Author Archives: M.A.D. LIGAYA
On Personal Accountability
One of my favorite poems is W.E. Henley’s “Invictus.” It was in a literature class in college where I first read it, that was at a time when I was beginning to ask a lot of questions about many things, including my identity. That poem taught me perhaps the strongest guiding principle that helped shaped who I am now – that a person is in-charge of his own destiny.
For me, the day a person says “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul” is the day that he is embracing personal accountability. Thenceforth he becomes responsible for his words, thoughts, and actions and whatever decisions he makes he ought to own them. If he succeeds and becomes happy as a result of his decisions he will take the full credit and the accruing benefits. Conversely, should he fail, should he not succeed in his boldness to take on the challenges of life refusing help from anyone, he knows there’s nobody to blame, not even himself. He acknowledges that being self-sufficient is not a fault. Recognizing that each person has his own mountain to climb and making himself an additional burden to that person is wrong is a virtue, not a fault.
It is the person who makes himself a burden to his fellowmen that should be faulted. He should be faulted for not making himself personally accountable for his own life. He should be faulted for thinking that it is the responsibility of his fellowmen to help him. Yes, “no man is an island” but each person should think that nobody could force anyone to offer help. Helping is something that nobody could demand from anyone. It flows naturally from the generosity of a pure heart.
Believe that people know when somebody really needs help. The good-hearted among them would definitely offer a hand. However, they are also wise, they are capable of determining if the problems a person is facing resulted from his unwillingness to embrace personal accountability. They know if a person is stuck in a hole dug by his own laziness and vices. They know that that person does not deserve help. Never assume that generous people are dumb. No person should push himself to the edge because of his irresponsibility thinking that somebody would hold his hand before he falls to the bottom of regrets. Nobody might and he would come crashing down to his certain demise.
The person who acknowledges personal accountability blames neither himself nor anyone when he fails in his undertakings. Instead of falling into the deadly trap of the blame game, he tries to figure out what went wrong and learn from his mistakes. He considers failures as pathways to attainment. He won’t stop until he succeeds, no matter how many times he fails.
On the other hand, a person without it (personal accountability) blames not himself but others for all his failures. For whatever misfortunes he encounters it is always someone else’s fault. When he fails in his relationships, the other party is to be blamed for failing to satisfy the standards he set. When he resigns from his jobs, it’s because his co-workers and his boss suck. When he could not find a new job, he blames the government. Even for simple matters like coming late for an appointment he would put the blame on someone or something else – like the traffic and the weather.
Heaven forbid that he also blames his parents for being poor and unable to leave a fortune he could inherit. Heaven forbid that he blames his siblings and relatives, branding them selfish, for not sharing their blessings with him.
The list of people and things he blames for his bad luck and adversities is so long but has forgotten to put himself on top of it.
It is not difficult to identify a person who is allergic to personal accountability. He is the one who whines at everything and whinges every time. He is never satisfied. His standards of excellence are so high that it seems none of the geniuses, past or present, could ever earn his approval.
For the person who lacks personal accountability there is always something wrong. The problem is he offers no solution to the wrongs and ills he sees. Compounding the dilemma is his strong sense of entitlement feeling that people around him should find a solution to his own problems.
It is not obligatory for any person to offer solutions to all the wrongs and ills – to fight all evils. Voluntarism is a rare virtue. And if you’re not that somebody with a strong sense of personal accountability who would come forward to resolve the problems, if you could not offer a solution to the problems, please don’t add up to the problem. Be not the problem.
At least, each person is being called upon to tread the path of self-sufficiency. Take care of you own problems and don’t bother others for them, directly or indirectly. Self-sufficiency is the starting point to personal accountability.
The Thanos Effect
It was surprising that nobody moved from their seats when the movie AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR ended. I wasn’t sure if they just wanted to see the post-credits scene which Marvel has been using as teasers or they could not believe how easily Thanos defeated the team of Avengers that stood on his way and turned many of them into dust after merely snapping his fingers.
