An Income Boosting Program by Filipinos for Filipinos

When I was in college, I kept hearing people say, and what irritated me was that even people in the government would say that the biggest asset of the Philippines and our biggest export is manpower. That is why going abroad to work was encouraged. Schools offer courses that are in demand abroad. Consequently, our skilled Filipino workers go abroad. Our hospitals lack doctors and nurses. Our engineers leave our country. Teachers migrate somewhere else. Even farmers go to Japan. Families are left behind. All because they could not find opportunities in the Philippines. Goodness!. Brain drain.
Lately, however, small groups of successful Filipinos make it their mission to lure these OFWs  back to the Philippines. And I think this has become a trend which, if propagated, will finally catch on.
One of these is Ignition Marketing. This is an online training about using the internet to generate extra income. The creators of this program (three of them) are all true blue Filipinos actually living in the Philippines. In fact, the training is in Tagalog. The three of them are experienced in the industry, and they share their experiences to their students in a simpliest way possible. And their instructions are easy to follow. For one, it is in Filipino (so if you are a foreigner who don't speak Filipino, this isn't for you), and two, they patiently lead their students through every step of the way. And because it is Filipino-made, it is very affordable. I've searched the internet about trainings of this nature, and they are asking ridiculously huge amounts. Plus what they are teaching in this program are also useful in some other internet businesses.

Now, this gets better. While you are learning the system you can already earn.

So, if you are staying at home and have a computer, or even if you have work, but have access to computer and want additional income, you might want to check out Ignition Marketing.

Of Debts and Loans 2

Debts and loans. Basically same thing. Utang. Teachers seem to have some kind of a love-hate relationship with it. It seems like a necessary evil, though. For some reasons (see part 1). But do we have to maintain this kind of relationship? Well, it's really up to an individual. But of course if one were determined to, one could avoid it.

1. Teacher’S salary.  Just last night, I saw on the news that teachers are still waiting for the increase of their salary. So there definitely is still a problem with the amount of salary. In this case, some  would apply the age old ‘teaching’ “Pag maliit ang kumot, mamaluktot.” This is good, because we have to lieve within  our means. But, a modern teacher would say: “Pag maliit ang kumot, maghanap ng mas malaking kumot.” But where do we get the bigger blanket? We could steal, ask, borrow, or buy. The first one is morally and legally wrong. The second would prove to be a temporary solution because we can’t always depend on other people to give us our necessities. The third would pose another problem in the long run: how do we pay it back? Especially if an interest comes into play. The last one again would need resources. Where would we find money to buy?  Or maybe we can just make another bigger blanket. But we need skill for that. What to do? Learn. Yes, it could take more time and energy, but, hey, that’s what life gives us. Time and energy. In financial setting, we need to have more funds to fit our lifestyle. Our salary won’t suffice. When I was in grade school, I saw teachers selling different stuff—tocino, chorizo, avon, Tupperware, insurance and other things. This is just the teacher’s way of complementing the insufficient income. Good for those who do, but not so good for those who loan these stuff.
2. Poor school facilities. This should be primarily the government’s concern but since the teachers are the ones in the frontlines, and they are the ones dealing with the students and they personally feel the problem, they can’t help it but take matters in their own hands. Some schools would organize fund raising activities. Although this is also tricky since parents might shout foul. Others solicit from big companies and politician. For the big companies, this might be a boost to their name, but I am not very fond of the latter. After all, the pork barrel is still an ongoing issue nowadays.
3. Poor students. Now, the government has feeding programs. And then there are companies who also donate to schools.
4.  Lack of Information. This can be remedied because this is something that the teacher himself/herself can control. A teacher should know her/his personal finance. A teacher should have financial goals. If this were the case, then it wouldn’t matter if the neighbor would build a golden palace, the teacher would focus on his/her own finances and goals. ‘Do I need a palace? Or a tv? Or two refrigerators? Or a new bag or shoes? It doesn’t matter if she/he is called “kuripot” by peers. He/She has a financial goal. A teacher researches and find out facts. Checks these facts and acts accordingly. So even if the school’s bookkeeper told her to get a loan, the teacher could stand her ground and stay away from the temptation.

