Teaching as an Art Form

After an event that I directed, I had an interesting conversation with Judah Paolo, and Josh and Danielle, two radio DJ's, in the backstage.  While the staff, the artists, and guests were congratulating each other for the success of the event, I joined the three of them in their post-event snack to tell them what a great job they had done and that I looked forward to working with them again.  During our short banter, I told them that I was a teacher and that I enjoyed doing it.  I told them that I had never felt so fulfilled.  I added that for me, my experience in the corporate world before was nothing compared to teaching.  Judah asked me what the truth in my life was and I told him it was teaching.  He then asked me, "Is teaching a form of art?".  I answered both seriously and jokingly, "Well.  Yes, teaching is a form of art.  If art explores humanities, then art explores humans.  As a teacher, we get to explore students who are humans.  So yes, teaching is a form of art."   He also told me that there are two most fulfilling professions, being a priest and teaching.  I agreed.  No one can put a price on teaching.  Teaching is priceless.  It has rewards that are beyond measurable, beyond space, beyond time.

Days after our conversation, my mind explored the idea of art in relation to teaching - teaching as an art form.  I couldn't seem to get it off of my head.  I googled "teaching as an art form" and there were 40, 600 hits.  I read some of them and some of them were enlightening, some were flat out experience-based and so I said to myself that I would make another one slanting towards the basic definition of art and its scope in teaching.  I wish to share this to everyone most especially to my fellow teachers.  What seems to be a simple answer actually turns out to be a rather deep and fulfilling journey for the reconciliation of these two ideologies.

Art is most often understood to refer to painting, film, photography, sculpture, and other visual media.  Music, theatre, dance, literature, and interactive media are included in a broader definition of art or the arts.  Until the 17th century, art referred to any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences, but in modern usage, the fine arts are distinguished from acquired skills in general. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art)

Naturally, art is a product of someone who is skilled in fine arts.  Thus, we call painting, film, photography, sculpture and other visual media arts.  Include to this, music, dance, literature, and interactive media that comprise the broader definition of art.  These genres of art must (of course) be created or produced by artists (or so they are called) so we may regard them as a fine form of art.

Many definitions of art have been proposed by philosophers and others who have characterized art in terms of mimesis, expression, communication of emotion, or other values.  (Ibid.)  Philosophers in the earlier times characterized art simply as a form of fine and rather polished expression and the skillful and the creative artists that we are should serve as the conduit of that expression.  But once again, we can't merely express.  We should be (I repeat) skillful and creative.  This skillfulness or creativity should lead to the related concept of philosophy known as aesthetics.

On the other hand, the humanities include ancient and modern languages, literature, history, philosophy, religion, and visual and performing arts such as music and theatre.  The humanities that are also regarded as social sciences include technology, history, anthropology, area studies, communication studies, cultural studies, law and linguistics. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanities.)  

Before we actually get overwhelmed with the wordplay Wikipedia quotes for us, let's just deduce that humanities actually encompass a broader scope than art does.  So, I stand corrected.  Humanities studies the arts.  And arts contribute information for the deeper understanding of humanities.  

What then does this premise have to do with teaching as a profession?

Teaching, as a vocation, has been defined by many as a calling, and most importantly (for me) - life's purpose, and a mission.  Just recently, I heard someone commented, "I don't believe that teaching is a calling.  I think people teach because of course they also want money."  I wanted to respond to it but since it wasn't being addressed to me, I withheld my thought.  I must say, however, that it bothered me as a teacher.  It bothered me because in a way, I felt that teachers who think that way could give this profession a bad name; this profession that so many teachers at heart take pride of even at their old age; this profession that so many teachers cherish that even if they are being asked to retire they still stay in the profession for the love of it - for the love of shaping young minds who will eventually become the carrier of the torch of the new generation.

(To be continued.)

