In the beginning, there was a Pencil Maker who spoke to a Pencil, saying,
“There are 5 things you need to know before I send you out into the world.
Always remember them and you will become the best pencil you can be.
First: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you will allow yourself to be held in Someone’s hand.
Second: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time but this is required if you are to become a better pencil.
Third: You have the ability to correct any mistake you might make.
Fourth: The most important part of you will always be on what is inside.
Fifth: No matter what the conditions are, you must continue to write. You must always leave a clear, legible mark no matter how difficult the situation.
The pencil understood, promising to remember these and went into the box understanding its Maker’s purpose now.
Archive for March, 2009
The Parable of the Pencil
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009Is it Full?
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
“Is it full?” is a popular science experiment that we do to enrich our discussions about the concept of full or empty. For this activity, the teacher usually prepares a glass, some pebbles, sand, and water. As the different items are poured into the glass, the students are asked if the glass is full. Usually, they would say ‘yes’, then end up being amazed because the glass apparently is not full as other items such as the sand and water can still fit inside.
I have known this experiment for years. However, just recently, I read a former classmate’s post in a social networking site- an article that had given this simple activity an inspirational twist.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a
very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They
agreed that it was. (more…)
On Faith, Trust, and Hope
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009I got this text from a friend of mine… a friend who share the same sentiments as me… I guess we need something like this once in a while… Read on and be inspired.
One day the villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of the prayer, everyone gathered but only one boy came with an umbrella. That’s FAITH…
When you throw a one year old baby in the air, he laughs because he knows you will catch him. That’s TRUST…
Every night, we go to bed. Though we are not sure that we will get up tomorrow, we still have many plans for the coming days. That’s HOPE…
I put my FAITH and TRUST in God… With HIM in the midst of my being, I shall never lose HOPE…
Embracing our Mother Tongue
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009My friends in Pinoy Teachers Network are involved in a crusade to promote the usage of Filipino as the language of learning. In my case, I have been a teacher in a school where English is the primary medium of communication for 7 years now. With this, I cannot say that learning has been compromised, since, over the years, we have somehow been successful in producing learners who are wholistically developed and competent. English has been effective since this language is not new to the students in our school. Most of them have families who vastly promote this language at home. This scenario is not true especially when it comes to students who are in public schools. For this children, Filipino is the language that is familiar and relevant to them. Hence, this manifesto poses a glimmer of hope more so to the underprivileged citizens of this country… For most of our impoverished families, they view education as their gateway towards a brighter and better future. They try their best to send their children to school- even if the consequence would be tightening the budget for meals and other things. I am in favor of this noble proposition- a proposition that is based on strong evidence and research. A proposition that may lead to the eventual upliftment of the educational system of this country.
Education for All:
Building Strong Learning Foundations thru the Mother Tongue
A MANIFESTO
Philippine basic education is now at a critical crossroad.
It now calls for the revisiting of our commitment to Education for All (EFA) 2015. All stakeholders have to be vigilant and involved. Otherwise, education will just be a weak transformative power in our society. Instead of education for all, it will be education for the few; instead of seeing Filipino youth become critical thinkers, coherent communicators, and productive citizens; we will see a generation of unreflective and mediocre mouthpieces of languages not their own.
The Man and the Woman by Victor Hugo
Monday, March 9th, 2009As a tribute to all the women in the world, my good pal Rej shared this fine piece of literary work by Victor Hugo… It offers a point by point argument as to why women should be regarded as equals of men… Definitely, a must-read for the daughters of Eve…
“Who said that the woman is inferior to man? I maintain that man and woman are equal”
Man is the highest of all creation…Woman is the most sublime of all ideals.
God made for man a throne, for a woman an altar; the throne exalts, the altar sanctifies. (more…)
Are You an Achiever?
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
I saw this article in one of my files and I thought of sharing it and posting it in my blog site… I was told before that I was an achiever. In our culture, it is not normal for people to openly admit this. However, I am not denying that competition fuels me to pursue greater dreams in life. Right now, with years and maturity slowly injecting my system, I try to re-construct this framework into something more constructive… such as competing against myself and my capabilities… Well, for those who want to ask themselves if they are achievers or not, David Rohlander outlined an informative list of 10 characteristics of an achieving person. (more…)