I’m used to seeing a few people beginning to move to the exits of the movie theatre when the post-credits start rolling. But that time it was different. It was like Thanos applied his reality-bending power on us and welded our a – – es where we were seated.
Nobody stood. Like me, they were glued on their seats perhaps with jaws dropped and eyes wide open not believing what just happened. They probably didn’t expect it to end the way it did. Spoilers have already warned the movie goers (who do not mind reading them) that Avengers would die trying to prevent Thanos from getting all the infinity stones. However, they and I never thought it would be that many.
It seemed that just like me, the moviegoers stayed for they were hoping that instead of a teaser what Marvel designed for the post-credit scene is to have everything Thanos did getting undone. Perhaps the gods and goddesses (creators) of the Marvel “movieverse” could have possibly used it as an opportunity to introduce time-travelling LORD IMMORTUS who would have moved back everything to the time that Thor attacked Thanos, tell Thor in the process to change his aim and make him target, not the titan’s chest but his arm with the gauntlet so he would not be able to put his thumb on his middle finger and do that infamous finger snap.
The post-credit scene which Marvel cruelly put at the very end was not something I hoped for though. There was no LORD IMMORTUS, not even one of the TIME-KEEPERS who may have possibly not approved of Thanos’ intentions. What we saw instead was a confirmation that Gamora’s stepfather succeeded in “murdering half of all life in the universe.”
At least those among us in the theatre that time who previously read spoilers had the idea that certain Avengers would die. But the spoiler-phobic movie fans there who may have intentionally shut themselves off any information about the movie, and might perhaps avoided watching the trailers (which I sometimes do), were gravely disappointed for perhaps they were expecting an ending similar to the first two installments of the Avengers’ series where all of their favorite characters survived (except for Quicksilver in THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON) and emerged victorious.
It was possible that not a single one of us in the theatre was heartbroken when Loki died. Moviegoers dislike him anyway. That’s the unfortunate role of bad dudes like him in stories – to be hated. None probably minded when after killing the Trickster Thanos said, “There would be no resurrection this time.” But I was thinking if everyone of us went back to that line and started wondering if that applies to all of the super, mighty and seemingly invincible Avengers who disappeared in thin air after Thanos made that murderous snap of his fingers.
The Winter Soldier was the first to flake into nothing. I, possibly the other moviegoers also, waited with bated breath who would go next after him.
Then one by one the other Avengers disintegrated – the Black Panther, the Scarlet Witch, and the Falcon. Those whom Thanos defeated in Titan were not spared. Dr. Strange, the Guardians – Star-Lord, Groot, Drax and Mantis were also reduced to dust.
Also killed by Thanos, aside from Loki, were Gamora, Heimdall, and the Vision.
The silence that engulfed the movie theatre after the post-credit scene reminds me of a funeral.
I am not sure If anyone of us cried. I didn’t. I was just a little bit moved when Peter Parker sobbed unabashedly clinging to dear life when it became obvious to him that he was randomly chosen in Thanos’ selective slaughter.
But the post-credit scene offered a glimmer of hope. Before Nick Fury disappeared, he successfully sent what appeared to be a distress signal to Captain Marvel paving the way for “AVENGERS 4.”
Of course, some of the Avengers, if not all, will be resurrected in the next Avengers movie. As to who among them will be brought back to life is anybody’s guess.
Limang Taon Na…Limang Taon Pa Sana
Mahigit limang taon na pala ako dito sa South Korea. Salamat sa Dakilang Maykapal sa pagkakataong ito. Mahaba-habang panahon na rin akong nagtatrabaho dito bilang guro sa isang unibersidad. Sana’y kaloobin ng Panginoon na manatili ako dito ng mas matagal pa.