The Filipino Expression in Retrospect

Earlier this morning, while I was browsing my FB account, I came across an interesting comment from an FB friend.  His comment asked whether the use of "po", "ma'am", and "sir" is good or bad for our culture.  He further asked in the same comment if such practice limits the ability of two people to interact with each other on equal footing.  Some of notable follow-up comments suggested that it would make for a sound research in sociolinguistics.  Some expressed their discomfort to be on the receiving end of such expression.  Of course, there was also the comment that some people impliedly require others to address the former accordingly making sure those "beneath" them never get up to eye level.  Another comment from the same person said that respect may also be shown by by being kind.  I then commented with my own observation.  To sum up, I ended up updating my FB status to "Respect is seeing how the other person sees it and doing how the other person prefers it done."

I would like to limit this short discussion to the use of the following Filipino expressions: use of

• "po" and "opo";
• "ma'am" and "sir"; and
• "ate" and "kuya"

Before I go to the present use of these expressions, allow me to trace their origin.  

Po and Opo

Po/ Opo is a sign of respect and we've been taught to say these expressions to the elderly.  Po is a contraction of the word "apo" (accented on the first syllable) so whenever we say "Ano po iyon" we are actually saying, "Ano, apo, iyon?"  The word apo means lord (in English) so saying po is a sign of submission and saying "Opo, panginoon" is redundancy (in the earlier times).  Opo is the shortened form of "Oo, apo."  Apo (also) basically was used by Filipinos especially in the preoccupation period when they referred to their kings and bosses. (http://forum.wordreference.com)  These expressions then evolved to its use to address our parents and other elderly since they were on top of the social hierarchy during the mentioned period.  Since language evolves with culture, naturally when our culture shifted, the use of po and opo followed the course.

Ma'am and Sir

Use of ma'am and sir differs even in some of the regions in the United States.  For instance, if you go to South Carolina, Southerners are adamant that use of these expressions shows good manners and respect when both adults and kids use it.  While Northerners can't bring themselves to say the words.  A grandmother who lives in Long Island, for example, told her grandkids not to say "Yes, Ma'am." or "No, Sir" as "it sounded subservient." (http://www.aquestforgoodmanners.com)  

Here in the Philippines, Filipinos when speaking in English may substitute po and opo with ma'am or sir.  A book about Basic Tagalog that I read suggested that since there is no direct translation of the words po and opo in English, the use of ma'am or sir is acceptable.  Just like po and opo, ma'am (which is the shorter form of madam, thus the use of apostrophe (') to replace the omitted "d") or sir (which is a variation of the original word "sire") was used to address the ones in the upper level of the social strata. 

Kuya and Ate

Originally, kuya and ate are terms used to address the older brother and sister, respectively.  Today, however, "kuya" and "ate" are used to address the workers of lower ranks.  It is interesting to note that in the household, workers of lower ranks are referred to as either a "maid" or "boy" (sometimes, they are called "angels").  When being addressed directly, they are either "yaya" or "yayo" (yes, such word exists).  The common household helpers are addressed as "kuya" and "ate".  This may also apply to the helpers in the workplace.  We, Filipinos, since politeness is in our blood, always come up with euphemisms to make sure our language is reflective of our respectful culture.