The late Ernie Baron popularized the saying: “Knowledge is power.” Indeed, it is. But becomes meaningful only if it is applied to improve one's life. 

Of Debts and Loans

It was in my assignment at a public school that I heard this inside joke among teachers: "Lon diri, lon didto. Porlon na lang ang kulang." Loan here, loan there. All that's lacking is [por-loan] a hearse."
In all the schools I've been to--first, as a student, and later, as a teacher-- I have become familiar of this word: Loan. It seems to me that this has become part of a teacher's life. Although in private schools, (at least those that I went to), this does not seem very prevalent. Or maybe it was just hush hush because the Sisters preach "Live a simple life" principle. In the public school, this is more openly used. Teachers would get excited when they hear that some entity would offer loan. Even a calamity loan would cause frenzy. It's not that we enjoy calamities. NO NO madam. That would be sick. But it's the loan that gets the buzz. NOT the calamity.
It's not just loan, though. Utang, --debt-- of Avon, Personal Collection, Tupperware, and some Vietnamese goods like shoes, folding beds, bags seem to be always present.
Why this penchant for loans? A lot of reasons, apparently.

1. Teachers' salary. It is undeniable that teachers have one of the lower-paying jobs in the country. It used to be one of the lowest-paying, (or is it still?) but with the increase, well... it increased. But apparently, to many, the increase came lacking. 
2. Poor school facilities. The Dep Ed would claim that they have made new classrooms, provided school facilities, teaching and learning materials. Teachers know and experience worse. Even schools in the city lack chairs and classrooms, let alone books for the students. Many times, teachers would take from their salary the expenses to improve facilities and teaching materials. Sure, not all teachers do this but many do. And this is especially true in the lower grade levels. Try putting grade school pupils in a bare classroom, and good luck to you, teacher. You are going to need more than you normally do.Teachers have to be creative. And that creativity would sometimes cost some. Okay... a lot. 
3. Poor students. When I was a teacher in this public school, I had students who could not go to school because they could not have breakfast, and no baon for lunch. Some do not have anything to wear to school. Yeah. I know. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it myself. I used to visit my students at their homes. (Yes, I was a bit conscientious one.) When a teacher sees her/his student in class, so pale and about to faint, what would s/he do? Wait for some miracle? or the school's food ration? No. S/He wouldn't wait that long! She or he would feed the child. Or take the student to a doctor. Or give medicine. Or something. I'm okay. Not panicking here. Of course, one has to tap into stored knowledge about first aid before doing anything drastic in times like this. But you get the idea. Anyway, great if the school could and would refund or shoulder the expenses. Otherwise, it's another one charged to experience. Lista sa tubig. [Write it down on the water.]
4. Nature/nurture. When you are in a system where debts and loans are parts of the culture, then you wouldn't find anything wrong with it. Or maybe you  would, but you'd be the odd one out. So even if you don't need the money, or the bag, or the shoes, or whatever is available for lending, you tend to go with the flow. 
5. Vanity. Teachers are not perfect individuals. Sometimes, just like the rest of humanity, they also tend to get envious of their neighbors, and sometimes give in to the temptation of showing off. So that when Mr. A got a new 21 inch tv, Mr. B also had to buy an even bigger of the latest model of the tv even if tv is not in the budget.
6. Lack of information. Some teachers would tell some green ones: You need to get a loan at the co-op (teachers' cooperative) so that you can receive dividends. Or you need to get a loan from your GSIS, or else some other people might do it in your name and you will be the one to pay for it. These are good incentives. If you don't know better. 

With all these bombarding a teacher at work and at home, how could loan not be an essential part of a teacher's life? 

One word: Financial Literacy. Oh, wait... that's two words -- one phrase. But that is a whole new post later. 

