What is Your “Piece of Peace”?

#Master of Arts in Educational Management 
#Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education

Can we not strive for this?

You are beautiful! You are unique! YOU are YOU!

YET, you might have forgotten to ASERT YOURSELF because you might have had so little confidence in your self.

Over some period of time, there might have been some incidences of feeling neglected and it gave you enough justification  to shy away from the world, from other people; shy away from yourself until you’ve just been contented hoping to just blend into the background.

Could you ever imagine when was “that time” you begun feeling worthless?

When was it that you started changing yourself, hoping to just impress the thoughts of others?

Without you realizing, you are actually harming yourself because you’re hoping to improve … when in fact, you’re doubting your very self because you no longer feel that confident to VOICE OUT amidst those times when your thoughts and actions have just been rejected & by-passed. In effect, it gave you the only choice to just close your eyes and shrug your shoulders because you allowed yourself to feel helpless.

You no longer feel great just the way you are because you’ve already forgotten WHO YOU REALLY ARE!

You believed it when people say you’re not worthy; you stopped giving yourself the chance to gain credits despite the many striving times you’ve exerted. You’ve pressured yourself too much because you’ve allowed those chaotic, abrupt-changing systems to disturb your “simple piece of peace”.

You were supposedly to work giving out your BEST for God’s glory in an imperfect world; yet, you keep on justifying that you are “not perfect” — that is why, you’re also justifying “not being able to give your BEST” in every little thing that you do because of what you believe in.

“You can never be perfect?” What does it say about your “self esteem”?

Could you imagine what will happen to “that thing called Tadhana” if everyone of us would take care of this kind of mindset? Destiny — as a predetermined course of events may be conceived as a predetermined future.  What lies in the future would always depend upon WHAT WE DO TODAY!

Many of us would tend to complain about several “turn out of situations which doesn’t give us any choice!” — that is why we keep on “piercing our heart” with that arrow which we keep on pointing to other direction other than our own SELF!

If there should be some "PIECE OF PEACE" that we should bring to our future not only as a teacher but as a Child of God, 
what do you think would that be?

Try visiting these links for progression:

http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/21st+Century+Teacher

http://www.principals.org/Content.aspx?topic=61219

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/11/03mindset_ep.h33.html

Our Account-ability!

How you connect each dot, manifests YOU!

Master of Arts in Educational Management: EDM 505

If Life  is what we make it, DOTs are how we connect it! — what makes life the way it should be! 🙂

“What we do with what we see today” will make a lot of difference in the future which is yet near or far.  What might happen in the future would always depend upon how we “turn things today” no matter “how limited” opportunities or chances are.

The 21st Century has been pushing us to “LEVEL UP IN LIFE!” Exciting though, yet, some of us do not really have the “know how” — or better yet,  we seem to be unmindful of making ourselves ON-GUARD against the RISK OF UNCERTAINTY.  We may at  times claim to be “future-oriented”; yet we never really achieve as much — BUT WHY? … because “alternatives” just come and become waisted for the very simple reason that “we did not PLAN!”

“Failing to PLAN is PLANNING TO FAIL!”

Current trends suggest that we should NOW be STRATEGIC in our actions!  Educators as we are, we should already “mind-set” that the 21st Century Education is IN NEED of TEACHERS with INNOVATIVE IDEAS who could facilitate “wise decision-making and who has comprehensive understanding of his  “ACCOUNT-ABILITY” most significantly to himself !

What do your “connect-the-dots” tell? how much did you use your opportunities?

Scanning through the DOTS, coming up with something out of it, and giving our own interpretation of what we did would help us evaluate “where we are now, what we see and how we act today”

— Thing is, [1] could we then tell how much effort did we exert to be able to come up with something out of those dots that we only have? & [2] what does it tell about you and about what you want?

Having known that “we should make ourselves ENTREPRENEURS” at this POINT IN TIME,  how then should each educator gear towards a PARADIGM SHIFT? What measures should we personally implement so that we could SELL OURSELVES BEST? — and oh, “selling oneself”? — what does it indicate? what should we have and how should we go about it?

"Our failure to INVEST today is 
NOT making life the way it should be! --profgail

If a Person is Really Sorry!

You would know if a person is really sincere when saying “sorry”!

She would mean and respect your response in her heart and would not react in defense of her mistake when you tell her that she should realize what she did so that he wont add up more insults to God by not committing the same mistake over & over again.

A real sorry person STRIVES TO COMMAND HERSELF NOT TO ENTERTAIN NEGATIVITY OVER THE CONCERNS OF OTHERS who hope to make her realize the things that she should “work hard on” to let her become a better person.