When to Use Them

In the present day, the use of these expressions vary from one micro-culture to another.  In our country, as diverse as it is, since we are a mixture of different races, we adopt different expressions as we see fit for the environment that we grew up in.  Naturally, our choice of language and decorum in our younger years is very much influenced by our family, and distant relatives, including our immediate society.  We then grow up believing that "our way is the way".  But as we grow and we become more open to change, we realize that language is a product of evolution; its meaning, its implication, its effect are but relative to the movement of one's culture.  Thus, we learn to adjust our vernacular together with our behavior to what may be acceptable at a given situation.  On the other hand, there are those who are stuck in believing that "their way is the best way".  This could have been due to the fact that some regard their practices as superior to others.  The best example of this is the influence that is Western.  History speaks of how the West helped other countries become more civilized and more democratic (according to their definition, of course).  While a lot of nations acknowledge the help Uncle Sam provided to the then oppressed, we couldn't also deny that their power has its undue influence which is ever present in the culture of us Asians.  The weak follows their lead blindfolded, the strong, on the other hand, hold on to what is left of their heritage.  Thus, in some of our neighboring countries such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and even Vietnam, culture is priced in high-esteem.  There was a time when China was just a "sleeping giant".  Now, they have awakened and the international community feels its stomp when for some time the economy of the United States needed the shake.  There was a time when Japan closed its nation for about 20 years right after its humiliation from Hiroshima bombing.  Let us take a look at Japan right now, they value their culture and their traditions and we (Filipinos) bystanders look in awe.  Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are in the roster of the top economic players among the SEA nations while our country, our beloved Philippines, is in the roll of the lowest 5 countries.  The big difference actually may lie in how culture and tradition are given importance in these top countries as opposed to how our culture is weakened because of too much Westernization.  While the rest of the SEA nations do their best to stand on the shoulders of their elders, we try to break away from it.  We, Filipinos, cannot be blamed though because, seriously, whose shoulders should we stand on?  Are they the shoulders of the Malays, Chinese, Spaniards, Japanese, Americans and then Japanese and then Americans again?  Where do we get then our sense of identity?  Colonization has too high a price to pay not for our colonizers but for us.  

On the other side of the coin, we Filipinos have a colorful, rich, and diverse culture that just needs unification.  The first step is of course, to acknowledge its diversity.  From acknowledgment of its diversity, we may then learn to respect its diverse nature.  We may then see it under the spectrum of colorful rays that refract through a prism.  We may then define our culture to be an intricate web of inextricable rich strings that need no definition.  Because after all, that is what makes us unique as a Filipino nation.  Travel the Philippines, they say, and you've traveled around the world - from the West to Europe to Asia back to its heart, the Philippines.

Case in point: more than the use of these expressions, this article is about respect.  Respect is relative.  Respect evolves.  But what should not be forsaken is the respect to our culture and tradition.  Let us take pride that we use "po" and "opo" and make the Westerners (or other foreigners) realize that this is the Filipino way and since they are in our country, we would appreciate it if they do the same (I really appreciate foreigner friends who do their best to pronounce it without the semivowel "w" at the end of po - not to me but to some of the people they have just newly met).  And since ma'am and sir have become an inevitable part of our polite expressions, let us use them appropriately with due considerations.  Kuya and ate?  Sure, why not?  Words evolve as language does.  Maybe this time, it's time for the ate's and kuya's.  Po and opo from our forefathers, ma'am and sir from the west, kuya and ate, well, they said these words are Cantonese in origin, so Chinese?  Whatever the case, let's embrace it.

Now, it all boils down to this - there is no single correct way of showing respect.  Just like my comment, "It's very much a characteristic of Filipino culture to address the people who are deemed to be in position with "ma'am" or "sir". Equally true is when Filipinos use "po" and "opo". However, it's true that some people are not comfortable to be on its receiving end. So usually, I look for cues from the people I'm meeting. Most often than not, the ones that are very much socially influenced by the Western culture wouldn't mind to be called on a first name basis. On the other hand, Filipinos who are (pretty) traditional would still expect you to address them accordingly. Since respect is socially and culturally relative, it's best we consider the other person's frame of reference with regard to it. The easiest could be asking the person how he/she would like to be addressed. But if you are a person who has good interpersonal skills and can tune in to the person's perception of respect with regard to the use of the mentioned expression, you can follow your gut."

You must also learn how to assert yourself.  You may politely tell the other person, "Please call me June."  or say, "I'd appreciate if you don't say po or opo.  I feel uneasy."  But then again, what if the other person feels uncomfortable calling you on a first name basis or not saying po or opo?  Then go acknowledge the honeymoon stage of your relationship.  Besides, you'll have to start with a little formal tone and shift to a more familiar tone once you get to know each other more.

Once again, as my status says, "Respect is seeing how the other person sees it and doing how the other person prefers it done."

