The Last 3 Decades

Today, I am supposed to be making progress on a term paper due by the end of the month. Or create a lesson plan due tomorrow, or start watching the videos and write an article due on Sunday. 

If not these, I should have been adding module content for our Online Learning Management System.

I have a lot of things to do but my mind is a restless place, and I feel that it will not settle unless I put my scrambling thoughts to words and finally let them go.

No need to belt Elsa on me, that has already been replaced by her Into the Unknown songs that well I think is more appropriate for what is still in store for me.

As I close this decade, I cannot help but look back to the journey that made me who I am.

It has been fun, and it has been filled with lessons that never did stick, or maybe they did. Because as far as I'm concerned, I WAS and STILL IS Papa's Little Goody Two-Shoes. 

I never planned to live with regrets. And I am happy that even if I did have what-ifs and I shouldn't have done those moments, generally my life has been strait-laced and clean :D <3

So let's start the first one, not that there are too many things to remember.

The first few years as a baby are just stories to tell. I was born in my Grandma's house and my head was too big, my uncles called me ET. I had a nanny growing up and I met her when I was older but can't really remember her.

I grew up in a 30-hectare farm, and as far as the eyes can see, all of those belongs to Papa. I remember being gifted a bike and learning how to ride one down a slope that was too dangerous and resulted in bruised knees and egos. But hey, I learned to ride.

I learned how to ride a cow, a carabao, a horse, and lead a carabao pulling a cart first to a spring some kilometers away to fetch water for drinking. And later to the Monterey compound, also a few kilometers away, when it was established. We lived without freshwater resource since a deep well was not a viable option. We lived without electricity because it was too far away from civilization. 

I enjoyed living on the farm, especially during summer and the harvest season. We had lots of fruit trees, and climbing them was fun. Even 'stealing' from the neighboring farms and running away from the caretaker was fun.

We had long dips in the NIA- waters that run through the farm while munching on whatever fruit is in the season but sugarcane is the best. I think it's one of the reasons why I have such straight teeth.

Growing up on a farm is also chore-filled. We learned how to sow corn, plant rice, weed the garden, feed the dogs, clean the chicken house, and collect the eggs from ducks. 

But mostly, I remember the separation during school days since I have to live with my Grandma during this time. Until Papa decided to move us from the farm permanently so that me and JV can focus on school.

And school has been my focus since.

I graduated first in class for Pre-school and was dubbed the bookworm since my nose is always buried in the fictional world, and sometimes non-fiction as well. I remembered being in a fistfight in 2nd grade since I was not able to answer a question posed by a classmate as I did not hear him at first, and when I did, did not really have an interest in the conversation. He ended up transferring to the public school, and we did not have any contact ever since. Such drama at such a young age. This was also not my last fistfight :)

But after that, all my classmates, there were only 9 of us, actually, leave me alone when I get like this. 

I also remembered sleeping in a Math class and was made to answer Long Division in front of the class. It was actually OK because I think I was already on algebra at home when this happened. I think Papa wanted an engineer for me as a career but I was not into it though Math was tolerable. There was also the multiplication until 12x12 that we had to recite to the school director so he will sign our clearance.

I enjoyed living in the barrio even if it was not such a leap from the farm. At least, there was water and electricity which meant I can read far into the night.

The bookworm in me was happy, but the free-spirited girl who wants to laze all day among the trees was in contest. But it was for my best interest, so nothing was needed to be said.

And now to the 2nd one.

The 2nd decade was full of changes as well, and a lot of moving on my part. It was a decade of growing up and being independent. So a chronological order is a reasonable and rational way to expound on it.

Crushes and all that started in Grade 5 or 6. I had one as well. So I think I was normal enough teenager. I have no idea though if it was reciprocated. And I don't really wanna know. It was elementary, and not really important at the time:) I was too focused on thinking where I will end up since I don't really wanna go to the High School in the barrio.

So I graduated at the top of the class and has 2 science high schools to choose from. This was after receiving the rejection letter from Pisay. Of course, I picked the nearest one. But it still meant living in a boarding house.

Enrolling in CMULHS, opened doors for me. But I did not really explore any of them. I have spent too much time living in my fictional dreams that being faced with the reality was a challenge I was not ready for.

So the plays, contest, quiz bees, and all the stages offered were too much, and so I remained the loud kid that never really excelled in anything. I had one goal in High School and it was to consume all the books in the library. And I am proud to say, I was able to finish at least a whole section in the four years I stayed. Reading was and will always be my priority that speech and writing took a backseat. And the only piece I wrote was in the Horizon and was not even dedicated to me.

