Dilemmas in Growing Old

-

So March is the most exciting month for the students. I believe in that, but hey! I just realized that I got older a bit. Well, surely I am excited about the summer vacation, but not because I have plans for it. I grew up in a family culture where summer vacation is not a thing. Just vacation, no tours, no travels. And I think it's enough. What is happening at all those times that I have not posted anything on this blog? Well, I'm in an era of my life when rest is a luxury that I can hardly afford. 

 

So what exactly happened? Basically, I am a TEACHER. I should be in the school teaching my students mathematics, English, Filipino, and those sorts of things. But what I actually do is line up all the reports that I need to accomplish and all those extracurricular activities that have been boggling my mind. What is hard in being a teacher in this country is that there is no clear job description for us. All we know is we are being employed as a teacher, but our actual job is being a sacrificial lamb. A frontline soldier equipped with a chalk against all the odds. Everything is blamed on us, and of course, those higher-ups get the credit. That's the way of life. Warriors die, and the king is glorified.

 

I am writing my thesis proposal and am locked on the review of related literature. This gets messy sometimes. I don't think I can do it in October next year. Another frustration is that the Palanca Awards is starting to collect entries, and I cannot join. 

 

Well, things happen. Maybe I can do it some other time.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Teachers Should Read Paulo Freire as A Teacher: A Reading Guide for Freire

-
Image
JERONE AVEL S. CANSINO, MAED   In this article, I want to share one particular book. This book is titled “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” and for me, this is one of the best Philosophical pieces written about the impact of education on human society. It is a seminal book written by Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire. He published it in 1970. Here, he presented a critical and transformative approach to education and is often considered a foundational text in the field of critical pedagogy. I would love to say that as a teacher, this work has influenced me far beyond my four-year professional education training during my undergraduate school years. I have heard (or read) somewhere that you know you are reading a good Philosophical work when you get yourself disturbed and when your perception of reality is shaken. This exactly happened to me. The book is rather short as it is only composed of 4 Chapters. The first chapter justifies the “ pedagogy of the oppressed .” Here, he...
Read more

Book Review Making: Anthropology, archaeology, art, and architecture, by Tim Ingold, Routledge, London, and New York, 2013, 163 pp., figures, notes, references, index. ISBN 978-0- 4155-6723-7 (paperback).

-
Book Review Making: Anthropology, archaeology, art, and architecture, by Tim Ingold, Routledge, London, and New York, 2013, 163 pp., figures, notes, references, index. ISBN 978-0- 4155-6723-7 (paperback). Jerone Avel S. Cansino The book is written by Tim Ingold. He is a Professor at Aberdeen University, in the UK and a professor in social anthropology. He started his career on the Skolk Saami of North-Eastern Finland and the focus of his study range from the human perception to the Environment, to Ethnographic Methods by means of making, and the embodied skills perception. The book is originally entitled 4A’s because it is originally intended for the course Tim Ingold teaches in the four A’s stand for Anthropology, Archaeology, Art, and Architecture. However, it was mentioned in his preface that due to some recommendations and technicalities about the title, he agreed to change it to the present title. This original intention of this book is evident in how the discu...
Read more

The Message of the Talking Tree

-
Image
The Message of the Talking Tree Jerone Cansino Look at the tree illumined by the shadow of the night.  Look at him as watch the waves. As he watch the water break itself as it hit the ground, look at him.  Look at how he witness the change of seasons and how he count the appearance of the sun.  Look at the tree. Look at him how let go of his leaves and hold on to the same. Look at him as he grow with his feet firmly planted on the ground. Look at the tree, look at how he sing with the melody of the wind. Hear his cry as men destroy his kind with the least appreciation of their importance. Look at the tree as he shelter the small birds look at him. Look at him and hear him speak. Hear all the lessons he want to teach. Hear all those advises he wants you to heed. Look at him, look at him. He does not walk but he do exist. He does not work but he does serve. He gives more than he receive, he is indeed. ...
Read more