Napakagandang oportunidad para sa akin na makapagturo dito. Hindi lamang dahil sa sahod. Alam na ng lahat na mas mataas ang kinikita ng mga “professionals” na nabigyan ng pagkakataon na sa ibang bansa makapagtrabaho. Dito kasi, bukod sa pagtuturo ay nakakapagsulat ako. Napakahalagang bahagi ng buhay ko ang pagsusulat – isang bagay na napakahirap gawin sa Pilipinas dahil maghapon ang trabaho. Kung school administrator ka pa, katulad ko noon, ay kakainin ng trabaho mo pati ang gabi. Kung may accreditation eh pihadong nanakawin nito maging ang madaling araw mo. Minsan (o kadalasan?), maging Sabado’t Linggo eh may mga gagawin pa rin. Kaya sa Pilipinas hindi ako nabigyan ng oras ang hilig ko sa pagsusulat.
Dito sa South Korea eh magtuturo lang ako ng walong (8) 2-hour subjects sa loob ng isang linggo at naglalagi sa office ko ng dagdag na tatlong (3) oras para sa student consultation at paperwork. Ang bawat 2-hour subject pa eh kaylangang ituro lang ng 100 minutes. Apat na araw lang ang pasok ko, dalawa doon eh half-day pa.
Kaya napakadami ng oras ko para makapagsulat. Sa dami nga ng bakanteng oras eh may panahon pa akong makapag-basa at pag-aralan ang mga gusto kong matutuhan. Dito nga eh natuto akong gumawa ng sarili kong website kung saan lahat ng mga katha ko eh doon ko ipina-publish.
Hindi swerte ang naghatid sa akin sa bansang ito. Hindi ako naniniwala sa swerte. Nagsunog ako ng kilay at naglaan ng panahon para dito. Gumastos ako’t nagsakripisyo. Pinaghandaan ko ito’t ipininalangin ng taimtim. Ang maging ESL teacher at makapagturo sa ibang bansa ay bahagi ng “career path” na inilatag ko para sa aking sarili maraming taon na ang nakakaraan.
Nasa crossroads ako noong taong 2011. Kung totoo ngang may mid-life crisis ay iyon na marahil ang pinagdaanan ko noon. Naramdaman kong may mga drastic changes akong dapat gawin sa buhay at sa aking propesyon. Napakarami kong tanong noon at alam kong ang kasagutan eh wala sa Pilipinas. Dalawang taon pa ang lumipas bago sa wakas eh napunta ako dito sa South Korea.
Marami akong inaplayang universities sa ibang bansa noong 2011 hanggang 2012. Kadalasang native speakers of English na mga guro ang hinahanap nila. Pero alam ko ring may ilang Pilipino na nagtuturo ng English sa ibang bansa kaya hindi ako sumuko sa paghahanap. At sa wakas, matapos akong mabigo sa 2 personal interviews para sa 2 universities sa Middle East, sa pangatlong pagkakataon, isang university sa South Korea ang nagbukas ng pintuan at ako’y pinatuloy.
Heto nga’t naka-limang taon na ako. Nagtuturo ako hindi lamang ng English. E-1 visa holder ako kaya pwede rin akong magturo ng content subjects. Sa kasalukuyan ay pinagtuturo din ako ng university namin sa Graduate School nito. Hindi lamang mga Koreano ang tinuturuan ko, maging mga foreigners man. May mga PhD at MBA students ako na galing sa mga bansa sa Africa as iba’t-ibang sulok ng Asia.
Dalawang beses akong nakakauwi ng Pilipinas sa isang taon – tuwing winter at summer break dito sa South Korea. Bayad kaming mga professors na nagtuturo sa mga universities sa bansang ito sa buong isang taon kaya kahit bakasyon eh tuloy ang sweldo namin.