Wealth in the Bible

What does the Bible say about money? What did Jesus teach about wealth? Some people detest money because they claim that the God favors the poor over the wealthy. But is this the truth? I am not a Bible expert, but I do know some verses that I myself interpreted as God being partial to poor people. And it tremendously affected my attitude and thoughts about wealth and the wealthy. Let me share some:

        "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."  1 Timothy 6:10.

The idea that really registered was: 'Money is the root of all evil.' So I never really minded whether I had or didn't have money. It never bothered me whether I got a peso or a hundred or a thousand pesos in my wallet. I even feared possessing lots of money. 

However, financial crisis in the family would make me long for more cash, and somehow regret those times when I had taken for granted those amounts of wealth that passed through my hands. 

Experience taught me that I somehow had a defective interpretation of this idea. The Bible says the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Those rich people who experience grief are those who are attached to their money--those who made money the center of their universe. The idea is understandable. Whatever you hold dear, you prioritize and you sacrifice everything else just to keep whatever it is that is important to you. You tend to sacrifice your neighbors, friends, family, even God. This leads me to the next verse:

        "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."   Luke 16:13

So, does this mean one should not possess money? Not really. because 

        He said to them, "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Luke 20:25.
This just means that we can have money, but that God should be our priority. We should not be attached to money to the point of shoving God aside.

The verse that had the strong impact on my idea of money being not a good thing is the famous declaration of Jesus:
        "It is more difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to pass through a needle's eye."

To my mind, this shouts "Woe to you, rich people!" But on close scrutiny on the whole verse--Matthew 19:16-27, I came to see this with a new perspective.  The story was that there was a rich young man who asked Jesus what he should do to have eternal life. To which Jesus then replied that he should keep the commandments. The young man further probed which commandments, which Jesus enumerated. The young man replied that he had done all those things but still felt something missing. Then Jesus answered: "If you really want to be complete, go sell what you own and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me." Having heard this, the young man walked away, saddened. This is when Jesus uttered the famous words: "Again I tell you: it is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle."

Apparently, Jesus was again talking about priorities. This would again go back to the claim that one can not serve two masters at the same time. The rich man was not very happy that he had to give up everything that he owned on earth to achieve God's kingdom. This is a question of importance. Which is more important to the young rich man: his wealth or God's kingdom?

Again and again, Jesus emphasized that money is not the end, but a means to the end. It is supposed to be just a way to serve God. Just as is said in Proverbs 3:9 --

        "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops;"

Give money to the poor. 

        "If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother."  Deuteronomy 15:7

Be generous. Share your earthly wealth to those who have less. Furthermore,

        "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Matthew 6:1-4

God does not intend for everyone to be poor. In fact, He made Solomon the wealthiest man ever lived. No one past or present has nor will surpass Solomon's wealth:

        God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor,   nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king,  therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."    2 Chronicles 1:11-12

Here, we see Solomon's priorities: He asked God to give him the gift that would enable him to do what God had intended for him to the best that he can be. This clearly pleased God, and He, in turn gave Solomon more gifts than any man could ever have. God gave him wealth--overwhelming wealth. Because Solomon intended to use these to give glory to God. 
There are still so many verses in the Bible about wealth being gifts by God to be used to glorify the One Who gave it to us. Clearly, God intended for us to be wealthy, but not to be attached to these earthly riches, but to use these abundance to serve Him better. 

   

124. TAYLOR MALI: What Teachers Make

Some teachers, when asked about their job, they would say, "Teacher lang," thereby downgrading the importance of the profession. I don't know where this idea came from, but it would seem that a teaching is just a "humble" profession. As if other professions even exist without teachers. I have read and seen some caricatures and anecdotes about teachers, but the following rather impresses me.

Check out Taylor Mali's What Teachers Make. "TEACHERS MAKE A ________ DIFFERENCE."

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/9zB0WA/zenpencils.com/comic/124-taylor-mali-what-teachers-make/?_nospa=true

25 Sure-Fire Strategies for Handling Difficult Students | Scholastic.com

A teacher's ultimate goal is to teach students be better people. But a teacher has to connect to her/his students first before s/he can achieve this goal. Therefore if there are difficult students in a class (which happens often), this will be more challenging for both the teacher and the whole class. There are several articles that deal with this subject. Take a look at the following article from scholastic.com.

