. 10. Habits of using materials sparingly. 11. Habits· of courtesy and cooperation while working with oVlers. 12. Habits of thoughtfulness for all members of the group. VI. Bibliography: 1. Code of Morals for Boys and Girls 2. Ten Commandments of God 3. Mabini's Decalogue 4. Quezon's Code of Ethics 5. Cartilla of the Katipunan 6. Bill of Responsibilities 7. Intensifying Character Education PAGE 44 S. To t_he Filipino Youth-Rizai 9. Books - a. Our Great Men - Stories of Quezon, Osmefia,1 etc. b. The Flags and Other Stories - Stories of Rizal, Mabini, Baltazar. c. Stories of Great Filipinos. TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR CHILDREN 1. Love your scJtoolmates; they will be your companions for life and work. 2. Love instruction, the food of the spirit. Be thankful to your teacher as to your parents. 3. Consecrate- everyday by one good useful deed and kindness. . 4. Honor all honest people; esteem men but humble yourself before no man. ' 5. Suppress all hatred and beware of insulting your neighbors; be not revengeful but p_rotect your own rights and those of others. Love justice and bear pain and misfortune courageously. 6. Observe carefully and reflect well in order to get at truth. Deceived not yourself of -others and beware of lying, for lies destroy the heart, the soul, and the character. Suppress passions and radiate love and peace. 7. Consider that animals also have a right to sym. pathy, and do not harm them or tease. 8. Think that all good is the result of work; he who enjoys without working is stealing bread from the mouth of the worker. 9. Call no man a patriot who hates or has_ contempt for other nations, or who wishes and approves wars. War is the remains of barbarism. 10. Love your country and your native but be co-workers in the high task that shall make men live togethE!r like brothers in peace and happiness. BILL OF RESPONSIBILITIES To God, my country, my parents and myself 1. Grow in character and ability as I grow in size. 2. Be honest with myself and others in what I say or do. 3. Lear~ and practice my religion. 4. Honor my parents, my elders and my" teachers. 5. Develop high moral principles and courage to live by them. 6. Strive for health in body, mind and spirit. 7. Respect the rights of others. 8. Set a good example so that others may enjoy and profit by my company. 9. Give honest effort to my work. 10. Regard my education as preparation for the future. 11. Obey our laws so that we may live more happily together. 12. Preserve and strengthen our Filipino way of life and government. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR Laboratory in Teaching Good Citizenship ALTHOUGH. some pe~ple believe that Physical Education is a minor subject, yet this writer does not. It does not mean that Physical Edm::ation .is a lesser subject just because the Bureau places it last in the order of curricular activities. In fact it is equally important as Language Arts, Arithmetic, Social Studies, Health and Science; etc. It has the same weight as other curricular subjects. If teaching is an art, one could be more artistic in teaching Physical Education. If it is true that the best method to make a child learn is By doing, then it is in Physical Education tl}at · a teacher could make a child learn faster and better; for all subject matters in this area require movement and action on the part of the mentor and the learner. There are some parents who request that their children be exempted from Physical Education. Sometimes they ask for the signature of physicians just to free their children from. participating in_ the activity. Yes, this could be done, but a wise teacher d.oes not send the child home during Physical Education period. He gives him light work, such as observing, picking up papers, sticks, etc. without thereby objecting to the doctor's note. The child concerned would not be contented of these monotonous easy jo~s. Outside of the school, some pupils may tease him with these remarks: "Assistant .Jani tot", "Weakling", and the like. Naturally the boy would not like this, so when he reaches home he tells his parents that he does not like to be excused anymore. He likes to join the class in singing and playing games because' he is only suffering from a slight wound on the hand or· feet. He wants to be as happy as the others. He wants to drive away his worries of the quizzes and tests. ' . - Article XIV, Section 5, of our Constitution states, "All schools shall aim to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, "and vocational efficiency, and to teach the duties of citizenship" .. Phy~ical Education caFries, to the fullest extent, this Constitutional Mandate, for it (P.E.) is a good area in teaching character education, civic conscience, dis- d cipline, good citizenship, democracy, leadership and followership, honesty, and other virtues. In other subjects the pupils recite, read, and write the lessons about the virtues, habits, attitudes, and activities of great men and women; but in Physical Education they NOVEMBER, 1957 By Pedro T. Magadia do not only hear and recite, but they act out these different virtues. ' Examples: 1. -To develop the proper attitude toward victory and def eat. Here the teacher canfteach the pupils actually to be good (sports) losers and generous winners in real action - in real games, in specialized athletics, etc. The losers cheer the winners and the wirt-' ners accept the honor with humility. 2. To develop the habit of following rules and regulations. In Softball there are limitations to be observed by the players, such as: the pitcher must have an underhand pitch; the catcher must stay in the catcher's area to catch the pitched ball; the catcher and the first baseman must use mitts ; the players must catch the balls only with the hands and gloves; the base runner is automatically out when he is struck by a batted ball; and other rules and regulations. From these limitations in games, the children are actually taught how to respect and honor the management and the administration. With these ideas already developed in their minds, the children would naturally have the habit of observing and obeying the rules of the school and the laws of the government. 3. To develop fair play and sportsmanship. Physical Education emphasizes these two outstanding attitudes to our boys and girls. The pupils are taught and trained that it is not the winning of the game that counts, but it is how the players play the game. This is indeed very much needed in our . daily life. In life outside the school, it is not how much money one earns, but it is how one earns the money. In the children's game, if the teacher noti<'.es that triCks are being employed by one team to defeat the opponent,-he punishes the guilty and rewards the offended. The children will surely form the right attitude and carry it over to the adult life. 4. To develop courage, cooperation, sound judgement, and responsibility. Without bad tricks success can be attained by a team through proper cooperation and coordination. In pyramid building, the group can be successful and build up .a strong human pyramid only through courage and cooperation. Each member of the team, in pyramid building, is given PAGE 45 responsib)lity in order that the pyramid will stand good. In Baseball, each member of the team is given assignment. Say, a Short Stop is responsible for all balls passing within his area. In cas_e this Short Stop gets the ball, he uses l;lis judgement - to what base. he will throw the ball. In a family situation, . the head gives differentiated assignments to the members so that when each has done his or her job, the general aim is accomplished. In an office or department, the chief gives his clerks different pieces of work to do. When everybody cooperates, the big task would be accomplished easily. 5. To develop desirable soeial attitudes through constant inter-relationship of the individual and the group. In group games, the children play under the supervision of the teacher. The sons and daughters of the farmers, la~wrers, employees, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and others join hands and sing and .play· the games. They chase, run, and jump without the feelin~ of superiority and inferiority. Everyone becomes courteous and polite to each other because of ,this interrelationship. They will take with them these desi_rable social attitudes when they go out of the school - in programs, parties, dances, and other gatherings and functions. 6. To develop leadership and followership. Everyone in the class is given an opportunity to take charge of the company. In Marching and in Gymnastics, a child is given a chance to lead or command, while the others follow .. The pupils learn that in order to be a good leader, they should, f~rst, learn to follow. The leader is also trained not to abuse his or her power. Many great and famous men rose to thefr high positions, first, by following ancl obeying, and then by leading. 7. To acquire training in discipline, orderliness, and group unity. This kind of discipline is from within. This, we term, "self ... discipline". The class follows the teacher or the -leader not because of fear. In ."Jine or column formation, after the -leader commands, "Fall in", the members go to their respective places and. see that the lines are straight and orderly. If the spirit of competition is injected, everybody in each group will do the best in order to win. In this case nobody is afraid of anybqdy. A group is strong when it is united. ' ' 8. To provide wholesome recreation. Indoor and outdoor activities are full of wholesome recreations · and relaxations. Outdoor activities, such as hiking, excursions, and picnics make us enjoy our leisure time. They develop us physically and mentally. Indoor activities,, such as .. parlor games, collecting stamps, marbles, toys, etc., hobbies, reading decent comics, drawing, and painting develop in a child the attitude and-habit of living a decent life. This item (wholesome recreation) of Physical Education is very ·important nowadays. Many of our youths are morally set back. There 'are frequent drinkings, bawdy shows, indecent pictur~s, burlesques, and hold ups of our teen age gangs. Our· young -boys, instead of having wholesome recreations and relaxations, gang and com.mit -themselves to vices, dancing in night clubs, and robberies. However, the government, the Lions, the Rotarians, the Knights of Columbus and other civic i.agencies proyide parks, -playgrounds, educational shows, and swimming pools for our boys and girls. These wil.1 minimize, 'if not entirely eradicate, jJvenile delinquency and vagrancy. . There are many other objectives and good .examples, but the afforementioned are well .enough to make one conscious that Physical Education is a good laboratory in teaching Character Education and Good Citizenship. tlassroom Decoration WHILE much has bee.D said and done for and in i:he name of schoolroom decoration, yet teachers often forget, if not ignore entirely, some .of the most· important princip!es of art and science that go info keeping rooms that are neat, presentable, and pleasing environment which is conducive to efficient learning. It is a generally-known edu~ational fact that the teacher's artistic taste, nay her personality itself, is individually expressed in the appearance of the PAGE 46 By Felipe S. Mojarts class.room in which she works, for it is well within the power of the teacher. to determine to a considerable . , de~ree what the schoolroom environment shall be. And it is often an unfortunate thing that the appearance of a classroQm is spoiled through the unrestrained enthusiasm of some teachers whose aesthetic feeling exceeds their artistic taste. You cannot be too careful in arranging your classroom. Remember,· you have the prospect of sta¥ing THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR /. in that room during the best part of your waking hours, for the ten months of the school year. You have to appear your best in it, your most efficient, your most pleasant. It is the background of your professional life. While you are in it, you are always under the very critical observation of your pupils, your superiors, and your casual visitors. What is Art in the Classroom? Art in the schoolroom is not only drawing and painting alone, nor decoration; it goes beyond that. It is good taste in all the various activities in the classroom: how children behave, keeping school equipment, classroom arrangement, wall decorations, display of audio-visual aids, plants and flower arrangement, etc. The .choice and arrangement of things found in the room play a major role as silent educative influences for the full development of a growing child's aesthetic sense and personality. A well-arranged environment leaves a lasting impression and influence that keep the children aware of the constant application of principles of art. A teacher must therefore possess a functional knowledge of the fundamental principles of balance, proportion, emphasis, harmony, and rhythm if she does not wish to commit some of the unpardonable sins against art and science of comfortable living. To say that art is costly, or that to be artistic is a gift of the gods, is a misnomer and a misstatement; for, any teacher can teach and live in the classroom like Shakespeare's hero who found "sermons in stones, books in running brooks, and good in everything." Or, starting in the fashion of 'Columbus-breaking-theend-of-an-egg-to-make-i t-stand' stu;nt, perhaps what most teachers need is a refresher and a reorientation of the· knowledge and application of art principles in the classroom which has been occupied by the teacher for several years. Giving the principles a flexible interpretation, together with enough common sense and careful treatment, will result in discriminating the desirable from the undesirable. A standard of good taste is built upon a solid foundation of art principles which are based on experience. Why Re-emphasize? In this so-called atomic age through which we are passing, characterized by the lustre of the television and the glamor of the three-dimensional cinemascope, classroom teachers are somewhat or unknowingly pitted against stiff