This is between finding out that volleyball is a sport I will never enjoy, and running is such a freeing thing to do.

Basketball is OK even if I am too short for it, and leave the chess to the Math whiz since I cannot really win against them. 

Science Research was a surprise, we won 2nd in the Locals. It was unexpected, but we were glad for the experience. For the record, my groupmates in that research are now in the medical field. Not surprising since our research was on Fungi (Mushrooms) against Fungi (Tinea versicolor). That was also fun, we camped out in an internet cafe in the city doing research for RRL and finishing that paper.

With the 4 years stay in CMU High, I was just glad I remained in the first section all throughout. Even if it was too late, I managed to land in the top 10 right before we graduate but whose remembering. 

I had my choice from the best schools, and all of them offered scholarships.

Which was a good thing, because if not for it, I wouldn't have been able to study in college. 

Papa would have done his best, of course, but losing the farm was a devastating event in our lives. And financially we had suffered, though the parents tried to pass it off as not important.

But here comes college, and now I'm off to Visayas. To study in UP Miagao taking up Computer Science. Not my first choice, but the scholarship is kinda limited to sciences.

College, how to sum it up. Aside from the rigorous school works, which is expected. My college life was dedicated to making Elektrons the Best Org in the world. I was part of the Execom for 3 years, was active in the Komsai.Org, played sports during Pahampang, become a member of the Debate Team and joined some contests. 

These days were also 'wild' days. Meet 'new friends', some of them controversial. Got myself a boyfriend, and it was a romance that lasted for 3 years. Learned how to smoke and drink, but did not really enjoy these things. So did not explore pot, drugs, and other vices deadlier than these.

But all in all, college made me met friends that are and hopefully will be friends for life. To add to my high school friends that are also for keeps.

And now for the last one.

At 21, I graduated from college. Started working for ESPC and worked with a fitness guru for 6 years.

At 22, I passed my Civil Service Exam, I met my now-husband and it has been a roller coaster ride until we got married at 26, and then we proceed to another roller coaster ride.

At 23, I enrolled for my Master's Degree in Math, as I cannot really see myself being a programmer in the long run especially with the shift to mobile development.

At 24, we bought our first property.

At 25, I graduated from my Master's Degree and pursued my Diploma in Teaching.

At 26, we built a house on our property and got married. I resigned from Eversun and started Teaching.

At 27, I passed the Licensure Exam, and we decided to have a baby.

At 28, PJ started living with us since she passed the UP High School exam. I started my PhD Degree on another scholarship.We became parents to a little girl, we named Ithlinne Aegli Van, and if she was a he, he would have been named Alistar Ray Von. Haha. Geek Parents. We also lost Nanay right after It-it was born, and Papa before Christmas. It was an eventful year.

At 29, we should have been in Indonesia but CoVid happened. So we are now starting on Online Learning which consumed my time.

At 30, today is the first day. And I am grateful for the people I can call my family, including super extended ones, that I do not really chat with all the time or contact at all. To my friends, who remained all these years, even with my 'shitty' and snobbish attitude towards them. To everyone that passed through my life and gave me life lessons. To the what-ifs that never happened like 'boyfriends', 'contests', and decision-making that was not done hurriedly but still made me question myself after like the 'running for CAS councilor'. The games and matches that would have been done differently. The job opportunities I did not grab. The travels I let slide. All the scenarios churning in my mind that could have ended differently.

But hey, not everything is a novel. Life is as good as we make it. One can never really have an ending unless one dies. And I think death is not yet in the cards for me, hopefully.

I still have a lawyer to send to school, a beauty queen to convince he needs to finish his degree, a husband to convince he is doing his best and has been for the last 8 years that we've been together, two mothers to pamper, a baby to mother and push towards her chosen path in the future, and hopefully a baby boy in the future if I am no longer torn between the different responsibilities I find myself in right now.  

Also, I still need to decide what's best for me. Getting the degree is the start.

As it has been for the last 27 years. 

I never really rested from school.

It's one level after the other. And I cannot seem to stop. And I do not really have anything to show for it.

No riches, not even glory.

Though I hope that my students did learn something from me, outside the lessons I gave.

One can only hope.

And as I breathe in the new age, the one where the calendar is no longer part of, I hope that my parents are PROUD of who I've become and will be as a daughter, a sister, and now a mother.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

Math Education and the New Normal

CTTO: https://education.uitm.edu.my/v5/index.php/en/admission/postgraduate/ed706-master-of-science-in-mathematics-education

Math, as we all have observed, is the bane of all students. It is very rare to encounter a Filipino student who loves Math and will fight for it to the death. Even fellow Mathematics students during my education days are not really teaching math just because it's easy for them but more of they see it as a challenge that needs to be overcome.