This article was excerpted from Learning to Teach...Not Just for Beginners: The Essential Guide for All Teachers by Linda Shalaway.

Effective teachers discipline with encouragement and kind words much more often than rebukes or reprimands. The goal is to help students feel good about themselves and their behavior in the classroom.

Inevitably, though, misbehavior happens. When it does, keep the collected wisdom of experienced teachers in mind:

• Take a deep breath and try to remain calm. It's natural to be overcome with frustration, resentment, and anger. But when you are, you become less rational, and your agitation becomes contagious.
   
• Try to set a positive tone and model an appropriate response, even if it means you must take a few moments to compose yourself.Acknowledge that you need time to think, time to respond. "This is upsetting me, too, but I need a few minutes to think before we talk about it."
   
• Make sure students understand that it's their misbehavior you dislike, not them. "I like you, Jason. Right now, your behavior is unacceptable."
   
• Give the misbehaving student a chance to respond positively by explaining not only what he or she is doing wrong, but also what he or she can do to correct it.
   
• Never resort to blame or ridicule.
   
• Avoid win-lose conflicts. Emphasize problem-solving instead of punishment.
   
• Insist that students accept responsibility for their behavior.
   
• Try to remain courteous in the face of hostility or anger. Showing students that you care about them and their problems will help you earn their respect and establish rapport.
   
• Treat all students respectfully and politely. Be consistent in what you let them say and do. Be careful not to favor certain students.
   
• Be an attentive listener. Encourage students to talk out feelings and concerns and help them clarify their comments by restating them.
   
• Model the behavior you expect from your students. Are you as considerate of your students' feelings as you want them to be of others? Are you as organized and on-task as you tell them to be? Are yourclassroom rules clear and easy for students to follow?
   
• Specifically describe misbehavior and help students understand the consequences of misbehavior.Very young children may even need your explanations modeled or acted out.
   
• Be aware of cultural differences. For example, a student who stares at the floor while you speak to him or her would be viewed as defiant in some cultures and respectful in others.
   
• Discourage cliques and other antisocial behavior. Offer cooperative activities to encourage group identity.
   
• Teach students personal and social skills — communicating, listening, helping, and sharing, for example.
   
• Teach students academic survival skills, such as paying attention, following directions, asking for help when they really need it, and volunteering to answer.
   
• Avoid labeling students as "good" or "bad." Instead describe their behavior as "positive," "acceptable," "disruptive," or "unacceptable."
   
• Focus on recognizing and rewarding acceptable behavior more than punishing misbehavior.
   
• Ignore or minimize minor problems instead of disrupting the class. A glance, a directed question, or your proximity may be enough to stop misbehavior.
   
• Where reprimands are necessary, state them quickly and without disrupting the class.
   
• When it's necessary to speak to a student about his or her behavior, try to speak in private; this is especially true of adolescents who must "perform" for their peers. Public reprimands or lectures often trigger exaggerated, face-saving performances.

 

When Personalities Clash . . .

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves actively disliking one of the students in our charge. The student may be rude, disrespectful, disruptive, obnoxious, or otherwise annoying. It's just human nature; some personalities clash. But instead of feeling guilty about our feelings, we can take positive steps to improve them, says school psychologist and teacher Shelley Krapes. Here are some of her suggestions:

• Try to understand where the behavior is coming from. Is the student distressed by a death, divorce, new baby, learning disability, or some other overwhelming experience? Speaking to the student's parents or guardian may shed light on underlying causes and help you develop sympathy through understanding.
   
• Help yourself manage negative feelings by reflecting on a past situation in your life where a similar conflict occurred. Discuss the situation with a friend or by writing your thoughts in a journal. Making and understanding these connections can help you let go of some of your current hostility or resentment.
   