Sa isang taon eh katumbas ng tatlong buwan na nasa Pilipinas ako kapiling ng mga mahal ko sa buhay. At kapag nandito naman ako eh mula umaga hanggang ako’y gising na nakabukas lang ang aking Skype kapag wala akong pasok. Parang nasa bahay din lang ako dahil nakikita ko ang ginagawa ng mga mahal ko sa buhay. Naririnig ko hindi lamang ang kanilang mga boses kundi pati ang mga kantang pinapakinggan nila, ang tahol ng mga aso namin, at maging ang tilaok at putak ng mga manok doon. Kaya hindi ako tinatalaban ng homesick. Hindi rin ako dinadalaw ng inip dahil sa lakas ng internet connection eh napakadaming pelikula ang pwedeng ma-download at napakadaming educational and motivational videos na pwedeng panoorin sa YouTube. Dagdag pa na alam ko kung paano hanapin sa Internet ang mga live na palabas ng paborito kong NBA. At kung ayaw ko naman manood eh may sariling gym ang university na pwede kong puntahan at mga hiking trails sa mga bundok na pwedeng lakaran. May hideway ako sa isang bundok dito kung saan ako minsan nagbababad para magbasa, magsulat, uminom ng beer mag-isa, at matulog.
Pangalawang tahanan ko na ang South Korea. Kapag kinaloob nga ng Panginoon ay gusto kong maka-limang taon o higit pa na makapagturo dito. Totoo ngang “Land of the Morning Calm” ang bansang ito. Dito ay kumalma ang katauhan ko. Natutuhan kong maging mahinahon, maghinay-hinay. Dito ay natuto akong mag-isip ng maayos bago gumawa ng desisyon. Nagkaroon ng mas malinaw na direksyon ang aking buhay dito.
Dito, dahil nga sa nakakahalubilo ko ang mga taong iba’t-iba ang wika at kulay ng balat ay natutuhan ko ang mas malalim na kahulugan ng respeto sa kapwa-tao.
Dito sa South Korea ay mas nakilala ko ang aking sarili. Higit sa lahat, natutuhan ko kung paano manalangin ng mas taimtim.
On Perspective
I do have a friend who would usually be mistakenly identified as me. There were many instances that people in the university where both of us are teaching called me by his name and him by mine. Why? None of us is a dead ringer for the other but very likely that our similar built, height and rounded face would make people commit that mistake.
Seemingly bemused, he asked me one time, “Why would they think I am you? Do I look as old as you are?” I paused for a while, smiled then told him jokingly, “No, I think I just look as young and handsome as you are.”
As my friend laughed at my response, I thought that the contrasting way we looked at the issue has opened an opportunity for me to revisit the topic “perspective.”
That (perspective) is one of the most amazing things about us humans – our tendency to look at the same thing differently.
Anything in this world can be viewed from different perspectives. We get to decide at what angle we would look at circumstances, problems, events and even objects using lenses that are uniquely ours. We tend to measure the value of those things using our own sets of standards and label and define them according to our beliefs. Those standards and beliefs are shaped by the way we were raised by our parents, trained by our teachers, influenced by the people around us, and conditioned by our culture.
The sum total of the experiences we accumulated since birth and the amount and quality of information we gathered through the years from different sources are the factors that contribute to the kind of perspectives we develop as persons. Our way of viewing things depends on the belief system that those experiences and information impressed upon us.
Each person is entitled to embrace a particular attitude towards something. There are no specific measurement to determine the rightness and wrongness of perspectives. Only the consequences of a person’s action (or the lack of it) as a result of embracing certain perspectives could perhaps be labeled as right or wrong.
When we are about to take a perspective it’s like we’re positioning ourselves in the number scale and decide whether to go north or south. We can either be positive or negative with our perspective. Those are the only directions we could take when we look at issues and circumstances confronting us. It’s a matter of choice.
Perspective is said to be like a coin, it only has two sides. We flip the coin and choose either “head” or “tail.”
Our perspectives affect the decisions we make. They inform the things we think, say and do. Thus, while we are entitled to have any kind of perspective, in the same manner that we are entitled to our own opinions, we have to understand that we will bear whatever consequences there may be for embracing the perspectives we take.
