The universe as a school: the best lesson in this pandemic
There are mothers and grandmothers in our neighbourhood who are stressed out due to their role as alternate teachers in the module teaching process. First reason is, not all parents can afford the gadgets. There are others who do not even have electricity connection in their houses. Why should they buy gadgets if they don’t have electric connections? How can they buy the gadgets if they can’t even afford to pay for the monthly electric bill?
This situation is presented with the fact that most of the parents lost their job or experienced a reduction of work hours resulting into a smaller amount of take home pay. Their income is not even enough to meet the basic household needs. And here comes the modular learning thing. It is something new but it’s difficult for parents to work on or help out. It is really difficult for some parents to assist the learner in answering the questions.
Dugangan pa sa wifi nga luya motoliyok. This scheme is very cumbersome for parents and teachers. During this pandemic, I am entertaining some wishes and one of these is: IF ONLY SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED TO GIVE WAY TO STUDENTS TO ENJOY HOME.
Just imagine these: the tools for learning are not present. Teachers are not even prepared for the scheme. How come the Department of Education has not even thought of this drawback?
The teachers we used to have in our days were trained by the Americans called the Thomasites. They were called as such because they came here by the ship, MV Thomas. They were scattered all over the country to teach, reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. They did the role in a very integrative way.
Now, teachers prepare the module for printing, distribute them to different households, collect them again, check the papers, and report to where??? I’ve been thinking, where is social distancing here?. The end product of the scheme is stressful learning.
The world is a universe. It’s a beautiful place for learning. It is a school by itself. In our over a year of lockdown, we could have taught our children the love for the planet. I suggest, the whole family must go back to Pepe and Pilar days. Afterall, Pepe and Pilar gave us a picture of a nurturing family, a happy family. The Pepe and Pilar education taught us of a father coming home from work to bring food to the table, as mother keeps the house in order with the hearth burning, children helping the parens till the the garden soil with their pet Bantay. It was a picture of a happy, peaceful and contented family. On Saturdays, the children would help do the laundry in the nearby river. This was and still is the beautiful picture in my youth education that is etched in my heart today. Added to this is the beautiful picture of my youth at the Baliaut spring nearby. And in later years, I seemed to compare Baliaut to a poem in English literature, “Sweet Afton”. This lyrical poem describes the Afton Water in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was written by Robert Burns in 1791 and set to music by Jonathan E. Spilman in 1837, under the title “Flow gently, sweet Afton”. …
Learning ought to be enjoyed. One theory of education says that learning is fast if it is enjoyed. It is not found only in the four walls of the school. It can also be in the comforts of home, the land and the seas, the sun in the morning, the stars in the sky and the moon at night.
The universe is our school, God’s perfect creation. Inhale, exhale! Feel every heartbeat.
And this is the best lesson in this pandemic.