competition from commercial artistic productions and billboards or publicity men doing their technicolor job of advertising products on canvas, stage and screen. There is so much noise and color in the outside-the-classroom world; so much so that school children would sometimes absent themselves from classes to see the movies or the side-show somewhere else. NOVEMBER, 1957 In other words, there is a need fo1· a 'new look' and a new order in our classroom decoration! It is not only to modernize or keep attune our classrooms to the times, but also to bridge the gap and avoid the lag between cont~mporary culture and educational practice in the classroom. There is more than passing significance to the truism that we cannot educate the child in a social vacuum. To achieve a wellrounded development of the child's personality, the schoolroom should be a replica of the best in the world outside it. At best a good classroom situation is the miniature of the ideal family, community, and national life normally going on in the world around it. Thus, with the introduction of these attractions of both eye and ear concomitant with the twentiethcentury civilization, the schoolroom teacher is met with a new challenge for this re-emphasis. But the utilization of visual devices to accelerate instruction must be done with grea~est care and judgment. This would scare away the temptation of turning a classroom literally into a carnival poster or a Christmas tree complete with Yuletide trimmings. A well-arranged environment should leave indelible marks of psychological and spiritual rejuvenation in the child's life. It is, many times better to leave a classroom bare than to fill it with objects that are ugly and in poor taste, thereby creating an atmosphere that is not conducive to economical learning. In other words, a classroom must be a place of, order and beauty. Order, they say, is heaven's first law; and your classroom sh•uld be your bit of heaven upon this earth. Some Practical Suggestions In planning to revise her classroom arrangement effectively in the light of principles of art, the teacher should consider the following suggestions: A. Gene·rnl classroom appearance. A classroom appears impressive when its interior painting is calm, soothing and conducive to work activities. Dark rooms may be improved by: Painting the ceiling and walls white; using frosted glass instead of shell window panels; and by improving the light. Keep a consistent scheme of decoration and hold the pupils l"esponsible for their share in beautifying and preserving the beauty of the room. Do not put up many things. Unify related objects by grouping. Have a place for everything and keep everything in its proper place when not in use. Remember that overdecoration always results in ugliness; therefore exercise that same restraint, good sense, and good taste that you use on other days in decorating the classroom for holidays and special occasions. To improve an overdecorated room, list down the articles according to importance and gradually eliminate to the minimum those that are not needed. There is nothing more confusing nor more disturbing to the senses than a cluttered room. PAGE 47 B. Decoratvie Accessories: Flowm·s and Plant.s. No teacher feels that the decoration of her room is complete without flowers on her table. This is all very well, but very few teachers seem to know how to arrange their flowers or how to arrange them in their containers. There should be complete harmony between the flowers and their container. The two elements should present a unified composition. Here again, to avoid expense and trouble; only hardly flowers which last at least two or three days should be chosen. There is nothing more disconsolate-looking than a dead flower. In flower arrangement, the size and color of the room, the furnishings, the flowers and the vase must be taken into consideration. Ornamental or decorative vases are not suitable for flower containers because they would look more attractive than the flowers they hold. Instead of expensive flower vases, use simple, well-proportioned ones made from local materials, like bamboo segment, coconut· shell, or a locally-made pottery.In ·arranging flowers, place the most conspicuous ones at the center of the bouquet; then balance it by placing smaller flowers that are less striking farther away from the center-always stressing the natural growth of the flowers and giving an impression of rhythm· and balance. The use of artificial flowers should be discouraged, if not used with care and attention for a time or season. Plants are also very decorative. There is an everpresent danger of placing emphasis on quantity at the expense of quality. A classroom should not be a plant hospital; only robust and beautiful plants in appropriate containers must be strategically placed in the room. As soon as a plant shows signs of losing its robustness, it should be discarded and replaced. Potted plants or some weeds and grasses with beautiful lines and colors may be used in the absence of natural flowers. C. Bulletin and Di~play Bom·ds. The. appearance of the bulletin boards of any school building speak loudly of the order and the quality of the work that is done in that building. Bulletin boards may be classified as belonging to the principal, to the building, or to the classroom. They may be of two kinds: the pin-up, as the home of miscellaneous collection of materials, and the poster bulletin board. The size of the bulletin board must be "in scale" or proportional to the size of the wall or room in which it is used. It must be located at such a height convenient for the users and in a well-lighted space. Its material may be such as to allow tacking or pinning materials on it easily; its color neutral, or its paint must be 'flat,' not glossy and must be framed. The principal's bulletin board may be hung in the office or in the adjacent hall. On it may be placed messages of interest to teachers; that is, notices of meetings,' general building instructions, and dates or, PAGE 48 programs of supervision. The board may be more attractive by the use of a beautiful picture. The building bulletin board should be hung low in the hall where the greatest number of children can see it. It should contain work done in the individual rooms. The work should be arranged by a teacher ·o~ a teacher and pupils. The classroom bulletin board comes in ~losest conta~t with the children and therefore has the greatest influence on their lives. lt should be made attractive. The arrangement of the · material is of utmost importance in helping children to appreciate good composition. For the classroom, the bulletin board is an indispensable ally to the blackboard. Important follow-up lessons are displayed for further discussion and development. Two types are common~ ly used: (a) The portable type is more preferable as it can be placed for display in front of the· classroom when needep, either on an easel or on the chalk ledge. Convenient sizes are 3' x 4¥2'; 31/2' x 51,4,', or 4' x 6', or any smaller sizes. The (b) other type is the atfached-on-the-wall type. Proportional sizes may be constructed out of plywood, heavy cardboard,· box board, ~nee .ceiling bmird, or any soft and light wallboard material that can take in thumb tacks. The surface of the board may be painted _dark green, blue~green or dark . blue matter color. lf the board is hard, a softer mat like felt, burlap, raffia cloth, buri mat, karagomay mat or tikug mat may be spread over it. A dark color should be selected ~f the material painted dark. A narrow framework of the same or harmonizing color should be used to add finish and dignity. In decorating a,ny bulletin board there should be a mariin between the frame of ·the board and the material used. No picture or paper should touch the frame. The material should be arranged as one unit. The principles of margin of a square and of vertical and horizontal oblongs should be strictly observed. D. P.ictm·es and Picture Collections. It has been said and rightiy so that a room hung with pktures is a room hung with thoughts. For classroom use, pictures should be considered with respect to their merits as works of art, their suitability for purposes of decoration, their content or story-telling value, and their appropriateness for certain rooms. A good picture with real artistic worth is· of more vaiue than any number of pictures without any educational merit. . . Classroom pictures should necessarily be framed and mounted on mats, the margins of which must• vary according to the size, shape, and position of the picture that may either be perpendicular or horizontal. They should be hung flat on the wall if placed at ~ye level. However, if the space requires hanging it nigher than eye level it should be slightly tilited to achieve a correct angle. This angle, placing and tilting of pictures should be checked evliry morning. Pictures must THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR be changed often to develop more interest, inspiration. and appreciation; otherwise children lose interest in them. Those of national heroes should be given more pref~rence on the front wall during weekly or scheduled celebrations, but should not remain as a perma- 1 nent decor of the room. If a ·single picture is to hang in a vertical wall i;pace, it should be a v~rtical picture; if chosen for a hprizontal space, it should be horizontal. Small pictures may be grouped on the wall to produce· this same effect too. Never hang a colored picture together with an uncolored one on a wall; always pair a colored picture with a colored one, and an uncolored on the &ame wall or in the same room. Collection of pictures are potentially one of the most useful instructional tools available to any teacher. Their value 1 is generally accepted by teachers the world over. With an abundance of pictures in magazines and other periodicals, this task should prove both educational and entertaining. Such collections, especially if grouped or arranged in sets by subjects,· are prm:tically versatile. They are ·effective for direct teaching in most subject matter fields. In structuring the room for unified teaching, pictures are placed on display or bulletin boards, on walls, and reading tables to introduce a subject and to arouse interest. Or, a: pupil reporting to his class may choose a few pictures to illustrate his report. For the teachers, pictures can be used to brighten up ,classrooms, encourage pupil participation, and enrich reading: Collections of pictures deserve to have a wider use in Philippine classrooms. If teachers are helped to see their values to tea~hing, such collections will most ~erlainly develop spontaneously. E. Posters and Other Teaching A.ids. What it is: A poster is a picture story with a s~it able short and simple message to convey the idea at a glance. It should be clear and forceful enough to attract and hold attention. Its title must be brief and visible, and directly related to the specific topic. Colors must be bold, vivid, and harmonized. · Its two types : Two distinct types of posters are the commercial and. the educational posters. The commercial ones are intended to attract attention to something- to be sold ; the latter are used . to convey facts, stimulate thoughts, reinforce character and citizenship, .and inspire moral and spiritual strength. A good poster has one dominant idea, namely, to tell its story at a glance. Their use: Since posters are instructional materials used for motivating or developing a lesson it , ' should be displayed. only when needed and should not be allowed to be used as a p'ermanent decoration of a room, or they become an eyesore rather than an educator's- aid. Perhaps an easel or ,a portable bulletin board placed in front of the clas~ may be used while presenting posters; tacking them · indiscriminNOVEMBER. 1957 ately to walls may destroy the walls and if allowed to stay longer than necessary, they become less vivid and monotonous displays. Other teaching aids: (1) Title cards, if too many are tacked on the - wall may confuse the children rather than infuse new learning matter. These are better flashed or presented at a time when the correlated lesson is developed. (2) Mottoes, flash cards, and other visual aids should not stay 'as permanent decorations of a room; they become unappreciated then when unduly exposed out of prop~r seasons. (3) Calendars should not be displayed as prominent decorative feature of the room. If the picture is intended for artiRtic instruction it should be cut and framel:.l without the calendar, which should be displayed only when needed, if not inconspicuously. · ( 4) Busts of national heroes, like their pictures, shquld be placed in front of the class or a selected space on the occasion of developing lessons associated with their lives. Avoid the use of inappropriate materials, such as crepe paper in the construction of curtains, table covers, and other furnishings. Teaching aids should receive proper care to pre~erve them fo~ future use and the shelves should hold them, when not in use. If displayed, they must be arranged neatly and in good order; they should not be left anywhere in the room to gather dust or meet untimely destruction. F. The Bla.ckboard, Desks, o.nd Other Furniture. (1) The blackboard is· the teacher's no. 1 ally in teaching; although his "let-the-chalk-talk" type of teaching often resulted in numerous petty educational crimes of careless seatwork or hoardwork. Since blackboards are us'ed daily, they do not require any form of permanent decoration. They rriust receive. constant care, re-slating them if worn-out or old, and daily cleaning them after class hours. Their beauty, usability, and durability must be pres~rved by allowing no materials to be tacked or paste'd on them nor glaring light permitted to shine on them and limit their use. (2) Deslcs should always be clean and orderly. Those of the same size should be put together in a _ group or row and the height of children to comfortably occupy them mm'lt be adjusted to the desk types A, B, C, or D. . Oftentimes carvings and ink or pencil stains have defaced the desks and render them unfit or unhealthy for children's use. (3) The teacher's