NCBD Dreams

July, next to December, is my second  much loved month of the school year. I know the teachers reading this are bobbing their heads as I put December on top of my list.  But, golly! July is just a few points behind the gift-giving month.

I started loving July when I learned about the National Children's Book Day or NCBD.

 I've heard about it in my Children's Literature class circa 2007 (Thanks to Teacher Portia!) Back then, for a number of imaginable reasons, I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. One, we never had any NCBD celebration when I was in grade school and high school, given that the NCBD is a 28-year-old fete, and I'm only 23. Two, our librarian-slash-guidance counsellor didn't know that such celebration exists nor did I know that she was the librarian in that textbook-full room. Three, I wasn't yet hooked on children's  books then (the lamest excuse I could think of).

In the traditional school calendar, July is dubbed as the Nutrition Month. I think our Department of Health (DOH) is the instigator, rather, brain behind this nationwide event which the Department of Education (DepEd) adapts and implements on a nationwide scale. 

(Thank you DOH! I believe, with all my heart, that in your theme-brainstorming meetings, there are other topics aside from breastfeeding. So why be fixated on breast-

feeding alone?

And DepEd, please do not copy everything. I think you have the power to change/modify the theme.  Make it something more relevant, meaningful and developmentally-appropriate. I am not in the position to give you a lecture on this.)

Unlike the highly-celebrated nutrition month, the NCBD is just like a drizzle quenching the thirst of teachers, librarian and students for books. I'm guessing that the DepEd annually  releases a memorandum advising, if not requiring, schools to have modest NCBD activities. I'm sure that the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY), the one spearheading this affair,  never forgets to inform the education bureau the impact of this event to the lives of the Filipino children and to the history of Philippine literature.  For a number of years, NCBD posters, sponsored by Jollibee and, I guess, Adarna Publishing House, in coordination with the PBBY, are issued to different institutions.

Of course, for free.  But how come that out of the 10 teachers that I asked about their school's NCBD event/s, only one excitedly said yes, they are having an NCBD school program? And the others texted back with "Anong NCBD?"  True story. Epic fail.

Children's Lit advocates, WE still have so much work to do.

Yes, I agree with the great Ma'am LDR (Lina Diaz de-Rivera), teacher of teachers of children's literature in UP Diliman, that we are in the Golden Age of Philippine Children's Literature . There are more companies now that are publishing high-quality books for kids. Okay, there are some books that need to be sent back to their editors or to their FGD groups. The number of writers and illustrators for children is growing  __________. a) fast; b) faster than my toe nails: c)period. Different NGOs who are big on children's literature like PBBY, Alitaptap Storytellers, Kuwentista ng mga Tsikiting (Kuting), Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK) are gaining more members and volunteers. These are just some of the signs that the state of Philippine children's literature has gotten better.

But why do  I feel that something is missing in that measure of success?

In one of my daydreams, I pictured a festive  third Tuesday of July in almost all Philippine schools. Students are swelling with joy as they read stories written for them by their fellowmen. Teachers are busy choosing locally-published  books to be included in their class reading list. Authors and illustrators are touring different schools for book talks--signing copies of their books as their fans giggle in excitement. And the most ambitious of all, for the first time in Philippine television, the president is reading a Rene Villanueva or an Almario story and ending the storytelling with this:

"Mga kababayan, lalo na sa mga kabataan, Happy National Children's Book Day!"

Where are Thou First Day Jitters?

Classes started last Thursday,June 16. I'm in my third year of teaching. And I'm still occupying the same room and handling the same advisory class. I love being a Grade 4 adviser. Welcoming tots from the primary level. Grooming them to become better pre-puberty kiddos.

This year is the year of drastic changes.

No more mom to

1.iron our uniforms
2.prepare a cup of coffee to awaken my half-awake senses
3.double-check if the spoon and fork is in my lunch box

every morning. This forces me to leave (and fix) my bed much earlier than usual. If I fail to do that, I'd end up having an empty stomach while racing against the hands of the school's bundy clock. The perils challenges of not having a mom or dad.

The biggest change this school year is the new set of people I'll be working with. There are more new teachers to befriend. That being the case, I've started implementing my OPERATION FC (feeling close). I'd like to think that I have reached my goals after meeting three new friends. And they made it easy for me to integrate in their established group. And now, I've started showing them my true color--

having a high-level of likable meanness

. I hope that with them on my side, all the negative vibes would be turned into laughing stocks.

It's a totally different year for me as an adviser-teacher because I didn't have the usual first-day-of-school jitters unlike in the past two years. I guess, it's a sign that I'm really growing in this profession. To put it bluntly, a sign of aging. It's a sign that I'm no longer like the main character in the book

(Btw, I read this story to my fourth graders on the first day of school.)