MI Kind of Teachers' Day

On February 10, 2012, Friday, Multiple-Intelligence International School celebrated its one of a kind teachers’ day.  I have been an MI teacher (a proud one, may I say) for almost a year now and this year I was baptized with the MI way of honouring and appreciating its teachers.

Last year, I told Brandy, my co-teacher, “I wish we’d join the world’s celebration of teachers’ day.  I feel jealous of the other teachers and I want to feel that I belong to the world community of teachers.”

She said, “No, mas maganda ang teacher’s day dito.  Mag-pre-prepare ang students for us.”

I said, “Ah well, it would still feel better if we are one with the world out there in celebrating teachers’ day.”

It was February 10, 2012, during MI Teachers’ Day celebration when I said to myself that I would never trade our teachers’ day for the world. J

I witnessed how our celebration made much more difference to us as a community of teachers and to our students as well. 

V-Day is MI Teachers’ Day

          It might be by purpose that MI Teachers’ Day is celebrated near to Valentine’s Day.  While the rest of the world was looking for a date and preparing themselves to go on a date (most especially teenagers), our students were brainstorming how to show appreciation to their teachers.  In the faculty room, instead of the teachers looking for possible dates, or places to go for a date, we looked forward to what our students have prepared for us.  As a first timer, I must admit, I didn't know what to expect.  What I knew however, was that I was excited.

           The celebration opened with the first year HS students.  Wearing red, they sang Seasons of Love from the famous musical, Rent.  It was only the beginning and the hall was already filled with love.  (I won’t talk about II-Industria yet because it is my homeroom class.  I reserve the right to save the best for last. J)  II-Liberalitas created their own version of Pinoy Henyo with Ms. Navia, their homeroom adviser as the last contestant to guess “Liberalitas”.  She was able to guess it to the section’s delight.  II-Veritas had their Dance Showdown with the teachers following the steps of the students.  III-Castitas gave each of their teachers simple but meaningful gifts that remind them of their teachers.  III-Frenum did an impersonation of Sir Nio, their adviser.  He wasn’t around but with CJ, he was.  Maimai also delivered a poem for each of the teachers and man, how she could rhyme.  IV-Prudentia gave a rose to each of the teachers and serenaded them.  IV-Iustitia ended it with a futuristic skit of how they would be talking about their teachers 50 years from now.  It was an amazing closing performance that told us teachers that we wouldn’t be forgotten. J

Attitude with Gratitude
     I have always liked listening to Teacher Joy talk.  Be it a simple message, or in a seminar, she always conveyed her ideas with passion and clarity.  As the founding directress of MI, she had always empowered her listeners by giving them messages to remember and live by.  I remember during the presentation of CMLI officers that was held in MI with empowerment of leaders as the main theme, she spoke about how letting students plan among themselves actually empower them to act, serve, and lead.  This was in view of the CMLI students organizing the event that was held that day. 

      In MI teachers’ day celebration this year, the students were empowered yet again to act for they were tasked to initiate a program and presentation of their own; to serve because this time, it wouldn’t be their teachers in front singing and dancing to make the lessons lively, it would be they serving their teachers by a gesture of appreciation; and finally to lead – to lead others, and to lead one’s self to make a difference by a simple act of kindness.

       In her closing, teacher Joy said that “attitude with gratitude” was one of the values this kind of event hopes to instil to its students.  She quoted the story of a student who went back to the village to give his teacher water from the desert that he ladled using his cantina (leather jug).  The student excitedly brought it to his teacher and his teacher drank from the student’s cantina. 

       The teacher said, “Thank you!  It tastes sweet.”  The student then walked away.

      Another student who heard the teacher’s remark asked if he could also drink the water, and when he drank it he spat and said, “Why did you tell him that the water tastes sweet?  It’s bitter and stale and it tastes like leather!”

        The teacher replied, “You tasted the water.  I tasted the gift.”

       Teachers don’t ask much.  We just ask that our students show us their appreciation and gratitude.  More than the water, it is the gift that makes us happy and today we received lot of it from our students.  Happiness!