table and chair should be conveniently placed in the room from the standpoint of their professional functions in the classroom. The table should not becluttered with needless books or references, personal photogrnphs under the glass pad, or piles of test and seatwork papers. PAGE 49 ( 4) Children's tables and chairs are increasingly in vogue in many a classroom adopting the unified or integrative-activities technique. Whenever these are used, the standards of height, width and length observed in the PNC and other public normal schools may be follo\ved. While the Government is taking steps to replace Grade I and II desks in many rural schools, perhaps the organization of the homeroom PT A's may help solve the problem at the grassroots. G. The Four-Corner Approach to Classroom, Decorntion 01· New Curriculum Implementation. At this juncture, the writer desires to propose some kind of classroom implementation, by way of the arts, of the new educational program being tried on the national level this current school year. This is not an innovation entfrely; it is just a new look at an old thing. Simply stated, this approach makes use of the four corners of the room as a kind of showwindow to display what have been, or are being underta:k!en by teacher and chilcllr;en: namely, .. the Art Corner, the Curriculum Corner, the Science Corner, and the Health Corner. To particularize the functions of each, we may say these: (1) The ART CORNER. This is the room's beauty nook where objects of art gathered or made by pupils may be displayed to arouse and hold the children's interest in and appreciation for the beautiful, and to develop or awaken their artistic sense. Children's art work in spattering, finger-painting, paper sculpturing, etc. are exhibited here for comparison, emulation, and appreciation. Teacher's models of creative arts and crafts may, be displayed for pupils' imitation and inspiration. Like other corners suggested herein, this beauty corner should have a periodic check-up or refreshing look to eliminate monotony of appeal and insure functional utilization of resources therein found. This may also serve as a construction corner containing tools and materials, as modeling cla?, sciRsors, sheets of colored or construction paper, or an easel. (2) The SCIENCE CORNER hclds objects of curiosity and interest for scientific study of children in the room. One or two tables may he secured and used for experimenting and display; one of these may be utilized as a 'Nature' table, as is found in I many classrooms nowadays. Shelves underneath the table for storage of materials, supplies, and equipment mav be built with the help of the school industrial arts teacher. Some teachers have a little competition each week to see which pupils can bring in the item which they vote to display as the "Science Item of the Week." A good place for a science bulletin board made from soft wood or plash~r wood, if one is desired, is just above the tables whereon to display clippings, drawings, and other items pre!1ared in science classes. The Science Corner should be a place of activity and change. PAGE 50 (3) The CURRICULUM CORNER explains itself as a nook to contain audio-visual aids, teacherprepared teaching or other instructional devices, teacher and pupil references and others made ready for use at one's finger-tips. With c11rriculum making as the grassroots, teachers should feel ready, willing, and able to utilize this corner to the fullest. Teacher's professional magazines and other school publications needed for actual teaching may be displayed or filed here, if necessary. As with other corners, this one should contribute to the whole room's de:!orative scheme, rather than be apart from it. (4) The HEALTH CORNER should prove a cozy nook for demonstrative practices in personal hygiene and sanitation. Headwashing and drinking facilities are available here, along with health charts, posters, records, and other sanitary paraphernalia for classroom use. A portable plywood or cloth screen and' not a heavy aparador or permanent wall will afford the desired privacy, whenever possible, and will facilitate ·wide opening for the corner for any demonstration the teacher and class may have. To use this corner short of this two-fold purpose is to give it undue stress. To cap it all, this four-corner approa~h towar<l implementing the new educational program should give a square-deal treatment to the revised plan or blue-print at the classroom' level. Properly utilized and evalua~ed from the teacher's and children's viewpoint, the classroom should always prove the children's "a little home away from home" and the community's miniature laboratory for and in democratic living. At best, the artistic classroom can be a 'patch of heaven' in the children's world, with the teacher labeled by a child's trusting parent: "Thou be Jacob's god!" BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Lopez. E. R., "Guide in Schoolroom Decoration," Division Bulletin No. 8, s. 1957. Manila, April 15, 1957. 14 pp. 2. Mallari, I. V., "If You Wculd Have Flowers on Your Table", Primary Eclucatm·, October ,1937. pp. 330-332, 341. 3.' Trinidad. V., "Art in the Classroom", Bulletin No. 1, s. 1954 BPS, Manila, January 6, 1954. 9 pp. 4. Hammond, A. A. E. E., "Are Your Bulletin Board!i Attractively Arranged?" Pi·imary Ediu:ator, February 1940. pp. 616-647. 5. Mallari, I. V., "A New Deal for Your Classroom". P1·imary Educator, June 1941. pp. 4-6. '· 6. Cayco, F .. "Order in Your Classroom". Primary Educatoi·, June 1941. pp. 49-50. 7. Trinidad, V., "Audio-Visual Methods in Philippine Public Schools". BPS Bulletin No. 7, s. 1955. 17 pp. 8. BPS. "The Maintenance and Care of a Bulletii1 Board". Bulletin No. 37, s. 1952. '- • 9. Goldstein, H. & B., 1Art in Everyday Life, Macmillan, New York, 1940. 10. Winslow, L. L., Art in Elementary Ed11cation, McGraw-Hill, N.Y. 1942. 11. Hart, ,V. G., Learn to Ctnmnunica.te Better (pamphlet) Nat. Media Prod. Center, Manila. 1955. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR Teacher Training Progratn THE Central Luzon Agricultural College is the first · state institution in the Philippines to offer a four-year curriculum for training teachers of voca"tional agriculture. Unlike other state colleges which has been created by congressional passage, CLAC gained its collegiate status as a result of a reorganizatio!). of the gover~ment. About seven years ago, in answer to a pressing educational need for prof essionally trained teachers of agriculture, as found by a Presidential ,Committee on the Reorgal}ization of of the Government, the former Central Luzon Agricultttral School under the Bureau of Public Schools was elevated into an agricultural teacher-training college. CLAC, or Munoz school as it was popul_arly known, became a ,college as a result of Executive Order No. 393 of the President of the Philippines dated December 31, 1950. With this Executive Order, t:he institution has been authorized to offer not only the four-ye~ secondary agricultural courses, one-year. a four-year and a post-graduate course in agri.cultural education. This elevation into a college is doubly significant because at that time there was only one college of agric~lture in' a country primarily agricultural. The Executive Order, made CLAC the second agricultural college in the country, a milestope in the educational· system because years later CLAC was authorized to off er also agricultural engineering, home economics and other allied agricultural cpurses. ' · The conversion of CLAS has been hailed as de• served and logical. CLAS, which. was established as a farm school in 1907 by Executive Order of the Governo·r General, was developed by 14 American and three Filipino superintendents into 01e best o~ its kind in the Philippines and reputedly in the world. It has earned the reputation of being a finishing school for farmers. It has been considered the mother of agricultural schools in the Philippines after which other agricultural schools have been patterned it has served as a testing ground for new agricultural education practices. Indeed, the leadership of CLAS in agricultural education cannot be gainsaid. CLAS was the first to NOVEMBER, 1957 By Arcadio G. Matela offer farm mechanics course above the secondary level in 19311 to meet the growing demands for agricultural machine1·y br farm mechanics. In 1937, CLAS offered the first two-year special course for academic high school graduates who desire to become scientific farmers, in order to give an opportunity for academic graduates to reshape their lives by taking agriculture. Short special courses, sometimes in dialect, 'were opened as early as in 1945 to meet the needs of war veterans and other .adults being rehabilitated for useful agricultural livelihood. CLAS has also been the first to offer the six-week professional vacation classes for vocational agricultural. teachers in order to meet the in-&ervice training needs of administrators and teacli.ers in secondary and elementary agriculture who desires to grow p~ofessionally. On June 18, 1949, Republic Act No. 415 created teacher training departments in five schools, .including CLAS. Before the implementation of this law, CLAS was converted into a college. Such manifestations of leadership in agricultural education have marle it logical to elevate CLAS ,into collegiat~ status when the need became urgent ·to produce more professionally trained teachers of agriculture to spur agricultural progress. Although CLAS became a college on December 30, 1950, it was not until July 9, 1951 that the first year course i~ agricultural education was offered, with the release of appropriations for its initial operation. Since there was no existing agricultural education curriculum· in the Philippines, the one drafted by. the local committee was· approved by the CLAC Board of Trustees. 'In -framing the collegiate agricultural education curriculum the following factors were considered: (a) the principles of curriculum-making, (b) the basic concepts of curriculum design, an'1 (c) the needs of and conditions in the country. The CLAC curriculum . as finally' evolved considered these factors as well as a study of curricular offerings in agricultural education in 22 land grant colleges for whites in the United States. PAGE 51 In designing the agricultural education curriculum, the principles of curriculum-making have been taken into consideration. The first consideration is the meaning of curriculum which refer to "all the experiences by which the sc~ool seeks to achieve educational goals." It is a systematic group of courses or sequence of subjects required for graduation on certification in a major field of study; it is a body of prescribed educative experiences under school supervision, designed to provide an individual with the best possible training and experience to qualify him for a trade or profession. A curriculum, in order to be professional curriculum, is "a program of courses, sometimes extending over four or five years but often including one or two, designed to prepare specifically for the responsibilities of a particular profession." Second, the basic concepts of curriculum design have been taken into account, namely: (a) the optimum development of students; (b) social competence or mastery of certain fields of subject matter which contribute to social competence and good adjustment; (c) pacing, or flexibility and variety in content and activities; and (d) continuity, or growth of ideas and the relationship between what happens today and that which is planned in the future. Before the original curriculum was drafted, the needs of the country were studied. A count was made of the schools of the elementary level and high school level offering agricultural subjects as well as the number of teachers needed to teach the subject. A prelimmary sm:vey was made to determine the percentage of teachers educationally and professionally trained. Institutions offering agricultural education were asked as to in-service training and courses offered. 'l'his study of the country's need made it necessary to frame a two-year course as well as fouryear course to immediately meet the country's need tor teachers of elementary agriculture specially. The CLAC program of teacher training in agriculture was evolved after a careful study of the subject areas offered in 22 separate land grant colleges for whites in the United States. Table l enumerates the United States colleges studied for their subject areas in comparison to CLAC's. As can be seen in Table 1, the weights of-subject areas of 22 land grant colleges and those of CLAC ma)1 be summarized as follows: Average in 22 U.S. Colleges Technical agriculture .............. 