These acts are the responsibilities of both parties if we mean striving ON THE RIGHT THINGS THAT GOD WANTS US TO DO.

Waterproof Faith.

Yes #DearPopeFrancis, I am Personally ONE WITH YOU!

Please read: Mark 1: 14-2

IaMPOSSIBLE!

¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

¹⁸ Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

… sana ganito din ang response ng mga tinatawag para sumama at makinig!

Sa totoong buhay kasi, HINDI MADALIng magyaya ng mga taong pwedeng maki-isa sayo –

not evenwithin the family – to be with you in the same net!

Despite some changing of minds & discouragements against my desire TO BE THERE in Luneta Park-Quirino Grandstand last Sunday, the ONLY CHOICE I HAD was to tell myself: “I AM POSSIBLE!” … until all by myself @ past 3am, I had to walk-through the re-routes along Roxas Boulevard back to Maria Orosa then to Taft Avenue for main entrance and stand-still among the approximately 6M people who desired to have a PERSONAL ENCOUNTER with our Dear Pope Francis for the concluding part of His Pastoral Journey. I was supposed to meet-up my younger sister & bro in law amidst that emerging sea of believers but network signal was cut-off just before we succeeded being together in one quadrant.

Sa totoong buhay, scenarios like these may discourage us. Of course, who would want to be alone in the middle of such a very big crowd, and who would boldly wait for hours while you’re nowhere to hide from the non-stop rain which didn’t give you the choice to remain seated for you’ll get so wet all over? And so true, there may be some speck of wanting to just give up & just go back home to your family – BUT THEN NO! – for in His message during the Meeting with Families in MOA Arena, our Holy Father urged that since there are many threats within the family:

“We must rise from our slumber! We must get up and act!”

He wants a sheep against the wolves that are approaching, particularly our tendency to get trapped in materialism which is destructive of family life. True enough, we may unawaringly experience “isolation and divisions” within our famiy; and sometimes, human and vulnerable as we are, we may just feel too weak to just “let things be”!

BUT THEN AGAIN NO! Lolo Kiko said that “The future passes from the family” & today’s gospel could be an affirmation of our responsibility that the very first place “to fish” is within our family. However, if we find it difficult, there’s got to be somebody to take the initiative to make the family protected against ideological colonization which may eventually separate us.

Reason may not understand what the heart perceives. YES, I “persisted” to be there not to make history with the 6M crowd with “waterproof faith” but to LISTEN UPCLOSE to God’s message through His Holiness & “offer my presence from dawn to sunset as an ounce of sacrifice for my family’s intentions” – for in my heart ¹⁵ “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” #sunset

Published in Light of Jesus’ “The Feast Bulletin CM Binan”

Cor Dei 03. 25 January 2015, Mark 1: 14-20, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Series: BOLD! Dare To Ask God for The Impossible, Talk 2: Persistence

Waterproof Faith! by Gail Montero@TheFeastBulletin.

Plan Your Timeline

Just when will we open that “closed door” for relationships to get better?

Why do we have to start each year with a “JANUARY”

One cool answer I’ve got was that “because we ended with December” 😀 –still in a state of “inactivity” 🙂

This could actually be a tough time to start A NEW YEAR because this requires us to do a “sudden leap” from being hibernated in vacation mode to being mobile & active.

Good thing there is “Janus”, the god of doors & gates, openings & closings from Roman mythology. He is a “two-faced god” who has the ability to turn one face to the past “in reflection” and another face intently directed towards the present “in consideration of the future”.

January, having been named after Janus, gives us the “leeway”to softly shift from “being idle” to being rekindled!”– It gives us the opportunity to examine the doors both of our past whose opportunities could accumulate to the present & could even contemplate our future.

SO, How were your doors in 2014? Was it OPEN or CLOSED? & it it was open, was it slightly or widely OPEN?

As to Janus, many doors are surely to open as the NEW YEAR posts many opportunities for us.

What doors do you envision to open in 2015?

How do you see your DOORS?

Grab this chance to PLAN for your TIMELINE for the entire 2015 so as to install those doors where you are and will be most ready to position those doors.

Whether this year will be a promising one is all up to us!

Remember that no one will open that door for you expect for your WILL, willingness and determination to find the DIRECTION which God has destined for you.

Plan your timeline ahead so that you won’t have to plan to fail.

Live up to Steven Covey’s 1^st Habit of being Highly Effective Leader: BEGIN WITH AN END IN MIND

Let’s Embrace our “NOW”

Cor Dei 47. 14December2014, 3^rd Sunday of Advent

Please “fill-in” these Blanks.