               

MI Homeroom, Industria

           II-Industria, this is for you – saving the best for last.

I am usually able to express myself through words even when there is a stressful situation, or even when there is a heated exchange of ideas, or even when punch lines are required to make people laugh.  I have always believed that even if words are insufficient, one can choose words and construct sentences that are as closest to the truth, and that are as closest to one’s own reasoning as possible.  I also don’t break easily.  I know how to explain my emotions in my head in such a way that my emotions are transformed to concrete ideas and reflective observations.  As nerdy as it sounds, when I feel something, I am able to think how emotions are actually a product of the activity in the hypothalamic area of the brain and that certain chemical changes are involved to enable a person feel a certain way.  (I should stop talking about this now before I inevitably and excitedly go to topics this blog is not about.J)

The presentation started with the different nominees for different awards.  From the formal attire to the videos they presented, one could tell how much they prepared for it, and how hard they worked to come up with it.  They made me so proud because I could tell how their section had grown from 1^st quarter (and they had grown beautifully well).  During their preparation period, I inadvertently learned about their presentation while I was snooping around (Sorry class!).  It was my job to know what was going on inside and outside my classroom if it had something to do with school or their being the school’s students.  And trust me, it was a broad scope of my job responsibility that I enjoyed doing.  To cut the story short, I already had an idea on how things would go and when they found out that I knew about it already, they hated me (hate loosely used as “got mad or pissed”).  They were calling the nominated teachers one by one and they awarded them accordingly.  But even when I had an idea what the other teachers would receive as awards, I had no knowledge of mine.  What touched my heart was the picture of a father holding his child’s hand while they were both walking to the light with the song playing in the background, “You Raise Me Up”.  At my back, JM (who’s now becoming brighter and more positive), put a ribbon on my neck that said, “BEST DAD AWARD”.  And when I looked back at the video, it was the same award written on top of the picture with the dad and his kid.  They cheered and asked me to stand up.  (It was during this time that I couldn’t find the words in my head.  For a moment, I felt that my brain circuitry was reading codes I couldn’t transform into words.)  A bunch of balloons were carried by the boys from the hall entrance and after they gave it to me, they all knelt down (This time, the words were, “Geez!  Stand up!  Stand up!  No need to kneel down!”).  I saw some of the students and teachers wiping their tears.  (Again, I couldn’t find the words.)  I suddenly felt warm inside and the outer side of my eyes moistened.  Somebody shouted “Group hug!” and they all rushed to me.  “THANK YOU!  YOU MAKE ME HAPPY!  YOU MAKE ME PROUD!” were the only words repeating inside my head.  While looking at all of them, I thought, “Is their hypothalamus also feeling the same way as I do?”  That thought prevented my tears from falling because I myself found the question funny.

To II-Industria, I am proud of you and I love you.  You will forever be the first in my heart. J

               

Teaching the Teacher (Part 2)

Release Card and Burst Card and the 3G’s

There are also those who justify their actions to be generally accepted norms. They say it is normal for example to curse because freedom of expression is inherent to everybody. There goes again the freedom that often people put a misplaced emphasis on – freedom of expression. Some would say that we just need to let out and so they would often use the “burst card” or the “stress card” or however they call it (card refers to excuses). They so often use these cards to acknowledge their being humans and as such they need to release. Allow me to differentiate then release card from the burst card. I coined these two terms to represent two kinds of situations in which a person might find himself to have a sudden urge to say what we generally say as bad words.