3S.00% Science ------------·----·------·----·-------- 23.60% Professional education ____________ 14.40% Humanities ---·---------------------------- 9.ooro Other required content and PAGE 52 CLAC 38.03% 23.32r.o 22.09% 16.56% electives ________ ·------··-------···-·--- 15.0070 Total ----···------------,------------------ 100.00 7o 1• 100.00% Technical instruction is provided for in the following agricultural subjects: fundamental in animal husbandry, principles of crop production, general horticulture, poultry. husbandry, swine husbandry, vegetable gardening, farm shop practice, agronomy, principles of soil science, economic entomology, plane surveying, livestock feeds and feedtng, cattle and carabao husbandry, horse and goat ·husbandry, genetics, diseases of plants, farm management, and farm mechinery and farm motors. Of these subjects, an Associate in Agricultural Education student should take ,;32 units while a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education student sl~ould take 7 4 units. It is analyzed that with 7 4 units in technical agriculture a graduate can teach efficiently agronomy, horticulture, poultry, swine, farm mechanics,, etc. in secondary rural and general high schools. The subjects in professional education aim to enable the graduate to effectively impart information in agriculture. The subjects are: introduction to education, educational psychplogy, principles of vocational education, principles of guidance, test and measurements, administration and supervision of school and home gardening and agricultural clubs in elementary schools, administration and supervision of school and home projects in secondary schools, methods of teaching vocational agriculture, methods of teaching elementary agriculture, agricultural school administration and supervision, rural sociology and rural education, and observation and practice teaching. The students working for the Associate in Agricultural Education title are required to take 18 units and the students taking the Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education degree, 33 units of these professional education. The curriculum also includes general education in the development of communication skills, and in the acquisition of a rich cultural background. These subjects are: English communications,. world literature, public speaking, scientific reporting, four Spa_, nish courses, physics, chemistry, general botany, economic zoology, hygiene and physical education, making a total of 36 units for the Associate in Agricultural Education, and 52 units for the :ij!lchelor of Science in Agricultural Education. As can be seen in Table 2 and Figure 1, the curriculum in agricultural education has the following dis-. tribution of subjects: Technical Agriculture - 62 units ---------------- 38.02% Agricultural Engineering ·------- 9 units * 14 units of military science and physical education are required by law, and 30 units _of practicum are required for gr~duation and maybe spent in elective work activities in agronomy, animal husbandry, farm mechanics, etc. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR Agronomy ----·--------------·-·-·---·------ 14 units Animal husbandry -------------------- 19 units Farm Management ---·---·-·---·------ 6 units Horticulture -----·-·-·-·-·---·--··-·------ 8 units Other agricultural subjects ______ 6 units Science - 38 units -------·-··--·---···-·-··-·----···---------- 23.32% Physical Science· --------·-------·------- 10 units Biological Science -------·-------------- 13 units Social Science -----------·---------------- 12 units Mathematics -------------------------------- 3 units Professional Education - 36 units --··---·-------- 22.09 % Humanities - 27 units -----·------------------·--------··- 16.56% Grand Total - 163 units --·-·--· 100.00% In addition to the above subjects, two-years military science and physical education are required. Also offered is an optional two-year advanced ROTC course beyond the basic two-year ROTC course. A unique feature of the Central Luzon Agricultural College curriculum is the requirement of practicum. This requirement is different from laboratory work required in some science and agricultural sub.iects. Practicum is a· special instruction requiring 10 hours a week, carrving five units of credit a semester. A . . total of 30 units, equivalent to six months, is required for graduation in the B.S.A.E. course. Practicum consists of actual work experience· in shops, poultry production, pig raising, rice farming,. ve~table growing, fruit growing, fishery, onion culture, and raising such field crops as sugar cane, corn, camote, etC. The ideas, theories, and principles learned in the classroom are put into practice in the field during the two-hour period for practicum. Learning by doing and the development of desirable skills are the results. The value and dignity of work is emphasized and the "white-collar" attitude is forestalled. It may be observed that this requirement of practicum has offered opportunities for specialization. Althottgh all students are required to rotate their nracticum in order to enable them to teach agronomy_, horticulture, swine, poultry, farm mechanics, etc., there are provisions for various practicum activities that can lead to specialization. For instance, if the student's interests and abilities are in fa.rm mechanics, the practicum electives are: (a) hand and power tools, .(b) welding, (c) farm structures, (d) rural electrification, (e) soil and water, and (f) tractor operation. · In agronomy, the practicum elective assignments are: (a) landscape gardening, (b) field crops growing, (c) orcharding, (d) soils science, management and fertilization, ( e) vegetable growing, H) flower gardening, and (g) plant protection. In animal husbandry the following practicum activities may be chosen: (a) poultry raising, (b) NOVEMBER, 1957 meat preservation, (c) swine raising, (d) dairying, (e) forage, and (f) livestock. It is also pertinent to mention here the requirement of practice teaching which forms an essential and important item in the program of teacher training in the Central Luzon Agricultural College. Beginning with the school year 1957-1958, the ·students are alloted eight weeks whole-day practice teaching in any agricultural, rural or an academic high school in Luzon with the cooperation of the Bureau of Public Schools. The schedule of subjects of students are so arranged as to enable the students tp go out during their senior year for practice teaching in cooperating schools. By arrangement with the Bureau of Public Schools, selected teachers in the cooperating schools serve as critic teachers. Since the agricultural education course has been offered in 1951, CLAC has turned out two (2) graduates in Master of Science in Agricultural Education, 127 graduates in Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education and 648 Associate in Agricultural Educ~ tion. The following table gives the breakdown of the graduates of CLAC since 1953: NUMBER OF GRADUATES BY CURRICULUM Collegiate Courses '47 '48 '49 '50 '51 '52 '53 '54 '55 '56 '57 Total A.A.E. 95 135 151 142 125 648 B.S.A.E. 26 33 68 127 M.S.A.E. 2 0 2 Farm Mechanics 33 30 34 53 52 41 51 54 67 85 60 560 Special Courses 29 37 27 20 23 46 67 249 TOTALS 33 30 34 53 81 ' 78 173 209 267 308 320 1,586 The present cun·iculum is not intended to be permanent. To make it dynamic and workable, every ; effort has be~n exerted to make the curriculum meet the needs of the times. Workshops such as the first national workshop in agricultural education held in CLAC as well as frequent conferences and seminars underscore certain needs and problems in agricultural education which CLAC is taking into consideration. I have been fortunate to be chairman of a national committee that studied the problems of agricultural education in the Philippines.· The other members of the committee were: Prof. Francisco Sacay, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines, Mr. Demetrio M. Andres, Chief, Instruction Division, Bureau of Public Schools, Mr. Pantaleon Dumlao, Supervisor, Bureau of Private Schools, and Mr. Hilario J. Santos, Acting Chief, Vocational Education Division, Bureau of public schools. As a result of such commitite~ work, workshops, and conferences, CLAC decided to off er courses in extension service methods, cooperatives, seed certification, farm mechanics teaching, etc. as needed by the country. These subjects are offered by experts invited to teach these courses during summer. Guest lecturers come from the Bureau of Public Schools, Bu-. PAGE 53 reau of Agricultural Extension, Bureau of Plant Industry. and Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Financing Administration. Anv change in the present teacher program of CLAC. will take into consideration the recommendations of the three-man Stanford University Team working to improve agricultural instruction in CLAC. The three-year contract of the Philippine Department of Education and Stanford University is expected to produce results soon. Doubtless, there are problems to be threshed out Life of an Indian Primary School Teacher By D. H. Sabasrabuddbe A dedicated life t\ S I thirik of the subject of this article, a thin tall ,L figure with wrinkles on the face and the forehead and with a white Kahdi cap on the head rises before me. He was a primary school teacher 'who, on the verge of retirement, had come to see me just to express his ~atisfaction with the education which his son had received in the school of whkh I happened t0 be the headmaster. He had serve 28 years of his life a<> a primary school teacher and was then drawing a salary of Rs. 38 lper month. In spite of financial hardships, which worried him all his life, his face wore a look of self-satisfaction and indicated that he had made a good job of his life. His problem Naturall? during th~ conversation that ensued, I enquired of him as to why 'vas it that he was not continuing for another two years, when he would attain the scheduled age for retirement. He replied, that circumstances _had changed and he had not as much freedom as he enjoyed previously and. the chances of getting his self respe~t hurt were steadilr increasing. This he said, was because of unnecessary and undue interference iri the work of the Head of the school, by members of the Local Body under which b~ was serving. PAGE 54 by all teacher training institutions. Coordination of activities and/or curricular offerings as well as setting of standards are a:mong the problems that have to be tackled. The future of our country is indeed bright. With the full cooperation of all officials, agricultural educators and· government agencies, ~gricultural education programs will succeed in produc_ing youth that will contribute their potentialities for the agricultural welfare of the country. CLAC is doing its part. It will continue to do everything in its power, as in the past, to do so. At once a picture and a problem This in short, is at once the picture of an average primary schoo! teacher in India and the chief proplem which confronts him. Rs.38/per month after 28 years of service! Shocking indeed but none the less true. Average Teacher: A Local Body Employee Elementary education is the charge of Local Bodies in India and th'erefore 90% of the primary school teachers in India are Local Body employees; Hence the life of a Local Body primary teacher represents the life of an average Indian primary school teacher. Proverbial Poverty The poverty of . the Indian primary school teacher has become proverbial. He is paid anything between Rs.20/ to Rs.40/per month and the rate of annual increment is Rs.1/ which is very often not given to hJm because of financial stringency of the Local Body. Our Indian primary schoo1 teacher, by tradition and training, is taught to live \Vithin his means, howsoever i:ilender they ma~- be. Therefore he never felt the pangs of poverty so strongly till very recently when prices of all commodities shot up 200% or more. Still a life of honour Financially, the thing which all his life worries him most is the irregular payment of his already meagre salary. He cannot balance his budget from the date he receives his salary to that uncertain date when he may get it the next time. Morally he suffers all the more. He cannot walk' through the market street freely lest somebody would halt him for the bill which is overdue. The· Indian primary teacher in spite of hi-; poverty calmly struggles to live a life of honour· but the irregular receipt of his salary breaks THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR all his fortitude and then he feels like prefering death to dishonour. His Home The pri1pary school teacher Jives in a small cottage of two rooms with mudwalls with a country-tiled roof above and a small courtyard in front. The cottage has a distinct mark of cleanliness about it. The teacher usually feeds a family of four or five. Though the women in an Indian village go out to work and earn their livelihood or add to the income of the menf 6lk, such a thing is taboo to the wife of a teacher. So in a village he supplements his income himself by cultivating a small field and in a city by earnings on private tuitions. Training A very large majority of the primary school teachers to-day are no doubt senior elementary graduates without training but gradually more and more secondary _graduates are being recruited. A senior elementary graduate candidate has to undergo two years of training while the secondary graduate has to und~rgo only one year of training. During the course of training, along with general subjects they are taught' · educational psychology, teaching methods and now-adays some craft, mainly spinning, gardening ·or agricultural. They have al~o to give 40 practical lessons including a few criticism lessons-at the end of which pupil-teachers discuss the werits and demerits of the lessons under the guidance of their teacher. At the end of the training period the pupil-teacher has to present himself for theoretical as well as practical examination. The School The primary school day usually begins with an Assembly when all the pupils of the school stand in lines with folded hands praying to the Goddess of Knowledge for Her blessings, while all the teachers of t:ll,e school stand in meditation associating themselves with the pupils.. Thus the school begins at about 11 a.m. in an atmosphere surcharged with prayer and meditation and continues till about 5 p.m. In the village a teacher has to manage at least two classes at a time. While one class is given the work of recitation or learning by h~art, the teacher teaches a fresh lesson to the pupils in an adjoining classroom. Since recitation and learning by heart at the primary stage are still considered to be of educational value the rhythmic sounds of learning by heart ca;ri be heard as we approach a primary school in India. Our primary pupils must learn elementary physiology-hygiene, social and natural sciences apart from language and arithmetic. They must also do some hand work, either clay or paper and reeently the Takali. Necessarily, therefore, our primary school teacher must be a verNOVEMBER, 1957 satile hero with an ability not only to teach all subjects mentioned above but also the ability to guide pupils in handwork, dramatics, :;;ong, music, drill and sports. So our primary school teacher is an 'all rounder'. The fact is that he has certainly picked up the rudiments of all the above subjects but one or two subjects with distinction so that with close coopera, tion amongst his colleagues in a school do present themselves very ably to their tiny taughts in the school and the elderly people outside. The School and the Community