Teacher's teacher

Just when many teachers are not so happy with President Pinoy's cash gift, from ten thousand (P10,000) to five or six thousand if your salary has reached P30,000, here is another President Pinoy's order to LGUs not to give cash gift to teachers who are nationally paid. Definitely Malacanang knows how hard times are and any additional cash gift will be a welcome one. There seems to be a desire to straighten the way especially those which have been taken lightly by agencies. Perhaps the administration should move a little bit more humanely. If the salaries are all enough for the teachers' needs then they are sure to accept these drastic changes. President Pinoy: a little allowance in the spirit of Christmas. Give proper information and prepare the people well ahead of time. As of now we signed to accept what is due but anything beyond P30,000 will be subject to withholding tax. A Christmas bonus is a bonus because it is an indirect way of saying thank you for a job well done so if it is a bonus let it be free from tax. It is like giving it but taking it back some other way.

Another sad point is the Collective Negotiating Agreement: if before savings of the institution get back bigger than 50% now DBM will retain 20% and 30% for another purpose and to be given back is only 50%. Again, at a time when the spirit of giving and sharing should e the embracing spirit in the season of love: the people for whom all the government efforts are directed are the very same people who will benefit. Why? Why? Why?

Some teachers advance that perhaps the legal status of our President as single is a factor why he cannot fathom the real situation of married couples and other breadwinners. Then the fact that he was born rich makes him less sensitive to what the real score is in the day to day financial struggle that families have to address. Does the President know how much take home pay every teacher really takes home? We make fun of the favorite tour country every teacher visit: London (which really refers to Loan Doon, Loan Dito) so the so-called payslip testifies to the payments spread out to so many loan "doon" loan "dito" so the deduction takes almost the entire salary and the meager amount placed under net income is painful to look at and how far it can go.

Cash gift from LGUs this Christmas: Sorry no more according to President Pinoy is ill-advised. Teachers however, by virtue of their being teachers, feel badly but somehow manage to smile and say Well - - - that's life, "parang buhay". . . "Weather weather" lang yan. 

May this blog reach the eyes of those concerned.

CNN featured live the event today: the last day (up to December 31?) of the U.S.troops in Iraq. Clicking on, all other networks carried the story. For us viewers all over the world, the feeling is a mixture of joy that a country has been given back its sovereignty but anxiety because Iraq will have to stand up to its plate. This makes any concerned citizen of the world to offer honor to a great country, the United States of America for every mission it offers to those in need. We may not always agree with what troops do especially when they seem to take over another territory but what if there is no U.S. aid in the form of its troops? Other countries shout their protests and we can understand why yet we now for a fact how others also shout louder their plea for help. Imagine the lives that have been offered in the name of freedom. 

Teachers, like me, bring this scenario to the classroom for deeper discussions. In my classes for example, especially in Peace Education, we feed it to the minds of the young leaders. The feedback is not exactly inspiring but at least the idea has been planted: We belong to one world so we must care even it all we could do is talk about it.

Whatever is your take of the troops especially the U.S. troops and all the other troops who came before,during and after, especially those who died for the cause, there is no way we can deny the fact that they cared and did something about it, at the cost of their lives and finances - amounting to billions of dollars. We, the viewers and fellow citizens of the same world pay tribute to all the troops- to the U.S. troops - and say with sincerity thank you for making the world a safer place to live in.

 Teaching is a  mission and a vocation. Unlike a non-teaching personnel, the work of a teacher is non-stop. This is heightened by the realities of life like being parents or bread winners. So when Christmas comes along, a Teacher's wish is to have enough time with loved ones and enough money in one's hands. It was therefore good news for teachers when the Philippine government announced with all its glory that the teachers will receive ten thousand pesos. Yet already the whispers are a brewing that it is not really the amount as promised for the said amount will be TAXED. If there is anything that should be given freely and with love, it is a bonus. It comes at a time when love is in the air and the spirit is to make the employees happy especially the teachers.  This then is this teacher's wish this Christmas: that Secretary Abad with the approval of President Pinoy to announce with all clarity that every employee, every teacher, receives the whole amount PERIOD. Let this season think of the families and for once, no tax please.

Let us join in the wish and our wish will surely not go unheeded. Merry Christmas Secretary Abad and Mr. President!

One's nationality is not the sole source of becoming a hero but one's humanity. Efren Penaflorida is Filipino and the first CNN Hero and now Robin Lim,Filipino-American working in Indonesia is another CNN hero. Life is what you make of it and all other trimmings are just ways of helping you out in doing better at what you are doing.  

This is life's teaching moment: heroism begins in one's heart: the desire to reach out to others and in so doing find one self. We have many heroes in the world: foremost are our parents who love us unconditionally. More admirable are parents who become parents not because they bear the children but through adoption become the parents of the children. Whatever is your state in life, what matters is to live life to the fullest and hero or not, you have ultimately speaking, become hero in your own right.

To all the heroes, God be with you! Thank you God for giving them to mankind.

Are you? If you are, please reserve December 27-29, 2011 for we the graduates of Bukidnon Normal School, way back 1940's to 1980's; Bukidnon State College way back 1980's to 1990's and Bukidnon State University, from 2000's to the present will have a grand reunion. The dates alone will tell you how grand.