In the last three decades of doing math, those who excel at it did not really use their full potential to focus solely on math as a career, though most of them are in a career that stems from competence on the said field. Those of us left to teach it, are not bad at it but we all know that we can do better.

With the PISA results for 2018, and the Philippines in the red for Math, Reading and Science. We, educators, ask ourselves, where did it go wrong?

Was it the change to the K-12 program? Are we not ready enough?
Was it the No Child Left Behind Policy? That, in my opinion, is being wrongly executed.
Was it the level of education and mastery skills of teachers? Are all competent teachers teaching abroad?
Was it the curriculum?

There are too many questions that need answering. And no study has actually answered what really needs attention in the Philippine education.

A lot of situations to take into consideration. Especially with our remote schools in far-flung areas in mountain regions and middle of nowhere islands.

And the primary problem, the COVID situation that is still not being addressed or taken seriously (the Malacanan boasting that they beat the UP prediction, when in fact predictions always comes with a margin of error; another show that our Math education is really not up to par), to add in all these literacy difficulties that we need to face.

With the new normal in our horizon come August 2020, and we are no closer to answer the questions that came even before the PISA results came out. How will the Filipino students and teachers take a stance and hopefully improve our scores in the next PISA Test?

Hopefully, I will not see another comment that the PISA Test was biased and does not reflect the learning of the Filipino students. I am praying though that, that comment did not come from a math teacher.

As it stands, the student should always be better than the teacher. History has shown us this.

So if we have poor students, what does that make of the teacher?

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On another note, since Math is a subject that is best learned when doing it.
How can we ensure that our students will be able to understand the remote discussion? How can we check that they are actually doing their part in learning their lessons?

The dilemma is as real as it gets, and granted that we cannot really know. The only answer left is to provide our future students with good lecture and lecture notes that they can learn from with the limited resources available to us and them.

Be it modules, notes, videos, and online links. I hope that each and every educator will arm themselves for their students and take into consideration that the Philippines is not a "techie" nation even if everybody is on Facebook and/or Twitter.


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Lastly, I am doing a series of math lecture/tutorial videos.

If in the future, your children, nieces, nephews, and what-not need additional lectures.

Just give me a heads up on what mathematics topic, and what language (Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, English) the student prefer it in, and I'll be happy to create a youtube video for the said difficulties.

xoxoxo

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

CoVid 19 and the Rant of Jeng

Photo from CDC

I am supposed to work on the last few assignments for Statistics and call it the end of the semester for me since you know Final Exams are supposed to happen on April 25 but then the Enhanced Community Quarantine is being extended to April 30. (Still waiting for announcements on exams!)

But being on Facebook and the Internet exposes you to a lot of things. Plus the discussions with husband does not really help matters. My brain is full of Covid News and Covid Controversies and Conspiracies and I feel that I should write it all down so that I can let it out and finally get back to Statistics.
So CoVid 19 is a pandemic that when left on its own will double every day, and that's a conservative estimate if we use 2^N (2 raise to the power of N). With a greater base, the exponential increase would be overwhelming as shown in Italy and the US' increase in cases.

So THE WHO decided as the procedure to combat the disease is to:

1. LOCKDOWN everything though air travel is still open for some countries and those with vehicles can still get everywhere.
2. SOCIAL DISTANCING (3 feet apart should be practiced. But well, damu japon gapost sa FB na super close ang pamilya. Pero well, wala man guro me virus sa ila.
3. DISINFECT all the time, tapos me ng hoard alcohol. Hmmm, Soap guro dapat gi-hoard, ang alcohol ipadala na to sa Hospital mas needed nila ang fast disinfection. Ikaw kay sa balay ra man ka dapat, panghugas ug kamot or ligo lang gud pirmi. Especially na init ang panahon kay summer na.
   
   Then NEW UPDATES,
4. WEAR FACE MASKS all the time kay indi lang siya gale ma contract from people who showed symptoms. There are people who are asymptomatic, meaning sila ni ang wala gabatyag pero me COVID na gale sila. 
5. The TESTING KIT is now available in the Philippines, and so people with authority had themselves VIP TESTED bypassing those people who are critical in the hospital for reasons nga me upod sila sa isa ka MEETING na me COVID kuno.

Pero in times like these, we see people both in power and outside of power who shows pasaway behaviour and have not done any good for the country the past month that everyone has been quarantined.