The primary school teacher does not confine his activities withi;ri the four walls of the classroom, · Every day in the time table, there is a physical exercise. and a sports period which he has to attend. The whole year round there are a large number of activities in which he engages and attends to the all round development of the pupils. Every school has either an Annual Day to be celebrated and/or there is an Education Week which is held in big cities or over a certain area at which the various activities of the primary schools in the area find an expression. There is singing, dancing, dramatics, dialogue and a large number of games and handicrafts. There are colourful drills, school as well as mass, and the honour a school gets is naturally shared by the members of the staff. Through these functions the primary school teacher reaches the community and earns social recognition for himself. Professional Organization In his every day life an average primary school teacher does not seriously care and has not anything to do with what his Association is doing for him or for the betterment of education. That consciousness of professional organization is still lacking in an average teacher. No doubt he has his moral support and he extends his sympathy by paying the annual subscription fee but he attends the meeting only occasionally. The work of professional organization in India has also .not all those aspects which a professional organization should have. The professional organization today in India is concentrating all its energies on the betterment of service conditions of its Constituents and therefore commands sufficient influence over the members of the organization. If and when the organization asks its constituents to be vocal and active, by attendance at meetings and participation in 'Morcha' (a march to meet an Authority for redress of grievances) or to offer 'Satyagraha', our primary school teachers give a ready response to theie call. During recent history in most of the States .. there was overwhelming response to such calls of the organization with the result that the professional organizations have been able to secure better conditions of ~ervice for the primary school teachers in India as a whole. Recently the Government ·of India has PAGE 55 directed that no primary school teacher, sh.oulcl begin on a salary less than Rs. 40 ·per month, if he is an untrained and le~s than Rs. 50/ if he is a trained one. The insecurity of tenure of a teacher has also attracted sufficient attention and attempts are being made to give him the security which he so sorely needs. The life of an Indian primary school teacher is a dedicated one. He wants only a little elbow room to live and he is satisfied. Even as it is, he realizes that he is laying the foundations of the greatest democracy in the world of which he is rightly proud. Rightly is h.e called 2l. Nation Builder. The base of the building is not seen and never appreciated but it is there holding the burden of the whole structure. The primary school teacher's work is this and everybody is conscious of the fact. Because he is dedicated India lives. Fourteen Hills Away AT 8 :30 in the morning of September 9 the sun was valiantly trying to milt the mist that enveloped Sagada where Mr. Epifanio T. Ramos, the District Supervisor, holds office and the starting point of the 2-week trip that we took to the interior of Bontoc. The day before, I received a letter from him informing me of the trip we shall take together "in order for both of us to see th2 actual conditions obtaining in the different barrio schools of yolir municipality especially with regards to enroJ.lment and attendance." I was new in the place being assigned only a month before as principal and doubtless, Mr. Ramos wanted to show me the conditions of the schools of Bontoc Municipalit:v, the capital town of Mountain Province. Our itinerary covered fourteen barrios in two weeks. What took place in th~se two weeks is an experience I cannot forget and want to share with others. · At 9 :00 o'clock that morning, the two-week hike up and down mountain trails started from the District Office. Sagada seemed to have been swallowed by a big monster in its cavernous and misty mouth. The mist was so thick that you could look up at the sun without hurting your eyes. The cold mountain air whistled among the pine needles and drove the mist among the trees. There were three of us in the party - Mr. Ramos, Mr. Muting, the property clerk, and I. Mr. Muting came with us to act M> our guide and interpreter as he is a native of the place. Mr. Ramos was the pacer of the team. I found out later that despite his diminutive size (five feet-two in'..'.hes, and weighs around 115 pounds) he was an excellent hiker. I, the tallest and the heaviest, was the poorest hiker having climbed no mountains before. Each carried• his own pack~ on ' his back. PAGE 56 Bv Florencio Buen " Our lunch was scheduled at Tanulong, ~ barrio cozily nestled in a deep valley along the banks of swift mountain rapids. After three and a half hours of . hiking, we reached the barrio school which was manned by a husband-wife team. For lunch, they served us dried meat of wild pig shot by the husband in one of his Saturday hunting trips to D.alican, the next barrio in our itinerary. Three big boys carried our packs for us from Tanulong to Dalican, a barrio atop a high mountain. We started from Tanulong at 1 :00 o'clock. Before we reached the foot of the mountain we had to cross the river through a hanging bridge with steel suspensions. The bridge should have been called a hammock bridge because it swang crazily as one walks across it. We had to cross individually because of the dangerous sway. Huge rocks and the swift rapids seemed to wait for the unfortunate. At 1 :30 o'clock we started climbing. The sides of the mountains were so steep that one could kiss the heels of the fellow he was following. The fellow who said that mountain climbing is an excellent sport should have joined us. Perhaps, he would have changed his mind about the matter. As we went up, the air became drier but colder. Water from rivqlets rushing dow_n the mountain sides quenched our thirst. The higher we went, the shorter our steps became. Fatigue began to creep on us. We kept op asking our guides how far we had still to go which was ihvar,iably answered with "a little bit more." 1\fter five or six "a little bit more's" I said to the amusement of my companions that the mountain was growing every minute. At 4 :30 o'clock, we reached the top at last. Here we were richly rewarded with .red ripe berries that grew wild every where on the mountain top. We ate THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR the berries by the handfuls so that after a few minutes all of us complanied of stomach ache. My stomach grumbled. Mr. Ramos said that the berries were fit for the gods. l,\faybe, our stomachs did not welcome the berries because we were not gods. Dalicari is situated on the other side of the mountain and so, from the top we went down td the barrio. We rea.ched the school at 5 :30. It is a construction which is almost all grass roof. The walls are low and the floor is only a foot from the ground. It had to be constructed this way because the cold mountain air whistles past at a tremendous rate. The majority of schools on mountain tops are constructed in this manner. We had to fortify our bodies with extra· clothing. The cold air bites into the skin. Th~ pupils, however, seemed not to mind the cold air at all for they wore camisetas and g-strings only. Some had no camisetas. All the pupils were males and we learned from the lone teacher that the people of the barrio do not think that there is a need for girls to go to school. Putting it simply, the home is the place for the women. In the evening we were feted by the barrio "consejal" and the "teniente" with dog meat and "tapey", wine made from rice. The long hike whitted our appetites and we did justice to the uncooked skin of the dog and the boiled meat. Dog meat is as good as venison or beef. After supper the teacher wenf to hunt for wild pigs but l.uck did not smile on him. In the morning he came home with wild chicken for breakfast. At 9 :00 o'clock the following morning, we proceeded to Mainit, .a barrio tv.:o hills away. Here distances are not measured by kilometers but by the number of hills between points. The teacher at Dalican said that there was not much climbing on the way to Mainit which we found out to be false later on. The climb up to Mainit was as much as that to Dalican. It seemed that the moutains mushroomed <;>vernight. Between the two barrios we crossed a deep gorge with huge boulders and churning water. A log about the size of an average waist was laid across the gorge. It was inclined at fifteen degrees and steps were chopped off its surface· for footholds. Local experts walked across easily bµt we were neophytes. ·We cro'.ssed the gorge on all fours with shaking joints. A . slight misstep' would have meant sudden and ugly. death in the cold mountain river. Mainit is aptly named. Hot springs bubble forth their hot discharges in several places. .. The biggest one is about twelve feet in diameter and its vapor , could be seen a mounbrin away. This place could be an excellent resort if" only the springs would be kept clean. Stray pigs discourage bathing. There were no classes in the school when we a.1.·rived for the people were celebrating a "chonno" - a fiesta with a lot of "gangsa" music and dancing. NOVEMBER, 1957 The pupils could not be called to school by the teacher and so we left after lunch for another barrio. We reached Guinaang, a nearby barrio with a lone lady teacher, at 3 :00 o'clock. The people ·thought we were candidates and they asked us for some drinks. The teacher had to explain that we were teachers and did not bring with us anything to drink. We found ,during the visit that all the pupils were male just like that o! Dalican, the first barrio we visited. Typhoon "Carmen" marooned us in Guinaang for four days. The four-day rest afforded ~s time to recuperate from the fatigue that began to exact its heavy ·toll. When we arrived I could hardly walk anymore ~o that the teacher applied some roasted ginger on my knees and after two days I could go around again. On the fourth day the sun came out. We looked for a pl~ce where we might take a bath and we were .lucky to find a small pond with clear cold water. We swam and splashed in the pond like kids. This fun was cut short when a man informed us that the pond contained coffins-m~ed and unused. The people kept the coffins in the pond to preserve them for future use. The most gorgeous rice terraces I have ever seen are found at Maligcong, a barrio, surrou.nded by gleaming mount~in puddies. It is like a tiny emerald in a field of glazing diamonds. Some people say that the rice terraces here are more extensive than those at Banaue. We do not have our own school here. ClatoRes are held in the Anglican Church which the priest so kindly leased for school purposes. Tocucan iR so many rolling hills away from Maligcong. Between the two barrios are excellent grasslands. Ta11, weaving, silky grass can be seen for miles and miles on the sides of gentle rolling hills. As we sat down under a big pine tree, I could not help but gasp at the immense possibility of the territory. With capital, one can engage profitably in cattle raising here. We cut across the area in half a day. At Tocucan, we took the bus from Tabuk to our stations. The rest of the barrios we visited were along the provincial highway and we did not need to hike as V\e did for the past week. During the tiip I saw that the most common school problems were poor enrollment and attendance which were due to the following reasons: A. Indigence B.. Ignorance C. Distance of the schools from the schools D. Older children take care of the younger ones while the parents work in the fields. E. Certain cu~toms and traditions. It may take some 'time before these problems can be solved. As only education can improve the life of the people of these mountains, it is hoped that the compulsory education scheme now being undertaken in this municipality wJll be successful. This is the mission of the men and women who teach and live among the people. PAGE 57 Life of a Schoolmaster in Belgium I WAS smoking a pipe with M. Lheureux. M. Lheureux is the schoolmaster in the little village of X. He is in his forties and his greeting is as simple as it is friendly. One feels at once that he is a man matured by experience; and certainly twenty years' continuous contact with the most varied types of people have given him the chance to observe, to reflect, and to inquire into the secrets or the human heart. But although his hair is greying, M. Lheureux remains young: living continually among children, cut off in school hours from our material worries, he still has the unspoilt fire of youthful enthusiasm within him although it burns with a more tranquil flame. A pleasant smile makes the Schoolmaster's f eatures look younger whenever h€ speaks of his student days. He has happy memories of the Training College. There, from 15 to 19, in an atmosphere of hard work, he acquired the essentials of general culture and professional knowledge; there he began to understand the importance, the nobility of his task; there his adolescent's restless eagerness encountered the man he was to take as his model: M. Lheureux re;alls with feeling the memory of the French master or the instructor in educational method. Brought up in the calm but somewhat close atmosphere of the residential college, the young master was afterwards to make the acquaintance of a sterner' school: the army. His military service gives M. Lhereux the chance to strengthen his character (must he not be strong among the weak?), to smooth off the rough corners, to practice devotion to duty. At last M. Lheureux lays down his rifle and his boots with relief. He is eager to devote his life to children between the ages of 6 and 12. He wonders anxiously where he will carry out his mission. What sunoundings will provide him with the opportunity to give the best of himself? M. Lheureux consults the newspapers, his