Makulit na Mister
Isang gabing maulan… ubod ng lamig,
Ang kawawang mister… hindi nakatiis
Ang buntis na misis biglang kinalabit –
“Honey, gising, alaga ko’y nangungulit.”
“Naku sweetie, iyong ipagpaumanhin.”
Ang sagot ng misis na malambing.
“Bukas kasi OB-Gyne ko’y dadalawin,
Dyahe kapag may naiwan doong something.”
Bumangon ang mister inis na inis,
Pinilit mag-relax at siya’y nag-isip,
Bumalik sa kama at tinanong ang misis,
“Bukas ba honey pupunta ka sa dentist?”
Kumpareng Baby
“Sino itong Baby na nagte-text sa ‘yo?”
Tanong ng GF sa BF na palikero.
“Aking giliw, lalaki ‘yan, kumpare ko.”
Sagot ng BF sa GF na nagtatampo.
“Si pareng Baby ‘yan, kabarong barako.”
Ang paliwanag ng batikang bohemyo
“Alam mo namang ikaw lang ang mahal ko,
Ako giliw ay pagkatiwalaan mo.”
“O ano nga pala ang isasagot ko?”
Ang tanong ng GF sa BF nito.
“Kasi ‘di na daw tuloy ang lakad ninyo,
Biglang nagka-mens ang kumpareng Baby mo.”
What Teachers and Students Expect From One Another
Teachers do talk about their students. They share among themselves their best and worst experiences in the classroom and compare their students’ performance and behavior. This they do either in meetings or just informally during lunch and coffee breaks.
Students do the same – they also talk about their teachers. When they are not within hearing distance of the educators, they discuss about them. Students tell each other, their parents too, how good or bad their teachers are – how much they like or abhor them.
It’s not only the teachers who could express satisfaction over good performance of students or show discontent over their lack of effort in their studies. The students could do the same. They would show approval for the good effort put up by their teachers and convey disdain when they feel they are being shortchanged.
Both teachers and the students expect each other to perform well when they come to class. They both demand excellence. The teachers assume that their students have studied their lessons and have done their assignments. On the other hand, the students believe that the ones who will lead the learning process, their teachers, are prepared whenever they stand in front of them – that they have a lesson plan and they know how to execute it.
The most foolish assumption that teachers could make is to think that their students wouldn’t notice if they come to class unprepared. Students know if a teacher is not doing his or her job properly. It’s not only the teachers who could distinguish excellence from mediocrity.
Teachers require students to participate in discussions and other class activities. For that, they need to do their part. The teachers should never forget that there is a prerequisite to requiring the students to participate – motivation. Students expect their teachers to make them interested in the subject and to ask questions that make them think. They expect them to explain clearly and give sufficient examples for them to be ready to participate.
Such are among the pedagogical skills that teachers are expected to manifest if they hope to succeed in making students participate actively in their classes.
Students expect their teachers to be competent. The worst mistake educational managers could do is to not strictly screen applicants or blindly disregard hiring procedures and standards for whatever reasons and end up entrusting to somebody mediocre – to somebody not trained to be a teacher – the education of students. Knowledge coupled with the required pedagogical skills are what constitute competence among teachers.
Interestingly, competence and their correlates are not the ones that came out on top of the list of what students perceive as qualities of effective teachers. In studies conducted to determine what students consider as the best characteristics of quality teachers, those that relate to personality, not pedagogical skills, were the ones that consistently top the list.
In one of the said studies, among what emerged as the top five qualities of effective teacher as perceived by students, “the ability to develop relationships with their students” received the highest score.1 Of the four remaining, only “engaging students in learning” (ranked 5th) is related to pedagogy. “The ability to develop relationships with their students,” “patient, caring, and kind personality,” and “knowledge of learners” were ranked, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively.
Students and teachers differ in their perception of the characteristics of effective teachers. In a study that explored student and teacher beliefs on good teaching,2 teachers rated constructs related to their abilities as teacher much higher than those related to their personality. For the students, it’s the opposite. They gave preference to constructs related to the personality of teachers. Students who participated in the study rated “caring,” “content knowledge,” “safe environment,” “dependable,” “prepared” and a “teacher-student relationship” as most important when describing what makes a good teacher.
Again, emerging on top of the list, as viewed on the perspective of students, is a quality related to the personality of the teacher – “caring.” Note that “content knowledge” and “prepared” are related to pedagogy, the rest to the attitude and behavior of the teachers.