Releasing is different from bursting. When we release, we are aware of what is going on inside us. It means that if an unfavorable situation happened and we want to say something about it, we acknowledge first its effect on us and then our thought processes our feelings and/ or actions by validating it in relation to such situation. Our thought validates our feelings and/ or actions by analyzing whether it is an appropriate emotional or bodily response or a mere go-with-the-flow response. (However, we should note the protective nature of our thoughts and that we might more often lean in bias towards appropriate to defend our responses.) A simple guideline to identify whether our response is appropriate is if we feel good about it and we spend less time rationalizing about our action because our inner compass tells us that we did the right thing. Go-with-the-flow response, however, is a cover I have observed people use to blend in with the current flow of conversation for example. Some go-with-the-flow people I’ve observed are the ones who incessantly agree with whatever is being said during the conversation even if the opinions expressed are not appropriate. (I usually observe this in parties where people try to not be left out with the so-called happenings. This occurrence is also observable when some co-workers get together to talk about anything they can express their opinions about.) They lose their mental faculties in the process of going with the flow so they blind themselves of what is going on so that they would be in with the group. Most of the times the go-with-the-flow people deny to recognize this kind of pattern. Mostly, it is because their thought processes the response with a certain kind of bias due to our inherent pro-self nature. These people would claim that it is normal to express themselves. I agree that is common but whether it is normal or not, that is the question. Normal means inherent to your psychology, biology, and sociology. Common, on the other hand, means that it is prevalently observable. Most oftentimes when these people say normal, what they actually mean is common. They think that since it is common, it is normal. Well, that is not always the case. This would lead us back to the two cards – the release card and the burst card. As I have explained earlier, we are entitled to a release card when we are aware of how our thought processes our responses. To sum it all up, we often use the burst card to defend our go-with-the-flow responses. When we release, we are still aware of our feelings. Bursting, on the other hand, is when our movements have become faster than our thoughts.

It’s not easy really to identify when we are releasing or when are bursting. Often, we will have done something first before our thoughts processes it, before our thoughts can identify whether our words or actions fall under the 3G’s (gossiping, griping, and groaning). As a teacher, you and I have the utmost responsibility to think before we speak or before we do.

To teach thyself is the hardest thing to do. But I believe that it is only the hardest if we refuse to be taught; if we refuse to acknowledge common (not normal) patterns that taint our character and integrity. So often, we defend ourselves because we believe its normal, but it is not really. Yes it is common, but it is not necessarily normal. As teachers, we speak most of the time to our students. Each word we say, each act we do, we can never pull back. What normal is how we are created in the holy image because that is what our true nature is – divine.

Teaching the Teacher (Part 1)

The hardest person to teach is thyself.  Oftentimes, we know the right thing to do.  We try our best to do them.  But sometimes, we just slip.  We lose our balance.  No single being is an exception.  It takes a great deal of effort to get back on track and maintain the inner peace that we need to function properly – inner peace of mind, and inner peace of heart.

 

I write this so that its readers would acknowledge that anxiety is a condition of living, one, which we cannot avoid, one that we must deal with.  However, many people are often scared to experience anxiety.  When they experience this, they suddenly just put up their defensive selves and do everything to shut their senses because they do not want to bear the uncanny feeling that anxiety gives.  Thus, they rob themselves of the essential part of their existence, again, anxiety. 

 

We all have our defense mechanisms when we are dealing with anxiety.  We have formed these defense mechanisms either unconsciously or consciously.  Unconscious defense mechanisms are the automatic responses we do when faced with a certain situation.  These are the deeply seated and imbedded practices in our subconscious.  Thus, when faced with a problem, one might simply keep quiet as he tries to figure out the solution to his problem by himself.  Or when somebody feels happy, for example, he might unconsciously be treating the people around him with some sort of a happy spree.  These defense mechanisms fall into the unconscious when a person doing it is not aware that such mechanisms are his auto-response.  The other kinds, conscious defense mechanisms, are what one has consciously learned based on experience, ones, which are chosen carefully through discernment.  Thus, if a person who is faced with a problem has suddenly become aware that whenever he is sad he becomes quiet and people notice such behavior, he may consciously choose to act naturally okay so that others will not see he is having some problems.  Or if a person who feels happy has suddenly become aware that whenever he is happy, he treats other people with some sort of a happy spree, he then restrains himself to do so because he has become aware and he acknowledges that his response may not be appropriate or healthy both for himself and others.  So instead of a spree, he may simply choose to just acknowledge his feelings and not do anything grandiose in relation to such feelings.