training college, the inspectors. Gradually, the enthusiastic young teache1• is going to acquire a new companion hitherto almost unknown to him: the virtue of patience. He gets his first opportunity. Ht: must be::;tir himself, write, meet with disappointments before finding a temporary post - for there are very few who obtain permanent e·mployPAGE 58 By Ivan Louis ment at once. M. Lheureux will therefore teach in several schools! two weeks here, two months there, and these changes will present many problems to be wisely dealt with. Th~ spirited young man will grow wiser and more adaptable and will work out his own methods among the many from which he can choose. Finally, a good opportunity occurs. Armed with his diploma, recommendations gathered from here, there and everywhere, M. Lheureux begins his round of the communal council of X. This requires great tact. The> people whose votes he is seeking are peasants, but they are shrewd and not easily duped by appearances; fine speeches hardly affect them; they want a man who will make men of their sons. So the applicant waits in fear and trembling for the reply to the application he has worded with such care. At X., where M. Lheureux is finally allowed to settle, the children of the village and the neighboring hamlets ~ttend a little co-educational, one-teacher school. In winter, a fine big stove provides gentle warmth for numb fingers; in the good weather, flower-beds, rnmbler roses and a model garden make the surroundings cheerful for the country-children. The classroom is· filled with flowers; its walls are decorated with maps and pictures reflecting the healthy, happy activity of a veritable bee-hive where each works according to his ability. Many questions are on the tip of my tongue. "Am I right in thinking, M. Lheureux, that the tasks given to present-day school!children are very different from those we had to do thirty years. ago?" My companion smiles. I am not the first, he says, to put that question to him. Belgian primary teaching has undergone profound changes since th~· appearance of the new study plan in 1936. It'faithfully reflects the ideas of Dewey, Claparede and, above all, of our great educationalist, Decroly. It especially emphasizes the need for 'interest as the standard relationship between the subSect and the object; it preaches the value of surroundings able to make education "a drawing-out and not a putting-in." To this end it requires that teaching should be based in the first instance on environment and that it should fit in with the evolution of the child's thinking proTHE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR cesses which move from the concrete to the abstract, from the particular to the general, from syncresis to synthesis by way of analysis. A child's mind is at first only at home on the sensory-motory level: "Homo faber," as Bergson put it; then it moves gropingly towards the plane of verbal intelligence or· discourse: "Homo sapiens," to quote the same philosopher. Cu- . riosity, fed by the active observation of reality, gradually extends towards that which is n9t directly accessible in time and spac;e; lit~le by little, the work of association in time _and space will play an increasingly important role and an ever greater call will be made on documentation. Such a method necessarily relies on the child: it takes account of his experience, his language. From anothe,r point of view, the school is the pupil's home: he is interested in its decoration. in the smooth running of all its parts: library_, orchestra, garden. discipline. With this in mind, the pupils are entrusted with duties which give them responsibilities anrl call on their initiative. Much more could be said about this. Collaboration among pupils (which was once regarded as a~ minor crime!) is now urged and hence team-work, school cooperative activities. All forms of self expression are very much encouraged: pupils' meetings, a school printing press, inter-school exchanges; free drawing. Noteworthy, too, is the famous global method of teaching reading, which is only workable in such an environment as the one all too briefly outlined al.Jove. Another question comes naturally to mind. "How can the class be organized so as to provide spiritual food for pupilR varying so greatly in age and, hence, in all other re~pects ?" When I left the Training College, M. Lheureux tells me, I would have been hard put to answer you: practice, ability and much applic;ation are needed to run a one-teacher school smoothly. For a long time, a rather over-simplified solution was accepted: pupils were divided iuto four groups: first year, second year, third and fourth, fifth and sixth. In the light of what we now know of children's phychological development, it would often be better to divide the classes as follows: first year, secend and third, fourth and fifth, sixth. It goes without saying that a hard and fast rule in this matter might do much harm: sometimes one solution must be adopted, sometimes another. It is clear that an object lesson for different years or a text drawn up collectively will not be used in the same way in the second as in the third year. The development of this idea would require a long dissertation and .what has been said here hardly does more than broach the question. Another vital problem, continues M. Lheureux, is the art of keeping everyone both busy and interested. The two cannot be separated without causing disorder. and lack of discipline - unless the master becomes NOVEMBER, 1957 a policeman. This last contingency w0uld be fatal to the moral training of the children : they would not accept it willingly but would merely pay token ' homage to authority. One of the major concerns of the master of a one-teacher school is to put everyone happily to work. With this aim in view, a good teacher will make every effort to provide his pupils with a library within their grasp; used by all, it has a great importance for pupils of the fourth, fifth and sixth grades, whose mental development demands inquiries reaching beyond their immediate experience. The school printing shop will give everyone, especially the youngest, innumerable opportunities to learn such things as order, dexterity, taste and spelling; through group work and exchanges it will provide useful chances for social training. Again, we should note the numerous questionnaires drawn up by the master for his pupils; fortunately, duplicators have been introduced into each class-room. The questionnaires or syllabuses serve to guide the inexperienced pupil preparing dictation or a history, geography, grammar or reading lesson. Thanks to the syllabusf one can even finc;! a whole class at work on the same object lesson: the teacher talks with the little ones, the bigger pupils,' either alone or in groups, carry out research or make.measurements, guided by the master's farseeing presence in the form of the questionnaire. We also have card-indexes. · These enable quick students to broaden their culture or go on with independent research while the slower pupils go methodically over a lesson which they have not fully understood. In the same way, a number of carefully-chosen educational games play a useful part, particularly at the lower level, in the "education to measure" which Claparede valued. It will be seen that the master at a one-teacher school resorts to a modified Dal.: tonian method. As.. the pupil grows up, more and more is left to his initiative and more independent work is asked of him. Is this not an ideal preparation for life? "But to organize the class activities for the day must demand a great deal of work from you, M. Lheureux?" "It must be admitted that our profession requires disinterestedness as much as idealism. The same pupils will be there for six years. so it is useless to go on using the old centers of interest: new ones are needed or, at any rate, the old ones must be presented in a new form. Careful preparation is therefore necessary each day. Nor is this daily work enough by itself: the pupil's interest must be taken into account. They sometimes ask excellent questions which make the work take an unexpE;!cted turn. The teacher who does not want to find himself completely at a loss must keep abreast of culture: he must read, think and keep him8elf well-informed if he is not to fall into a mere routine." PAGE 59 ~~Let· the Teacher Talk-•-!'' " ... A ray cf light in the sea of darkness ... a solid rock in the shifting sands of ignorance ... a staunch pillar in the structure of our national existence," thus run the praises cast to the fout winds that have swamped the teacher with adulation; singling him out from the obscure background that has shrouded his chosen task. Eulogized whenever political expediency demands it, the teacher as usual, has come in for his oft-repeat'ed laurels fittingly dispensed with pledges for the betterment of his lot emanating from so many quarters that have taken a sudden spurt of interest in his welfare .. : for this is an election year! We rue the day politics r~ared its ugly head and spread its vicious tentacles entwining everything in its path; strangling certain ethical principles in a malevolent grasp. Politics has become the order of the day. It has seeped into every level and strata of life and permeated even the very atmosphere in which we breathe and live. In its wage, nothing has been spared; even coinJ>onents of our educational system have been buffeted by pernicious political influence which seek to 'undermine our moral trust and con-. fidence. In spite of the fact that the teacher ha~ cast his lot with those he has sworn to serve, in spite of the fact that his is the guiding hand that steers the growth of a more dynamic and democratic way of life. . . his is the voice that still has to find utterance! His lips are often mute on the vital issues of the day; for politics has become his forbidden fruit yet the temptatioI_J.s cast his way are legion. How can the teacher help remedy the ills of the prevailing times, if in the exercise of this right, the words are squelched right in his ' mouth for fear of the consequences ... for the powers of politics are vast and far-reaching? His very words, gesture~ and actuations can be twisted, by those who. have axes to hone, to serve a sinister purpose. He can be "crucified" for his views and in the end ap- . pear discredited-an outcast to the set:vice ! What guarantee or immunity then has the teacher against political reprisals which have practically _left him naked in the keen· of the politically influential against which he has no defense whatsoever to. ward off the prostitution of the tenets of the teaching profession? ·~ Fo1· the fi.rst .time, a classroom teacher has taken the guts to write of his views on politics. The "Morfe Decision" in Pangasinan is an eye-opener. Hence, this article ... a food for thought! ' PAGE 60 By Carlos G. Beltran * God forbid that someday the·· "bureau of public schools shall attain the same stature as the bureau 10f. public works"; for unless. a safeguard is placed somewhere to draw the limits to p"olitical intrusion, the educational system ca'Il never be safe from contamin~tion. We ne~d not search far and wi~e to find evidences of the "hands that pulled the strings" ... w:here certain interested parties have managed to poke their fingers through the crust of the pie in order to reach at the fillings. Many applicants for teaching positions are now armed with recommendations from certain political bigwigs; promotions have even been said to run through the gauntlet of political intervenlton, and even transfers in some cases hav~ been colored by political flavors. Fortunately, th~re are still many administrators· who won't take any political intrusion lying down and who cari't be budged from the defense of the principles the profe~sion holds inviolate and sacred. ' Let the teacher talk ! The times demand this .change. Let him talk of political developments, issues, candidates and platforms without fear or reservation as he would of his daily work, the prevailing weather, or his religion. Let .the half-a-century gag be taken away from his ~outh; !et him speak ~n unmistakable .terms his intelligent appraisal of events and contribute his bit to raise politics to a higher plane. Give back to him the power of speech, stifled by decades; to help shape and mould the trend of public sentiment and' put to a profitable use his bulwark of democratic thinking. ·Let the teacher evaluate the political issues without any qualm of conscience; let him scrutinize aloud the qualifkations, and actuations of those aspiring for a position of pub)ic trust. But above all, let him shed a ray of light from the wisdom that God has endowed him to illumine the , path of the common mass and those with so little in life ... for in law, they should ari'd ought to have more. Somewhere, is the missing link, in a set-up decidedly unfair to the ·teacher. Politic:ians won't let 'the teac.her alone. Every.time an election fight looms, the teacher's mail is studded with political propaganda; he becomes an inevitable target especially in the rural areas where campaigners and sympathizers seek him out at all hours. If the teacher can't be left alone, as there is no law to prohibit or punish those THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR who bombard him with facts and lies-what course of a.ction can he t'ake to separate the chaff from the grain? . How truthfully and fittingly has a leading magazine summed up the prevailing situation: "Who, is the .enemy? The enemy is potenti-ally every man or woman0 running .for election- who eagerly or 'veakly sacrifices the country, a chunk of it, or all of it for_ that extra fistful of votes that wins the present for him and, loses the future for everybody else. He has done it before, he is doing- it now and he will do· it again if he is not stopped."' t _ Only when the teacher shall talk freely and adds the weight 'of his voice' to that of his contemporaries to form a mounting tide·· that shall re-echo without fear or restraint ... can it then be possible to reap the assurances we -seek! _ J'o rebel against the ills and spoils of politics can be uphill but it no longer 1 Weekly Women's Magazine,-"Lesson iP!an For Politicians," September 13, 1957, by Yay Marking. shall be sporadic and futile, A hundred thousand teachers backed by a sizeable potential strength of dependents constitute a formidable force that will make any politician think not only twice but a thousand times ... before attempting half-baked educational measures, niggardly doles, juggling of items and abolishing positions, pressure and intervention. No longer have the teachers to depend on the unpredictable temperament of the powers-that-be for much needed appropriations; nor do they have to "beg" for what is rightfully theirs ... for those antagonistic to the cause of the teachers and of education, have a score to settle on the day of reckoning at the polls. Let the teacher talk! Only when the rigid ban on his all-out participation as the vanguard of an enlightened citizenry be finally scraped, and only when the standing regulation thrust into his mouth as a gag be repealed ... can we finally hope to contain and eventually ward off political encroachments and preserve the sanctity of our e-ducational system. How Resoonsible Are We? WE influence our students for . good .or for bad. Some ape the way we talk, walk, act. THe teacher does everythjng just right. The teacher- is perfect. FOi· there is s11ch a thing as teacher crush. We also influence students for the worse. Of course, we. indignantly say "never!" for what teacher will ever do that?