A very interesting topic for research is who can best answer the question “What are the qualities of an effective teacher – the students or the teachers?”.
Who is the better judge of what constitutes quality teaching – the students or the teachers themselves?
Teachers also expect respect from the students. That is something not difficult to elicit from young people like the students who are (supposedly) taught by their parents to respect people in authority. But even if parents were remiss of their duties to inculcate among their children that value, the teachers are always in a position to be accorded respect. The teachers, however, have to understand that respect is a two-way street. Students also expect to be respected. Their being the persons in authority don’t give them the right to embarrass the students either directly or indirectly.
In a study on students’ perceptions of effective teaching in higher education,3 “respectful” and other correlated descriptors were mentioned by students in a number of times significantly more than any of the other characteristics, including “knowledgeable” (which got the second highest mark). Student-respondents said that they appreciate teachers who are compassionate and understanding of the unique and challenging situations that students sometimes experience.
One of the proven ways of ensuring successful learning is for the teacher to ensure that a good rapport between them and their students exist. And the best way to do it is by not only telling the students what they expect from them but by knowing also what the students expect from the teachers.
References:
Salamin
Aking salaming nakasabit sa dingding,
Samo ko ay laging ibulong sa akin,
Na dungis ng iba bago ko punahin,
Uling sa mukha ko muna ang linisin.
Turuan mo nga akong maghunos-dili,
Na h’wag perpekto kung tignan ang sarili.
Pagsabihan ako na h’wag magmapuri,
Isiping ako ma’y pwedeng magkamali.
Sabihin mong wala akong karapatan
Na kapwa ko tao ay aking pulaan,
Dahil ako ma’y maraming kakulangan –
Pagkatao ko’y tadtad sa kapintasan.
Sa tuwing kita’y lalapitan sa dingding,
Paalalahanan ako oh salamin
Na sariling buhay ko’y dapat ayusin
At h’wag buhay ng may buhay ang punahin.
Sana’y tulungan mo akong unawain,
Na oras akin lamang sasayangin
Kung kakulangan ng iba’y laging papansinin
At pagkakamali nila ang laging hahanapin.
Pilitin mo namang ituro sa akin
Na galit sa puso’y hindi ko kimkimin,
Na inggit sa limot lagi kong ilibing,
Na kapwa-tao’y lagi kong unawain.
Oh salamin ako’y paalalahanan
Na dapat saliksiki’y tamang katwiran
Na kung tamang landas… aking dadaanan
Panginoong Diyos ako’y gagabayan.
Huli Na Ang Lahat
(Mula sa kantang “When I Was Your Man” ni Bruno Mars)
Kamang higaan ko biglaang lumuwag
Walang katabi’t sa aki’y yumayakap
Kanta natin noon na dulot ay galak
‘Pag ngayon nadinig ako’y naiiyak
Tuwing pangala’y sumasagi sa isip
Magugunita naglaho mong pagibig
Walang magagawa kundi ang pumikit
Luha’y aagos lugami ang dibdib
Kung yakap sa iyo’y aking hinigpitan
Kung panahon ko sa iyo’y inilaan
Kung ng bulaklak kita ay hinandugan
Baka sakaling ako’y ‘di mo iniwan
Nakalimutang kita’y pahalagahan
Pinabayaa’t hinayaang masaktan
Natiis na magdusa’t mata’y luhaan
Kaya’t nagpasya ka na ako’y iwanan
Nang mawala ka kita’y pilit hinanap
Ninais kong sa iyo’y magpaliwanag
Nanalanging hindi pa huli ang lahat
Tanggapin muli ako at mapatawad
Sa pasyalan natin kita’y pinuntahan
Nagbakasaling doo’y matagpuan
Sa nasumpungan labis akong nasaktan
Yakap ka ng iba’t masuyong hinahagkan
Lebron’s Greatness and Skip Bayless
For Skip Bayless of Fox Sports 1, Lebron’s 35-15-9 (points-rebounds-assists) performance when the Cavs defeated the Celtics to capture the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference finals was not great because of his 8 turnovers in the game. That’s typical of the said sports columnist – to always try to find a way to discredit the 4-time MVP. Bayless has seemingly made a living from bashing the Cavs’ superstar.
Plain and simple – Bayless hates Lebron so much that there is nothing the latter could do to appease him. Don’t tell that sports commentator that Lebron is the “greatest basketball player of all time” because he could give perhaps a million of reasons to prove otherwise. I am not even sure if he would concede that Lebron could be ranked at least as one of the greatest.