There are people na galagaw japon without any protection to themselves and does not seem to care nga dapat gahalong ang tanan karon nga mga panahon. I, myself is guilty since I allow the baby and myself to roam around our block since 7 lang man di kabilog ang mga balay sa palibot namun and wala kami immediate neighbors.

There are people who tested POSITIVE then mapalagyo from the authority kay Hindi nila gusto ang OSPITAL nga dal an sa ila. EXCUSE ME, Limited PO ang Hospitals na Allowed to House COVID PATIENTS kasi nga po we do not want it to SPREAD.

Tapos asta subong wala man japon concrete plans ang atong gobyero panu ni tapna-un ang COVID disease without resorting to extending the LOCKDOWN until the end of the year. Tani mag participate man ang tanan, para ang VIRUS nga ara sa isa ka person ndi na mapasa sa next na person.

TIME is an asset that if WASTED will be never returned to you. TIME spent with FAMILY is WELL and GOOD but doing this only during LOCKDOWN lacks planning in your part. MAKE TIME for your FAMILY biskan busy ta always.

KUNG MA FREE NA ANG ATON PUMs (Person Under Monitoring) and PUIs (Person Under Investigation) after sang ila QUARANTINE days, INDI NA PAGDUGANGI PLEASE ky ginatrace pa to gani ang naka meet and greet sa ila.

AMU NG FOR THE BENEFIT of EVERYBODY nugay lagaw sa mga Lugar nga damu tawo nga gakadto. Kung gusto mu gid ma gwa because some People are JUST EXTROVERTS na indi makapahimuyong kung sa balay sila, PALIHOG PROTECT YOURSELF!

And then there are THE PEOPLE who ROSE to FAME because they did something right like MAYOR VICO SOTTO, and THE PROVINCE OF ILOILO, and those people nga na #hashtag pirmi because ang ila response to the VIRUS has been effective.

SO Kung me nami kamu na IDEAS to HELP, Go as long as you are not endangering yourself.


Tapos na ko rant, thoughts naman!
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In the Philippines, a lot of issues has arisen. But the main point of the government is: we should help stop spread the virus by distancing ourselves from other people and keeping ourselves safe inside the comforts of our HOMES.

Remember, we are a third world country. Our government cannot afford to provide for us for long. Its resources are limited. AND this time, we cannot rely on other nations to provide for us, since everybody else is going through the same calamity / tragedy, whatever you want to call it.

If the government can no longer provide for those who need it the most, the poorest of the poor, that are being blamed because they are poor, what will they do then?

Please do not be insensitive to the welfare of other people. If you can provide for yourself and your family, because you still have online work, you still have salary even if you are staying in the house, you have savings, you have plants in the garden or you can ask from your neighbors, you have food (rice) that will last for months on end. Then yes, you are privileged enough to last long.

But those people, who rely on their everyday income as drivers, manual laborers, peddlers, sidewalk vendors, even farmers and fisherfolks who are banned from going outside their houses. Those who are contractual and do not have permanent incomes that are the ones most affected by this lockdown. Have you given them thoughts?

Then we can see all these negative comments on people (Huya man ta sa 8k na kulang pa sa 1 week), and those members of 4Ps (Gasalig lang sa gobyerno, wala man gabayad tax).

Remember these people do not have Financial Management Background, Budgeting is one of the hardest things to do and we even have difficulties doing it. It would have been better if what they needed was provided and not the money because now that they have money, they will not be able to know how to use/budget it to fit in a month. One computation was it was 47 pesos/meal per person. That's correct if it's a big household. You will not understand this because if you are in Jollibee and decides to buy a Jolly Savers Meal, you will not even think twice that its 50 pesos. They, on the other hand, would, and asked what can they buy with 47 pesos that will feed more than one person. See? Difference?

Also, in 4Ps, it is not true that they are not paying taxes because every one of us is paying E-Vat whenever we buy something. They are not exempted. And if you have problems with 4Ps recipients, Facebook or Twitter is not the right platform, send a message to your DSWD branch since they are the ones responsible for this. Have pity to the Lumads and other indigenous tribe members that are benefiting from this.

Ohkiey, I think I am good to go now.

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Last thoughts.

We are a people under one nation. In these times, fighting over who's better or needs help the most is not the way to go. Just do what you can to help.

1. Stay inside your own house / community , if your community is safe.
2. Remember these people who did good and bad, and VOTE Wisely next Elections.
3. Start planning on how we can live with Covid as the LOCKDOWN is never a good solution for our nation.
4. My friends in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and outside the country. Keep your body and mind safe in these times. Boredom is the least of our problems. 
5. Prioritize your Health, Security, and Mental Capacity.

Tapos na gid man siya.

Statistics na ta liwat!
I


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!