· Our attitudes and habits may have negative effect on students. How? When we. see nothing good in the actuations of gov~rnment officials and when we criticize mercilessly government institutions, we develop cynicism among our students. Worse, we may ·develop hatred of government. For who can be more destructive a:p.d un· reasonable than those. who have no background of facts ~nd whose minds have been made up for them? We want our students to have go~d habits. We want them to come to school on time and to be regular in .attendance. But what do we do? We come late to class. (Any way it is only second bell.)' Or we absent ourselves a period or two when we feel like ~oing it. We mark ourselves undertime, you say. But we forget many things could happen wh€n we are out, and morally, we are responsible. When students play truant, who are we to give them a piece of our mind? NOVEMBER, 1957 By Silvina C. Laya We want our students to form the habit of studying every day. We give them kilometric assignments. Our subject is the mo.st important, you know. We call the roll, scold the class a little for exercise; or if in the right mood, tell stories. The bell rings and we get surprised. Accomplishment: lesson hardly touched. We give the class homework. All must submit or else. . . We collect and we fail to check. Once, twice, thrice. And the students get wise. (Was that the Wrapping paper at the corner ,,store?) We want to develop a sense of fair play among students. Yet we play favorites. Our "pet" does nothing wrong. Worse we listen to gossip an<l swallow it hook, line and sinker. Are you surprised then to see flagrant violations of the merit system? We think it nothing to say a word or two against a colleague who. has displrnsed us. We are not beyond juicy bits of -information about this and that perf'.on. Do you see the connection between this and mud slinging of election times? We want our students to study for love of it. Grades do not matter; it is what you get that counts. But ycm and I go to a diploma mill. Yes, you -have PAGE 61 guessed it - to- get a diploma with the least possible effort on our par.t. And to get salary adjustment. " We want honest students and we hammer honesty down their throats. We give tests and then neglect to supervise them. We give either too easy a test or too much time. Then we do all the little things we forgot to do before - get the class attendan::e, put the date to our lesson plan, record quizzes; Without intending it, we give the class license to' look around, and before we know it even the wrong answer is passed around. Ate you surprised at the many anomalies in civil service examinations? We want our students to stand up and fight for their rights. Look at what we do. When the big boss is not around, we are very vocal about our rights and privileges. When he is around, we are as meek as ~ lamb. Remember the salary adjustment we want to get? And soi the boot licking begins and the fight dies before it starts. We dream of a democratic Philippines with a citizenry free from colonial mentality. Yet what do we do? "Stupids" and "morons" rain from our lips. Then say in a tone of despair: "This is m~ poorest section" within the hearing of that class. And the class cringes with embarrassment or decides to a::-, cept that fact philosophically and live down to the teacher's expectation. Or worse, we destroy the children's selfconfiden_ce by withering sarcasm. We are always right! Woe unto the student who dares voice his dissenting opinion. We really intend to be good teachers and models. We want to be respected aRcl looked up to. Our intentions are good. We try ~o be good teachers, but better let us be. P .S. If you are a real teacher, the above thoughts are not for you .. Trade and Industrial Education* I WELCOME this opportunity to participate in ~rom· lecture series as a fitting memory to that illm:trious teacher of tea::hers, Dr. Francisco Benitez. Having been dedicating myself to the training of our ~rouths to become productive citizen-workers and exponents of the dignity of labor in their respective communities for the last 40 years now I must say that I am pleased to accept another invitation from the U.P. people to speak on Vocational Education; and for this occasion, I have been requested to talk on The Responsibility of Tmde and lndush'ial Education for Economic Progress. In discussing this topic, I shall attempt to answer very briefly a few questions which I foresee you may want to ask. These questions are: What is trade and indm;trial edu~ation? What is its scope'? Wha't are the functions of trade and industrial education? How is the program of trade and industrial education carried out in our curricula? And the answers which I shall endeavor to give are the main points that wiil contribute to the development of my topic. Undoubtedly, we say that trade and industrial education which is a phase of vocational education, is ~ Speech d<'livered by Jose S. Roldan, superintendent for the Philippine Schoo'! of Arts and Trades at the University of the Philippines on September 14, 1957. · PAGE 62 By Jose S. Roldan ' charged wit_h the main responsibility of carrying out the dominant aim of education embodied in the Constitution, particularly, that which deals with the development of vocational effi~iency for the economic progress o_f our country. The term trade and industrial education which is interchangeably used with vocational industrial education is a comprehensive and integral part of the whole prog'ram of vocational education. It is generally considered to be less than the college level and it is organized to train persons - both youths and adults -for successful employment in skilled or semi-skilled trades~ crafts, and occupatfons. It includes the acquisition of all knowledge and training that will confribute to a life employment that is satisfying and useful. This means that the emphasis is on the preparation of students for entry into an occupational field. The trade and industrial education is a tremendous program and the responsibility of the school towards it is great. This responsibility should be balanced with a certain ·authority in connection with the preparation of the program. 1st. Our attempts to industrialize should be guided by a thorough consideration of the present conditions obtaining in the different industrial fields. THE PHILIPPINE ~DUCATOR 2nd. Our people must know the place of industrial education in the total program of education. It ·has its own place and it should not be expected to serve as a panacea for all the economic problems of the countrr. 3rd. The program of industrial education should be maintained with sufficient funds, if the training is to meet the requirements of an industrialized society. 4th. The cooperation of industry should be sought in ord~r to effect. the proper coordination of industrial standard demands for workers and the industrial education program relative to such matters as ~urricu lum, training facilities, and industrial orientation through off-campus assignments. 5th. The educational system in charge of the program must feel that the administration of industrial education is not static but flexible ·and is therefore ready to meet the changing and varying demands of the industries. ' The responsibility of trade and industrial education 1n the Phii'ippines is not only to train persons for successful employment in the skilled or semi-skilled trades, crafts or occupations but also to develop in them desirable social skills, good attitudes, and hab- · its of work. Trade and industrial education also aims to build up the doing side of our ideal - the things which tend to make one competent in his vocation or those which enable one to meet with confidence the situations in his daily life which require some mechanical ability, or knowledge of industrial practices. Every trade and industrial school is aware of its immediate responsibility that of training efficient citizen-workers. And this responsibility is to be met through the implementation of the objectives of trade and industrial education as provided for in Vocational Education Act No. 3377 of 1927. One objective of this act is concerned with providing pre-service training in the basic manipulative skills, technical knowledge and related information necessary in preparing the "individual for employment in trade and industrial pursuits. The other objective is concerned with providing in-service training and extensioIJ. or supplemental education for the purpose of upgrading work skills technical knowledge, related information, arid job intelligence, for persons already einployed in the trade and industrial pursuits with a view to help.ing them to obtain a higher position and/or better wages in the industry. To carry out the program of trade and industrial education, the curricula were so designed to have this program started right from the elementary level. And this program includes the prevocational level, the vocational education level, the technica,l level, and the collegiate level. Conscious of its fundamental share in the total education program, the Philippine School of Arts and Trades, the pilot school in trade and industrial eduNOVEMBER, 1957 cation in this country, has assumed the responsibility of enriching its curricular offerings through its various service programs such as ( 1) the cooperative training in industry, (2) the guidance and counselling service, (3) the intramural and extramural student teaching, and ( 4) the research development center. The common objective of these various service programs is geared towards the philosophy of learning by-doing and sometimes earning while learning. In the Philippine School of ,Arts and Trades, we are enriching the curriculum for trade and technical education students with a view to turning them into efficient industrial workers. This enrichment is covered partly by our program of coordinating with industry. In their senior year, our students are given the opportunity to work for assignment in plant training in industry thus complying with the theory of vocational education which states that vocational education only functions in proportion as it will enable an individual actually to do the job. This theory points out that vocational education must establish habits of correct thinking and correct doing. One serious ·problem that confronts the trade and industrial education is the lack of qualified and highly trained industrial teachers. To meet this problem, two types of curricula of teacher education in arts and trades are now offered. One is a four-year course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education (BSIE) and the other is a fouryear course leading to the degree of Ba·chelor of Science in Industrial Arts Education (BSIA). Gradu.ates of BSIE are prepared to teach specialized courses in vocational industrial schools and BSIA graduates are qualified to teach either industrial arts in the elementary schools or practical arts in general secondary schools. Unfortunately, however, our trouble does not end liere. Many teachers. in the trade schools who have had etnci~.nt training may suddenly leave their teaching positions because they are offered a very much higher salary to work in the industry. We find, therefore, that our trade schools are often short of trained instructors. If only the money allocated for salaries oi our teachers could be adequately increased so that they will not be attracted to the salaries offered by the industry our problem of employing qu·alified teachers will be solved. Our teacher education program is based on the philosophy that in order to produce good workers we must produce good teachers. To implement this philosophy ou'r students are given intensive student teaching in our training department and in other vocational schools. The off-campus student teaching puts students in the natural setting of schools where subsequently they may be appointed upon graduation. It acquaints them with the community school along with the rural' development program. This training prePAGE 63 pares fully the student in the intricate duties of a trade and technical teacher just as it gives all the preparations needed for becoming citizen-workers in their respective communities. In oul" school, we have a research development center whose main. objective is to encourage our students to continue developing their ~reative talents,. as well as their manipulative skil.ls and technical knowledge. This has made possible our new display of claybrick making machines, special patterns for tools such as benches, vises, and many other items which may be produ~d in larger quantities for use of ·students in tll.eir respective communities as they become productive citizen-workers. With the help of