For me, Lebron is a great basketball player. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest. Only the blind can’t see that. I don’t like to compare him to any of the other “greats.” Identifying the basketball’s GOAT (greatest of all time) is a very subjective issue and it is not the intention of this article to weigh in on the discussion.
All I wish to do is to appreciate Lebron’s greatness. I am not an “honorable expert” in basketball like Skip Bayless, but unlike him I have lots of common sense. I am but an ordinary basketball fan who appreciates the fact that the Eastern conference Game 7 between Cleveland and Boston was the 100th game that Lebron played for the ongoing season. He played in all of the Cavs’ 82 games during the regular season. He played 7 playoff games each against the Pacers and the Celtics and 4 against the Raptors. Would you not marvel at that given the fact that Lebron is already 33 years old and playing in his 15th NBA season?
If that is not great then what could it be? That for me is an achievement in itself which can not be negated by anything – not even by the Cavs not possibly winning the NBA championship this year.
Would you question the greatness of a player who led a team that had to go through a lot of changes and drama during the regular season all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals and win it? You would if you have a mindset like Skip Bayless’.
It’s so funny to hear an expert like Skip Bayless say that the Pacers and the Celtics were destined to fail against the Cavs because both were young teams then argue that the Raptors, a team with veteran players with playoff experiences, lost to Cavs simply because they were afraid of Lebron.
Now, don’t dare tell Skip Bayless that this is Lebron’s 8th straight NBA Finals because I am almost certain he would point out that the Cavs superstar lost 4 times in his last 7 attempts to win the NBA crown. I am afraid he would even add that Lebron is about to experience the 5th time he would fail when the Cavs face the Warriors yet again.
My standards for greatness are not as high as Skip Bayless’… or shall I say I know a little of appreciative inquiry and I have decided to apply the said principle in a personal level. I want to search for what is best in people. Instead of being negative and critical, I chose to be appreciative of what other people accomplish.
Why will I count the number of times my fellowmen fail when it is better to take into account the number of times they succeeded. It’s their success I celebrate.
What makes Lebron endearing as a competitor is no matter how many times he failed he kept trying. That for me is “greatness.” The kind of example Lebron has been showing – the way he competes, the way he takes care of his body, the way he lives his life – is worth emulating. Lebron transcends basketball. He inspires a lot of people… except Skip Bayless.
Whether Skip Bayless likes it or not, the 4 times Lebron James failed to win the NBA trophy can never erase all that he has accomplished as a basketball player and as a person.
For the fourth straight season that Lebron and the Cavs will slug it out with the heavily-favored Warriors for the NBA crown. Oddsmakers and experts are unanimous in saying that Golden State will repeat as champions. Should that happen, I will choose to remember Lebron James as the leader of the Cavs team who overcame a seemingly insurmountable 1-3 deficit to become the 2016 NBA Champions at the expense of the Warriors themselves. That I consider as Lebron James’ greatest achievement… of course Skip Bayless would disagree.
Perhaps Skip Bayless is hating Lebron on purpose – to draw attention to himself. It could be his only way to be significant as a sports analyst.
Ang Larawan Ni Ama
Mahaba ang byahe. Hindi ko na binilang kung ilang oras bago ko narating ang maliit na baryong sinilangan ng aking ama. Nadadagdagan kasi ang inip ko ng yamot tuwing tumitingin ako sa relo kaya’t idinaan ko na lamang sa tulog. Nakadalawang bus at isang jeep ako pero kinaylangan ko pang sumakay ng tricycle. Sanay naman ako sa matagalang byahe kaso nga lang ay tag-ulan kaya’t maputik at mahirap ang magpalipat-lipat ng sasakyan. Kaya nga’t nagpasya akong hindi na lamang isama si misis sa lakad kong iyon. Mahihiluhin at mainipin siya sa byahe. Natyempo pa namang may paparating na bagyo kaya’t medyo mabagal ang tinakbo ng aking mga sinakyan.
Sumablay pa ng kaunti ang huling yugto ng byahe kong iyon. Nakalimutan yata ng tricycle driver ang kanyang trapal, o kaya’y tinamad siyang ilagay ito kaya’t ginamit ko na lamang ang dala kong payong na panangga sa ulan upang hindi mabasa ang…
View original post 4,791 more words
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 