 

The challenge for most of us is that we do not know how and when we react accordingly.  I have spoken to friends and acquaintances about how I have observed them to have shown obvious defense mechanisms.  Many of them are oblivious about it, some are just in plain denial (another defense mechanism).  They know it but they just do not want to admit it to themselves.  They are the kind of people who are observed to repeat their old mistakes and revert to their old habits.  It is either because they are not aware or they refuse to be aware of their reactions.  Eventually, they form these habits and the longer they refuse to be aware of their unhealthy habits; the longer they suffer from cycle of failures.

 

The harder habit to break is that what we have unconsciously formed ourselves.  The hardest habit to break, to add, is that what we have consciously formed.  It is harder to wake a person if he is pretending to be asleep.  Change, no matter how big, starts from acknowledgment.  Unless we acknowledge the need for it, we will not change.  Self-awareness and acknowledgment are the keys.

 

Much more is asked from a teacher.  Everyday is an opportunity not just to teach but be taught.  Teaching moments for teachers are everywhere, from inside the classroom, to the hallway, to the faculty room, even to the malls, or someplace else for hanging out.  A teachers’ credibility to teach is only to the extent of what he practices.  Thou shalt practice what thy preach. 

 

Preparing lesson plans pertaining to academic lessons is not nearly as hard as preparing for my lessons, which have something to do with values formation.  While it is easy to master the aspects of grammar and literature (I teach English, by the way) it is always challenging to talk to students in terms of character because it forces you to first reflect the values in your self.  It may sound idealistic but if you cannot do it, you cannot teach it.  One most basic example are the teachers (and even some adults) who tell their students to not use impolite expressions.  The “F” word for instance, how many teachers say this word when students are not around?  I can only hope that there is none.  Otherwise, teachers who use this expression DO NOT have the right to tell their students to not use them.  Sometimes, some teachers also hide in the guise of being an adult as if being such has given them the right to do so.  But is being an adult more of not an excuse to use these expressions?  The students should actually be given more leniency than the adults because students still need guidance.  Adults, however, are expected to become more responsible.  I am not saying that we should be devoid of mistakes but to come up with an excuse and not acknowledge our mistakes is another story. 

(To be continued.)

Punctuality and the Six Pillars of Character

It was just recently when I entered Multiple Intelligence International School that I heard about the Six Pillars of Character – TRRFCC.  During my interview last April, I glanced at a bulletin board outside the administration office in their grade school department.  I read it as terrific and I said to myself that it was easy to remember.  I created a mental picture of six Greek pillars with the letters of T-R-R-F-C-C on top of it.  During our training each of the pillar was discussed briefly.  Its discussion was not lengthy but it was direct to the point as it was practical.  My interest on the subject grew and I started getting information about it on the internet.  That is what I wish to share to the readers thru this blog. 

Whether at work, at home, or at play, there are basic values that define ethical behavior.  These values are not political, religious, or culturally biased.[i]  The Josephson Institute of Ethics defines ethics in terms of moral duties and virtues that flow from six core ethical values.  We call these values the Six Pillars of Character:[ii] Briefly put, they are Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.  The Six Pillars of Character are ethical values to guide our choices.  The standards of conduct that arise out of those values constitute the ground rules of ethics, and therefore of ethical decision-making.

There is nothing sacrosanct about the number six.  We might reasonably have 8, or 10, or more.  But most universal virtues fold easily into these six.  The number is not unwieldy and the Six Pillars of Character can provide a common lexicon.  Why is a common lexicon necessary?  So that people can see what unites our diverse and fractured society.  So we can communicate more easily about core values.  So we can understand ethical decisions better, our own and those of others.

The Six Pillars act as a multi-level filter through which to process decisions.  So, being trustworthy is not enough – we must also be caring.   Adhering to the letter of the law is not enough – we must accept responsibility for our action or inaction.

The Pillars can help us detect situations where we focus so hard on upholding one moral principle that we sacrifice another – where, intent on holding others accountable, we ignore the duty to be compassionate; where, intent on getting a job done, we ignore how.