this center, we realize a more concrete facility for assisting in the rural development .program of our country. It might be recalled that at 'one time the great technician and idol of the masses remarked that he was not satisfied with the curriculum of the trade and vocational schools and that in his opinion' it has to be revised. in order to give our young people good technical training. He hurled this challenge that kept the education people astir and alerf. We are meeting this challenge today with the increasing attention being given to vocational education to the end that success and proficiency can be insured and guaranteed every earnest student who goes through any of its different phases of training. And with this help we are enablil}g our educational system to· fulfill its present mission in the growing economic expansion of the Philippines. Conversant that we are, in the fundamental objectives of our educational system which we· have been implementing, we still have to exert greater efforts to aevelop in our youths habits of industry and thrift. We stil1 have to face the gigantic job of equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge which would enable them to earn an honest livelihood and . ( to contribute to the economic well-being of the country. This fundamental objective will go a long way in harnessing the potential capabilities of our youths towards economic productivity for the common good. Let us not forget that industrial education should be given only to a selected group. Not everybody can be qualified to study in trade and technical schools. That is the reason why we are careful in the selection of our students. If the student will not be able to find out for himself whether or not he is fitted to the course he plans to take, the government will be losing P260 per capita a year which it puts as the expenses for training a person in a technical school. For example: If there are 1000 students enrolled in the technical schools, and 20 7o ·of this do not meet the requirements of the course they are taking, the government will be spending P52,000.00 for these misfits. This amount could have been spent for deserving boys. This hapPAGE 64 pens in any trade school where unguided. students and unwise parental decision make way for the admission of these misfits to the trade school. Let us bear in mind that trade and industrial education must be given only to a selected group. Of late our leaders, in Congress have shown sympathetic understantling and cooperative attitudes in carrying out measures to further implement the vocational educatjon objective in our total education pro• gram. Regional schools of arts and trades, of· agriculture and of fisheries, have been established in. all strategic places of the co"untry. These vocational schools as envisioned by our leaders in education and in Congress, reflect the growth of industry, and ·are enough to cope with. the complexity of the economic life. The Philippines is not a very big country. Like Japan we· are short of oii, coal, and iron. which are basic to industr!es but we ha.ve a tremendous manpower which if properly trained and develqped would be enough to balance the shortage of basic raw materials. Japan is neither an agricultural country nor a country that is rich in oil wells and other minerai resources. But Japan is one of the richest countries in the world · shortly after the war and this coulli be attributed to her highly skilled manpower; Jn,our efforts towards industrialization, our governme11t is putting up all plants and is encoura~ing even foreign investors to come in. We have been sending observers to highly industrialized countries to study their industrial life with the objective of starting our own home industries. We import machineries to be used by our people in p,roducing marketable goods but all these have failed to tap our basic resource - the people. As yet we have a very insignificant number of skilled workers and technicians who can run the program of industrialization ,of the country. The vast hydroelectric plants and the resultfog industries that these plants will feed will be needing trained men who can utilize this power in producing consumer goods which our people need. With the idea that the Filipino people will devote themselves not only to agriculture but also to industries, the trade and technical schools have been. carrying on a progra,m of training for the youth along the different lines of industrial pursuit. Besides training our youth. to enter the skilled occupations, they are also being taught how to make use of our local raw materials in maimfacturing important controls. On account of this great responsibility pf the trade and technical schools, our program on vocatronal training has been gear_ed in such ·a way that trained workmen could be supplied to the different. industries to put to reality the plan which our government has started since the advent of our Independence. What is paramount now is the enrichment of the curriculum being offered so that our youth might find their rightful place in the sun and THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR that' working men might see that these vocational schools extend to them the help necessary for improving their economic lot and are developing in them an appreciation for the beauty of the working hands and a pride for the dignity of labor. If graduates of trade schools were to be taken as a gauge in determining ·the degree of responsibility the trade and industrial education has shouldered for. our economic progress then it can proudly be said that this phase of vocational education has done much for .the economic development of the country. This fact is supported by the studies of the Trade and In-· dustrial Division and by a study made by a faculty member of the PSAT who graduated from the State University. The Trade and Industrial Division found out that only 6,13 7c of the trade school graduates from 1947 to 1952 were unemployed. And in the study. "A Follow-Up of the Occupations of the Graduates of the Philippine School of Arts and· Trades · from 1948 to 1952" Nario found out that 72.78% ·were ~mployed. This study reveals that most of the graduates of trade schools were either absorbed by industry or were able to create jobs for themselves. The 6.13% representing the unemployed will probab. ly account for the unguided student and the unwise parental decisions that found their way to the trade and technical schools. It may be well to point out here that without vocational education it would have been difficult for this country to attain whatever little economic development we have attained at present. Henceforth, the greatest concern of all of us therefore, should be to further push the gains that we have already made and to secure the material means of moving farther the frontie1:s that we have so far been able to establish. With the present emphasis on vocational education and with all those concerned - educators, lawmakers, capitalists, and industrialis,ts, and the industry doing their own share in the economic sphere; we can look forward to a stronger push towards economic progress and justify our outlook with optimism. Good Discipline is Good Mental Hygiene· £VEN in the best of classes, with the best behaved cbildren, there arise situations which threaten ·to interrupt the lesson. These situations occur because pupils, for various reasons, los.e their self-control. Our problem, then, is to help pupils fa regain self-control as quickly as possible, with a minimum of distraction to the rest of the class. In order to see how experienced teachers handle , some of the typical situations, let's l~ok at th~ t~acher's casebook. The fourth ,grade class is reading quietly the story which the teacher has skilfully motivated. She is noting the names of pupils whm:;e lip movements show that they are reading word for word. But his peaceful scene is about to be shuttered. Frank brought his water-pistol to class. They are "de rigueur" in his neighborhood now and no selfrespecting member of his gang would go abroad without one. Of course, Frank knows that such toys are for.bidden in class and that his mother "would kill * R1mrint~d from The National Elementary Principal, Volume XXXIV; No'. 5, February 1955. Executive antl Editorial Offices. 1201 Sixteenth Stn~et, Northwest, Washington 6, D.C., U.S.A. NOVEMBER, 1957 By James J. Hea.phy him" if she knew he had sneaked it to school, but this is the most wonderful water-pistol in the whole . world. It cost 49 cents; it Rhoots 500 shots; and the gang's eyes will pop when they see it! . He haR been fonding the pistol in his pocket all morning and conjuring day dreams of high adventure with it. Those day preams are now building up a high level of exdtement; Frank's blood. pressure is way up and his self-control is· going way down. It is slinping away so fast that t~e pistol is coming out of his pocket. Jn his day dreallJ. he i8 taking a shot at Tommy - didn't Tommy sauirt him yesterday? Oh boy, wouldn't Tommy jumn if 'r gave this trigger just' onE: ... liWe squeeze ... ! Now the ego-censor fights hard for control: the danger signals are up. Frank looks around to see if the coast is clear - yup, everybody's readin' ... too bad Dick ain't lookin' this way •.. how about the teacher? At that precise moment the teacher espies the drama that is about to unfold; she sees the gun'poi;ed behind the reader, the furtive glances . . . and then she catches Frank's eye. What would you do in this . situation? PAGE 65 You could say, in your most formidable voice, "I just DARE you to spoot that g}Jn." He might at that. Whether he did or not, it would be the end of the reading lesson. All eyes would focus on Frank, then on you, to see what would happen next. The experienced teacher will purse her lips, look into Frank's eyes with a bit of sparkle and good humor in her own, and merely shake her head from side by side. Frank will probably turn scarlet, slouch down in his seat, and pretend to become fascinated by the story in his reader. Most important, the lesson will continue without interruption. The teacher will have used an ageold trick of the trade called signal control. Signal control helps a youngster to regain selfcontrol over some· overwhelming impulse which he could handle without her help. Signal control helps the youngster before he gets into trouble. It is particularly valuable because it establishes close relationships; so few words, or none at all, are used. In Frank's case the teacher has said with her eves. "I know it's great temptation, and it would be such fun ... but this is neither the time nor the place. Wait until you J?et him outside school." She didn't embarrass Frank in front of his peers; she didn't threaten him; she didn't confiscate the beloved pistol. The variations of signal controls are many. There's the "uh-uh." the cleared throat, the wagging finger. and the raised eyebrow ... both evebrows are reversed for truly serious offenses. Each signal has its own suecial application and the circumstances in which they are HPPlied are legion. These circumstances fall into the genus ahout to ... ahout to throw a spitball, about to copy from a neighbor, about to trip somebody. At this point, some readers are doubtlessly saying to themselves, "That's nice, !1at solution. But suppose Frank continues to play with the pistol?" Distracting toys have always been a problem in the classroom. whether they ai:e :vo:vos, balls, knives, jacks, or costumes jewelry. A little girl's new pocketbook with a loud snap can be as distracting as a pneumatic hammer. What ever the object of teacher torture, the pupil cannot resist the temptation to bounce it~ snap it, click it, rattle it, or just sit and admire it to the complete exclusion of any learnin..{{. In that case PAGE 66 it is time for removal control. Let's take. another look into the teacher's casebook. .Jimmy is hypnotized by his shiny, new Boy Scout knife which he has placed tenderly on his desk for all to admire. Click goes the blade, snap goes the can-opener, and clunk it goes on the floor. There also goes Jimmy's spelling lesson - and Helen's - and Joey's. What would you do? You can say austerely, "Young man, I'll take that," and ceremoniously confiscate it and out it into the bottom drawer of your desk along with all the other impediments such as tops, balls, and guns. If you do, .Timmy most certainly will not concentrate on those examples. He will worry for the rest of the morning about whether or not you will give him back his cherished knife, what his mother will say if she finds out about this, what his father wm say when his mother tells him, what his aunt (who gave him the knife for his birthday) will say about his carelessness - and what "the fellers'- will say. The chain reaction won't stoo with Jimmy. Joey will be thinking, "She's an old meanie. But I wouldn't give up mv knife as easily as that": Helen will be thinking, "Serves that Jimmy right; that's what he gets for throwing snowballs at me." All the others with knives will be· clutching them inside their pock~ ets to make sure they do not meet a similar fate. The experienced teacher handles these situations differently. She walks quietly down to Jimmy and says, "Jimmy, I know how much you like your knife. It is a beauty. But just so that you and Joey and Helen and all of us can get our minds on this work, suppose you put it into my top drawer and pick it up at noon." Now, instead of all that worry and antagonism which would have been· aroused by the teacher's confiscation, Jimmy knows that he will get his knife back, and when he will get it. He also knows that his mother isn't going to set up a chain of recriminations. He didn't have to surrender it ignominiously in front of his peers. Jimmy can now regain his selfcontrol and go on with his lesson. Signal control and removal control - these are two methods which wise teachers have been u~ing successfully for many years to meet some of the situations where children need help to regain self-control. THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATOR \VJ\NTEI> Men And Women To Earn Extra Money ... 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