We also need to understand that we could not assume that what we believe or see is definitive. Different people have different ways of looking at things. The perspective of the world that dictates the lens through which we see it is not the same for everybody. We need to develop the ability to see things from another’s viewpoint.
Perspectives can either be broad or narrow.
Having a broad perspective means being able to see the bigger picture. `
I once had a conversation with another friend about working conditions. He bewailed the fact that a truck driver in his country earns more than what he is earning in a year as an expat teacher. After listening to his litany, I told him to pause for a while and dig deeper into his comparison and consider other factors like number of required work hours and the physical demands for the job. When computing the number of hours, I reminded him that we as teachers are not actually working during winter and summer breaks but we get paid in full by the university as stipulated in our contracts.
He realized at the end that his pay per hour is actually higher than the truck driver and his working conditions are much better.
It is not really hard to train the mind to look at the bigger picture. It is easy to look beyond the obvious if only we’re open-minded. It does not require a special kind of training. All we need is common sense.
There are a lot more that could be explored in the discussion of perspective. At the end, the thing that matters is the answer to the question, “How do our perspectives affect the way we live?”
If the lenses we are using to view the world have brought us success and happiness, why change them. We’ve been told many times, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But what about if those lenses are seemingly broken and have caused us nothing but failure and misery? Is it time to visit an OPTIMIST?
Predictors of Organizational Effectiveness of RVM Schools In Luzon
ABSTRACT
This study attempted to answer the general question: How do various factors affect the
organizational effectiveness of RVM schools in Luzon? Specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions:
(1) What is the profile of the RVM schools as embodied by schoolrelated variables (of school environment, number of enrollees, class size, school fees, physical plant and facilities, library resources; and level of accreditation); teacher-related variables (of educational qualification, length of teaching service; and teacher commitment to job and to organization); and administrator-related variables (educational attainment, supervisory/administrative experience; leadership behavior-consideration, leadership behavior initiating structure);
(2) What is the level of organizational effectiveness of the RVM schools in terms of student performance in the RVM Achievement Test in the following subject areas English, Mathematics and Science?; and
(3) Do the profile of the RVM schools as embodied by the school-related, teacher-related and administrator-related variables the performance of the students in the RVM Achievement Test?
It was hypothesized that the profile of the RVM schools as embodied by school-related,
teacher-related and administrator-related variables have no significant effects on the organizational effectiveness of RVM schools in terms of the students’ performance in the RVM Achievement Tests in the subject areas English, Math and Science.
The researcher applied the descriptive method of research. The principals and the English, Math and Science teachers who handled the 4th year students during the school year 2006-2007 served as respondents and were chosen using universal sampling. For the results in the RVM achievement tests in English, Math and Filipino, included in the
study were the scores of 470 students who were randomly selected using the Table or Random Numbers from the total population of 2,050.
The data required in this study were gathered mainly through the use of the two sets of
questionnaires, one for the teacher-respondents and the other for the principal-respondents. The statistical treatment used were the following: frequency counts, percentages, means correlation and multiple regression.
It could be inferred through a comparative examination of the average scores obtained by the students in the three subject areas (English at 26.66, Math at 20.23 and Science at 16) in the RVM Achievement Test for School Year 2006-2007, that it is in the subject area English where the performance level was highest and the lowest was in Science. The difference in the computed mean is considerably big at 10.66.
The fifteen independent variables were significantly correlated with one another. Five independent variables were significantly correlated with the scores in English, nine in Math, and three in Science.
Three of the fifteen independent variables included in this study contributed significantly to the students’ academic performance in English. In both Math and Science, there were ten variables each that appeared as important independent predictors of the students’ academic performance in Math and Science.
The null hypotheses of this study which state that the profile of the RVM schools as
embodied by school-related, teacher-related and principal-related variables have no significant effects on the organizational effectiveness of RVM schools in terms of the students’ performance in the RVM Achievement Test in English, Math and Science were rejected.
Predictors of Organizational Effectiveness of RVM Schools in Luzon
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 