• Use positive strategies when dealing with the child. One such strategy is addressing specific behaviors with precise language that describes what needs to be done. In addition, try to seat the student near to you or a helpful student, praise the student liberally but sincerely, give the student choices to promote self-worth and feelings of control, be firm and consistent about your rules, and express displeasure with the student's behavior without criticizing the student.
   
• Set a goal. If the situation between you and the child has not improved after two or three months of your best effort, it may be time to recommend professional/psychological/educational testing. Some problems are very complex and beyond your control.

25 Sure-Fire Strategies for Handling Difficult Students | Scholastic.com

A Teacher's Life

"You can not give what you don't have."
This is probably the most valuable lesson I learned in college.
A teacher has to master his/her subject matter, because, after all, how can he/she impart knowledge s/he doesn't have?
When I myself went teaching, I realized that this adage applied not only to teaching students, but to life, in general. It is true, "You can't give what you don't have." You can't give a child a mango, for example, if you don't have one.
Teaching in a private high school, with students who had more technological gadgets than I had shoes in my closet. My mastery of my subject definitely was useful, but other than that, there were other things I found out that I needed to equip myself with. Material things, apparently these children did not lack. I found they yearn for something else, aside from the education they obviously went to school for. Many times, I found myself faced with a boy who had crush, but was confused what to do with his feelings. Or the girl who seemed to be ignored by her parents, apart from giving her all the things money could buy. Or the boy that rarely stayed still, and seemed to be living his life annoying others.Then there was a boy who was at odds with the world. And more. Clearly, all these situations needed something else beyond the academic knowledge a teacher had studied and trained for in college. It's not that the college did not warn us about these non-academic situations at work. It's more of  deciding on the actual situation and not knowing the outcome.
When I transferred to a public school, it was a different game. And I needed another game plan. Here, the students have other challenges. Some of them, academically inclined, but were hindered by material lack. Like some of them would go to school with empty stomach and could not concentrate on the lesson, much less anything else. Or others would be absent not because of laziness but because of industriousness--they needed to help their parents at the farm or something. Still others just because they did not have anything to wear--and I am not talking about lack of clothes in trendy fashion. I am talking about practically not having clothes for school at all. One time, we had one student who passed out while doing a class activity. I found out later, he didn't have breakfast; he walked three kilometers to school that morning; and he had had no snacks nor lunch. It was a wonder how he was able to participate in his other class activities. Our school's dilemma was the academic and social growth of our students. They would, for instance, win in inter-school activities, but it was hard to send them forward to the next level for lack of budget. Sometimes, if teachers could not get the amount, these children, deserving as they were, could not proceed to the next stage of the competition.

The teacher's life does not revolve just around the school. Outside, they have family and friends who also need their attention.At home, they had to take care of their children and their spouse. They need to put food on the table, clothes on their family, roof on top of their heads. And much more. But even the single teachers also face their own challenges. Often, taking for granted their availability, people seem to think that single teachers do not have any familial responsibility and therefore demand more of them.

Their community would also ask for their time. The town fiesta would need organizers; the purok would need hands in cleaning the posts; the women's organization would have an outreach; the church would need a lector and a catechist; a friend needed someone to watch over her children while he/she ran errands; a relative needed money for her daughter's tuition or for his boy's medicine.
Such an overwhelming picture.

"You cannot give what you do not have." With this in mind, does this mean that a teacher has to have everything and be everything to do his/her duties properly?
To balance all the roles a teacher needs to perform, and at the same time be centered as a person, a teacher needs to be equipped with everything necessary to keep from being overwhelmed.
Short of being a superhuman, how does a teacher deal with all this? An interesting question. The answer is still, and always, an ongoing process of experimentation and discovery.

 The good news is that a teacher is not alone in this. In the Philippines, there are thousands of teachers, who might have similar experiences and problems, and therefore, might also have answers that might be helpful. Aside from that, there are other people from different fields who have a lot of things to share willingly and voluntarily, to make life easier for an educator.

All we need to do is open our hearts and minds to such experiences and try something that would make our lives better. And then, do our part in also sharing what we know to those who might be able to learn from them.

Together, we can continually enrich ourselves for a better life.