In short, the Six Pillars can dramatically improve the ethical quality of our decisions, and thus our character and lives.[iii]

These Pillars have helped me filter my actions and even the words that I say.  I simply ask myself, “Is this a trrfcc move?” whenever I am in a dilemma of choosing between two actions.  I then find myself standing in the middle of the Six Pillars and suddenly, deciding to do what is right becomes easier because these Pillars are so strong and you can surely lean on them.  In my head, I’m literally imagining these pillars protecting me from the dark forces. J

In the school, I practice referring to this whenever I notice students who are having a challenging time in choosing their proper actions.  As adolescents, my students are expected to somehow slip and have some missteps along the way and it is so much easier to simply just ask them, “Is it trrfcc?” than to make long litanies that could probably bore them.

In MIIS, I have the privilege of working with Mrs. Olvido, our HS Principal whose motto is “Be punctual.”  As I was organizing my thought to prepare a correspondence that I would send out to the parents of my homeroom class, her motto rang in my ears – be punctual, be punctual, and be punctual.  I would imagine her face light up as she says how much she values punctuality, punctuality, and punctuality.  It then came to me how this valuable habit can serve as a springboard to instilling the Six Pillars of Character to everybody.  Punctuality embraces the Six Pillars of Character in so many ways.  To be trustworthy means that one should be trusted to show up when needed.  To be respectful means that one should respect other people’s time.  To be responsible means that one should meet agreed deadlines.  To be fair means that one must be fair with people who are on time.  To be caring means that one must show concern to the people who are waiting.  To be a good citizen means that one must obey rules and regulations, and yes, the agreed time for work or for school.  Ultimately, to be punctual means that you are in control of yourself; you are in control of your time; and since you are in control, you are leading yourself.

The ripple effect of this habit is eternal when instilled to the students.  It encompasses the Six Pillars of Character that MI put so much value on.  We all know that character is first and foremost and character education doesn’t exclude anyone.  Let us see if we can start with the simple habit of punctuality.  Let us tell our students how being punctual can strengthen their character.  Ultimately, let us be the models of punctuality and the seventh pillar our students can lean on.  A word from Mr. Lopez, “Our father (Eugenio Lopez Jr.) never really taught us values.  He merely showed them.”

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[i] http://josephsoninstitute.org/sixpillars.html

[ii] http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/cc/cc.pillars.html

[iii] http://josephsoninstitute.org/MED/MED-2sixpillars.html

Teachers Walk the Talk with Positive Talk

Action and inaction are choices.  To choose how to think, however, is something that is hard to concretize – for whatever one thinks, he is the only who knows it.   Words, on the other hand, are thoughts in action.  It means that words that are spoken, by the mere meaning of the base of the verb “spoken”, which is the action word “speak”, are actually an action completed.  If action and inaction are choices, then the freewill lies within the speaker.  If this is so, the speaker can practice to choose the words he will enact or speak.  

That is the premise of the use of positive language.  To use positive language, one has to have the gift of freewill.  The good news is that everyone is gifted with it.  To exercise freewill means to be in control of our choices, to be in control of our actions, to be in control of our words.

Our words are a powerful tool.  It can build but it can also destroy.  It builds when it encourages, supports, and inspires, but it destroys when it gripes, gossips, and groans (3G’s – I heard this from Teacher Joy).   To add to these 3G’s are the 3C’s – criticize, condemn, and complain.

If walking the talk means to act the talk, let the first action be thru our speech.  Let the first action be thru our words so that we may become good influence to those who surround us and so that we can slowly open the gate that leads to growth and positive change.   To practice this, we can also keep in mind what John Maxwell calls the 3A’s – attention, appreciation, and affirmation.

Teachers are leaders.  They should walk the talk.  To walk the talk, we can start with our (positive) talk be it inside the school or outside. Nobody says that this new practice is easy but it’s worth the try.  We can only consciously put an effort to wear a positive lens to actively look at any situation positively until it becomes automatic, until it becomes a habit. J