The jitters are gone because I am (already)so sure of myself. That teaching is really really for me. Now, I have fully understood the nitty-gritty of the subjects I am teaching (e.g. curriculum, approaches, competencies). Little by little, I am gaining the confidence and the desire to dream of becoming a textbook author or a curriculum developer. True story.

One of the things that really made me confident is the radiant energy that my classroom provides me. Here's a sample.

I'm now excited to do better this year. For God's glory!

Pagbabagong morpoponemiko G-T

Isang bagong discovery sa akin ang closeness ng letters G at T. related sila in terms of morphophonemic changes.
Narito ang ilang mga halimbawa ng salitang magpapatunay:

a. maGanda-maTanda (Ang weird lang kasi may popular notion na kapag mas bata, mas maganda. Pero baka naman, ibang klaseng kagandahan ang tinutukoy dito, like beautiful mind)

b. maGinoo-maTino (Pwede…)

c. maGunaw-maTunaw

d. palaGi-paraTi (Parang speech defect lang ng mga Japanese na nahihirapan silang ipronounce ang R ba o L?

e. daGok-baTok (may pagka-dyslexic lang dahil sa d at b, reversal nga ba 'to?)

f. hiGad-hiTad (Panalo to! Kasi nga may mga higad na mabuhok, kaya mangangati ka….di ba kapag makati ang isang tao, dini-describe na HITAD o malandi?)

g. magGuro-magTuro (pwede rin….)

h. biloG-biloT (may point ako….niro-roll ang mga bagay tapos nakakaform ka ng cyclinder na may circles sa magkabilang gilid)

i. pantoG-bantoT (same as letter e, wag na nating i-discuss, ang baho e)

j. lupiG-lupiT (related words...pag nalupig o natalo ka, may posibilidad na nakaramdam ka ng kalupitan ng kalaban o ng kapalaran)

I love pagbabagong morpoponemiko :)

P.S.

Nong nag-aaral kami ng dynamics, narinig ko ang term na mezzo (piano and forte) which means moderately soft or loud. In Filipino, medyo malakas o mahina. Gets? Mezzo-medyo. O ha!

Ang Puwersang Paulit-ulit

Habang nasa dyip kasama ang ilang kaibigan, napag-usapan ang isang magandang babae sa LRT na naka-spaghetti straps, at confident sa pagpapakita ng kanyang ma-kremang kili-kili dahil sa mainit na panahon at sa bagong lagay na deodorant.

Nauwi ang tawanan sa isang linguistic activity. Isa na namang serendipitous experience.

Na-curious tuloy kami sa mga salitang nauulit.

Nag-isip kami ng mga halimbawa--may gitling o wala.

kili-kili bukong-bukong mga balbal na katawagang pang-katawan (pribado)
tuktok siksik bilbil
liblib kuko (pwede na rin) dibdib
pokpok hithit ting-ting

Well, sinubukan naming mag-analyze. Siguro, safe kung sasabihin na ang mga salitang nauulit ay kargado ng positibo o negatibong pagpapakahulugan. At dahil nauulit nga, mas mabigat ang kahulugan nila kumpara sa ibang mga anyo ng salita. Mas may emphasis o diin kasi pag nauulit ang isang pantig o salita mismo.

Karamihan ng mga salitang balbal na terminong pang-katawan ay kargado ng mga negatibong pagpapakahulugan. Halimbawa na lamang ang kili-kili--na laging kadikit ang mga terminong putok, anghit, black underarms at maitim. Mga negatibong bagay ang naiisip natin kung nababanggit ang kili-kili.

Isa pang halimbawa ay ang bilbil. Tinuturing ng marami na makasalanang taba ang bilbil. Negatibo na naman. Kaya nga nauso ang mga negosyo nina Dra. Belo at ni Mr. Calayan.

Idagdag pa natin ang mga katawagang balbal sa mga pribadong bahagi ng tao. Isang taboo pa din ang paggamit sa kanila sa pang-araw-araw na pakikipagtalastasan.

Hanggang dito na lang muna. 'Pwede ka ring magbahagi ng iyong mga halimbawa, hypothesis at mga interpretasyon.

Si Mukhtaran Bibi at ang mga Munting Tinig

Kasalukuyan kong binabasa ang librong In the Name of Honor na ibinigay ng isang dating guro. Required reading daw to sa EDLR 101, nakalimutan ko na kung ano'ng course description, basta tungkol sa development of language and reading ang kursong 'yon. Naintriga ako. No'ng panahon naman namin, not a very distang past pa naman, ay di kami ni-require na magbasa ng kung anong nobela.