Feel free to contact this blog through your comment if you are one of us but may not be able to come personally since you are now somewhere in another place scattered all over the world (what a term but what an achievement many graduates have achieved!) This blogger had been away from her alma mater since 1072 and only came back when fate destined it. Indeed destiny had a role to play for after teaching for so many years in different schools, am now one of the faculty members of the College of Teacher Education of Bukidnon State University and recently designated as the Guidance Counselor. Along the way, generous people like Ma'am Linda, Ma'am Remy and Sir Vic helped a lot in bringing me back to my native home, my land of birth and my alma mater. Hopefully, I will retire from the university in 2015 whether this blogger likes it or not (can you guess why?)

So are you by chance, a graduate of Bukidnon Normal School? a graduate of Bukidnon StateCollege? or a graduate of Bukidnon State University? Let us celebrate our homecoming on December 27-29, 2011 if not physically - at least spiritually . . . If you want to reach out do write in the comment portion and this blogger will give you more information. Initial responders? See ya!

Being designated the guidance counselor of the College of Teacher Education is a major turning point in my teaching career. Expect allusion to some guidance discussion points in the future. Hopefully if inspired enough this blogger will manage another focused mainly on Guidance and Counseling.

Since December 5-9, 2011 is Education Week of the College of Teacher Education, the Guidance Office, in coordination with the Study Body Organization is holding a symposium that will discuss in depth two major issues that seem to beset young people nowadays: suicide and unwanted pregnancy. In the future, we hope to deal more with human relationships or human sexuality of which many other topics will be covered.

Teachers and Guidance Counselors, all over the worlds, we should meet in blogosphere. Please tag me or invite me to your blospots and websites. Here is one waiting for your click.

Filipinos catholics and other catholics all over the world celebrate first Friday devotion.Source tells us that the devotion is in relation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is believed that Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary and spoke to her of His Sacred Heart. Among the promises is a teaching moment especially to every believer who prepares not only for this earth but also for life after: "All my powerful love will grant to those who will receive communion for 9 consecutive months the grace of final repentance - they will not die in my displeasure and my Heart will be their refuge to that last moment . . .." For true believers, this devotion does not only last for 9 months but  forever.

For the young and the elderly, this devotion reminds us of the time when nothing else matters but the Savior's Hand when the time of death comes. This is one teaching moment that should not be left to chance for if there is one reality that does not escape every person, it is death. Let it be taught also that the devotion is not solely to prepare for death but mainly to live a live so full that tomorrow can take care of itself if today is well lived.

Now this blogger has to prepare for school and join the others who will offer mass in the gymnasium of Bukidnon State University, Malaybalay City, Province of Bukidnon, Philippines.

Filipinos are noted for its values and one of these is bayanihan (helping one another). In the present incident we talk of twenty-five centavo coins donated by all sectors of society lined up in the open field of Quirino Grandstand. It is a way of helping build more schools and other projects while hoping to beat United States in the Guinness record of lining up cents as long as 64.8 kilometers. The organizers declared they have surpassed this very long line of cents (70 kms. long!) so let us wait for (we hope) not a very long time the declaration from the Guinness team that the Philippines made it.  

For us teachers what is more important is the intention behind the bayanihan. Imagine the help that will go a long way. Many volunteered and this is the real reason for celebration when volunteers get together to tell the whole world that big things begin with small things: twenty-five centavos can reach millions when every donor shares much. In the meantime, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is happy that the "lowly" twenty-five centavos have come back to be "recognized" as it hopes to build noble projects for the use of the less fortunate wherever they may be.

To all donors and volunteers: May your tribe increase and God bless!!! 

Whether you teach in the elementary, high school, college or post graduate levels, the challenge is the same: let us talk about Aids in our classes especially today, December 1: WORLD AIDS DAY. There is no doubt education is still one of the most effective ways to prevent aids. Even its dream to develop vaccine against aids will come from the education sector where geniuses are nurtured.

Education, from the Latin word educere or educare, which means to lift up and this alone tells us the vital role education plays in every facet of a person's life. It cannot be denied though that so many of the crises have bombarded humanity nowadays. All these range from personal, political to environmental-cultural social  and in some cases they overlap that our hope for better days and faith in God are our only reasons to hold on.

This idea of hoping and believing is also a good point of discussion in our classes. Teachers, Mabuhay ka! Long Live the teachers!!!

The Guidance Office of the College of Teacher Education in one university coordinates with its Student Body Organization to hold a symposium or panel discussion that will deal with issues young adults are confronted with. Two issues have surfaced for this gathering: Suicide and Unwanted Pregnancy.

Why suicide? While the university does not say that there are many cases of suicide, now and then, we hear of some of the students who died not of natural causes but of suicide. A particular incident this blogger saw for herself was the case of a seventeen year old male freshman who committed suicide by taking "insecticide". The mother whom we met in the funeral home related that her son did not give her reason to be worried about but she asked apology from the son that perhaps she did not do her best to find out. She told her son as he laid there in the coffin to forgive them but to please not to let go of Jesus who alone can understand why he did what he did. Many more incidents were shared by both parents that when we left, we made a promise to hold some kind of forum where young people will hear more about suicide.

Why unwanted pregnancy? Well, due to some Magna Carta for the protection of women, students who get pregnant without being married is not enough ground tob e suspended by the university. So we do find many students, from first year college to fourth year, sometimes, high school students or few elementary pupils who get pregnant who are too young to understand what they are going through but they going to become parents themselves.Before this situation becomes worse that it already is, a thorough discussion about male-female relationships, some of which lead to unwanted pregnancy, might follow the guidance principle: "Prevention is better than cure." From our end, we can think of it as a proactive response to more issues that also need equal attention. Future blogs will share the salient points  the resource speakers will tell the audience. Can you share some insights?