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

Beat Procrastination: Do. Laugh. Try (Again).

If the hardest thing to do is to start, for others, the second hardest probably is to laugh while doing, and third to try again when things go wrong. And usually, they are in that order. Procrastination is just one of those habits that hinder our progress and ability to accomplish things on time or when they are required. There are these 3 words that actually made me change how I view the tasks that are given to me – do, laugh, try (again). Hopefully, this could help others deal with their putting off habits too.
The foremost challenge we face when doing a project believe it or not is to figure out how to start it. Some people (like me) are so analytical that they tend to over-analyze information before getting their hands to work. Also, some tend to become overly creative when overwhelmed with the project at hand. The key is to just start not by thinking but by actually doing. Let me give an example: if you want to write an article, instead of merely thinking about the article, you can actually turn your computer on and start typing whatever thoughts come into your mind. Another thing is if you would like to start a scrapbook, simply grab a scrapbook and colored papers (if that’s your material) and start cutting and pasting until you’re done. If you want a new choreography for your dance troupe, start playing the music and face the mirror and start figuring out the steps. If you want to run or go to the gym, you just have to do wear your rubber shoes, and do walk outside and drag your legs to running. If it’s working out, then you just have to do get into the gym and do start lifting weights. They key is to move, to engage your physique to the completion of your project; to simply do. This reinforces habit #1 – Be proactive.
The second challenge is being able to laugh at ourselves when the initial outcome of our project is not what we have hoped for. Some people get easily disappointed with their projects because it’s not what they envisioned so they tend to put it off again until they think they’re ready or more equipped. The fact is, if we are to put off our tasks say 2 days or so, we don’t get more ready or more equipped enough to fulfill it. It is an illusion too to wait for perfect conditions to arise before we accomplish things, because our surroundings and conditions will never be perfect – perfection does not exist, at least not in this lifetime. So let’s laugh at the flaws of our work and let’s work with joy; then, let’s try again.

The 4 Agreements in Classroom and Life (Last Part)

Life Rehearsal inside the School

Yes, the school in itself is a separate culture from than of outside its walls and the school administration, staff, and faculty members are all but a part of the building of this culture.  When a student enters the school, it is the responsibility of the aforementioned group of people to make sure that the culture a student will live in is a culture that will enable him to grow as a person and not a culture that will rob him off of his self-esteem and self-worth.  And yes it takes that long of a rehearsal to ensure that a student is deeply imbibed with a culture of values and principles so that he can face even more challenging tasks ahead of his life when he’s no longer inside the school wall.

The first 18 years of life are the most delicate years in one’s development.  Freudian and even Eriksonian psychology have both proven how issues in these first few stages are carried on to adulthood and how adults struggle to put things together in perspective in connection with their childhood and adolescence conflicts.  Naturally it follows that aside from the family home, the school culture is the next of kin that molds students.  As students grow older, they spend more hours at school, probably even more hours than they spend being with their family.  A high school student approximately spends an average of 10 hours to 12 hours a day with school people and 8 hours sleeping.  That would leave them 4 to 6 hours as time for themselves and talking to other member of the families.  If you do the math, you’d figure how their social life is centered on the school system.  This system is what schools have to work on to protect so that an average of 10 to 12 hours a student spends in its walls shall count on his young life.

It is an amazing realization on my part that four simple agreements can make a difference in a child’s life if these agreements are lived by to heart in the school.  It is yet one of the most brilliant and straightforward ideas those teachers can reinforce from time to time in the classroom and in the school as a whole.  It is with fervent hope that when we release the students to join the world out there, that they may choose their thoughts carefully and speak only about the best of people, and situations no matter how hard it may be; that they choose integrity, word of honor, and positive language in their communication; that they choose to smile at others and be compassionate to those who may look at them as enemies instead of violently fighting back – this is because their self worth is not something others can steal because they understand that they shouldn’t take things personally; that they are clear with their communication and they are responsible at any given time because they don’t assume; that in every minute of the day they choose to live their best self because that’s what these agreements are all about; that as educators and builders of school culture we let students become this because, as well, we are impeccable with our words, we don’t take things personally, we don’t make assumptions, and we always do our best.   Yes, 4 simple agreements to keep rehearsing our students to be the best people they can be everyday.  Everyday, the curtain opens.  As teachers, we get to teach.  As students, they get to perform.  Curtain calls.