Tungkol ito kay Mukhtaran Bibi, isang Pakistani na ginahasa ng mga kalalakihan mula sa isang tribo ng mas mataas na caste bilang paraan ng pagbabalik-dangal sa kanilang "nasirang" karangalan. Biktima si Mukhtaran Bibi ng balikong tradisyon sa lugar nila kung saan oppressed ang mga kababaihan. Natutunan ko sa librong 'to kung gaano kalala ang sitwasyon sa mga lugar kung saan 'di pantay ang trato sa mga kababaihan at kung ano'ng maaaring mangyari (to the extreme level) sa mga tao, especially sa mga kababaihan, na hindi naturuang bumasa't sumulat--basic skills para tawaging literate ang isang tao.

To cut it short, sa halip na magpakamatay si Mukhtaran at mag-dwell sa kahindik-hindik na nakaraan, naisawalat niya sa mundo ang kanyang karanasan. Salamat sa midya, sa mga NGO at mga women's right activist. Exciting 'yong part na unti-unti niyang inaabot ang HUSTISYA. (Hindi ko na i-dedetalye.) Sa huli, nakapagpatayo siya ng isang paaralan sa kanilang lugar (first school for the girls) sa pag-asang sa pagkatuto ng mga kabataang babae at lalaki, unti-unting mabubuksan ang nakapinid na pag-iisip ng kanyang mga kababayan ukol sa pagkakapantay-pantay at edukasyon.

Habang binabasa ko 'to, parang kidlat na bumabalik sa aking gunita ang mga eksena sa pelikulang Mga Munting Tinig na pinagbidahan ni Alessandra de Rossi. Katulad ng lugar kung saan nadestino si Alessandra, hindi din gano'n kalaki ang pagpapahalaga sa edukasyon ng mga magulang ng mga mag-aaral ni Mukhtaran. Pero kung drama at drama lang rin ang pag-uusapan, mas mapapaiyak ka sa karanasan ni Mukhtaran. Naging mitsa siya ng isang malaking women's right movement sa Pakistan at sa mundo. Isa siyang inspirasyon sa libo-libong kababaihan na inabuso/inaabuso ng isang lipunang nagpapauto sa mga baluktot na paniniwala.

Salamat kay Mukhtaran Bibi at sa marami pang mga munting tinig na bumubilong sa isip ng marami na huwag puro pansariling pakikibaka ang atupagin. Na p'wede rin namang tumulong kahit isa ka sa mga nangangailangan ng tulong.

On Bourgeoisie and Selfishness

I had a memorable conversation with a former professor about career, life and other people last Tuesday.

It was the afternoon when she asked me to come over and put some order on her piles/tons of children's books. (She has more children's books than our college library's Childre's Book Section.) Good thing another former student assistant of her came by and helped me.

At five, we called it a day of tiresome sorting, shelving and sorting again (I had to devise a system). Of course, it wasn't for free (haha), 'though I would still have done it without getting anything in return. Teacher gave me her copy of

(an earlier edition of this one)

which I think every Reading teacher/major should have.

Then we headed to in

Katipunan for their first Super Panalo meals. They (Teacher and ex-co-SA) didn't know that that promo exists. There was something in the carbonara spaghetti and caesar salad that made me more comfortable chit-chatting with them. Way back then, I was this reserved, tight-lipped guy who'd seldom enter into any kind of banter. Some call it insecurity. Others label it as politeness.

But that afternoon, I was a certified FC. Feeling close.
I heard my self talk, not just listen. I listen to their personal accounts on teaching, career and life.

Since I know that they are so incline to children's lit,just as i am, I asked them if they've read

. I was expecting for a vigorous YES to be followed by a series of exchanges about the book's elements. But to no avail.

My teacher, who I look up to in terms of oozing passion for children's lit, mentioned the word BURGIS in her explanation. She doesn't want to go with the flow. The bandwagon failed. I got her point.

I have a very limited mind map of the word BURGIS. I almost equate it to selfishness. Then that afternoon I was pointed back to my

Oo nga naman. Unti-unti nang nadodomina ng mga foreign writers ang Reading list ko.

"Nabasa nga nila ang Hunger Games, e' ang

, nabasa na ba nila?", she quipped.

Then a sudden realization dawned on me.
Gosh, for the past two years how many times have I worn my volunteer's hat? How many stories have I read to less fortunate kababayan? How many locally-published books have I bought? How many times have I ignored the laments of

Then, they started suggesting ways on how to lessen the BURGIS in me; how to reach out to our kapwa-Pilipino. Then we sounded too idealistic.

Oh well, better have some ideals than have nothing at all.

SCBWI-CCP Conference

Hear ye! Hear ye! All Children's book authors, illustrators, librarians, children's literature advocates, educators, readers, publishers,fans, professional stalkers of published authors and/or illustrators, budding writers and illustrators! Your attendance in the event below is required by the request of this blogger.

To those published authors and/or illustrators,please inform me beforehand if you can come, so I know which books I need to bring/buy. Hooray! See you there!

For more info about the conference, do visit this site.