Please take time reading today’s Gospel: JOHN 1:6-8, 19-28, 

In my response to Bro. Bo Sanchez’s ’s challenge, I must admit – I am enjoying another year in my lifetime … ‘just turned 44, days back.

Ang bilis ng panahon! … It has been five years when I last affirmed a promise to God that “I would maximize time” – if He would only “will” to grant me added opportunities.

Year after year, at the onset of my birthday month, I would really “self-check” if I am still fulfilling my promise. Sometimes, I would have that guilty-feeling that I should have done something better rather than what I just did. At times, I would regret not having met some expectations here & there — while there were even times when I felt that I’ve given almost “all of me” – but still my efforts looked insignificant ‘coz it seemed not enough to suffice some highly-set standards for material things & pleasures.

But God has been ever-faithful to His response to “our mutual agreement”!

Every time I would ask myself “what on earth am I STILL here for?”, isang “look-up” ko lang, He would right away send me His consoles.

Through all those years, I know that He has been increasing & leveling up on His added assignments to me. It has never been easy though — battling through those difficult tasks coupled with some difficult people too which made me experience different SEASONS of LIFE — but I have discovered ONE SECRET:

All that it should take amidst any season

is to be a “John the Baptist” — who is deeply aware

“WHO he IS NOT” – but BY HEART knows “WHO HE IS”!

At dahil dyan, brothers & sisters, today, we are challenged to CONCRETIZE an answer to fill-in these lines/blanks:

“I am not _________________________ !”

“I AM ….. _________________________ !”

Promise, “sobrang saya po and ang sarap sa pakiramdam” na habang tinutupad ko ang promise ko kay God, as sure as I strive to LOOK UP to HIM, He is giving me such assurance that He will also help me fulfill my promise “to still be there until our bunso grows up”!

#LOOK UP.How To Find God In Every Situation. Talk 2: #PagMayTime Finding God in Your Present

Planning & Development: What would make the Difference!

So much has been told about the Philippine Planning Experiences during the 1st Development Decade in the 3rd World — this is 99.9% sure I SUPPOSE,  in almost all of the Graduate Classes for Masters & Doctorate Degrees from which most of the Stakeholders/Public Administrators in our Educational System commenced.

YET, why is it that UNITIL such a time as NOW, DEVELOPMENT is STILL LIMITED?

EDUCATIONAL PLANNING, as generally assumed is preparing the Education System to address what lies ahead — so as to achieve both short-&-long-term goals set by educational planners. The Introduction of Public Administration brought about various opportunities, expansion, mobilization of resources and a lot more attempts for TRANSFORMATION.

In the paper entitled “The Challenges to the Futures of Public Administration Education” presented by Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, Professor of Public Administration and Public Policy, NCPAG, UP Diliman and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UP Open University at the 2012 International Conference on “Public Administration and Governance: Tradition and Transformation” held at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in June 2012, traces of transformation were revisited:

“Public Administration (PA) or the field of study and practice (Waldo 1955) intended to professionalize public practice, address development problems, reform societies, foster democracy and serve public interest and welfare, has undergone a number of transformations, shifts, movements and streams. In terms of sets of convergent concepts and approaches in the teaching, research and practice of Public Administration, which are dominant at particular periods, Carino (2008) mentioned four streams navigated by the discipline. These are: Traditional Public Administration (TPA), Development Administration (DevAd), New Public Administration (New PA), and Public Administration and Governance (PAG).

Brillantes, Jr. and Fernandez (2008) meanwhile divided the phases in the evolution of the field into only two: traditional or classical PA (from 1800s to 1950s) and modern PA (from 1950s to present). The latter includes DevAd, New PA, New Public Management (NPM), Reinventing Government, and PA as Governance.”  [http://ncpag.upd.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/The-Challenges-to-the-Futures-of-PA-Education-1-copy.pdf]

Above-mentioned successive shifts in concepts may have been regarded significant for we are currently experiencing “interrelated developments” [Mendoza, 2012] which include:

1)  The growth of transnational education (TNE) and the corollary advocacies for cross-border universal education, knowledge co-creation and sharing (e.g., education for all by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO, and open educational resources or OER); and

2)  The K-12 and moves toward international standardization.

However, considering for one, the commitment of Education For All [EFA] to dramatically expand educational opportunities for children, youth and adults by 2015 which, according to UNESCO 2013 Education For All Global Monitoring Report [http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/] they will not realise , PLUS the current sudden implementation of the “K-12 Curriculum” which is yet unapproved & suspension of which is being sought by the Senate [http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/07/23/1349322/suspension-k-12-program-sought], Educational System & Administration may really be considered “at high risk” of excessive quantitative reinventions & orientations; over-centralisation of those who are in position within their term of service and to global and international collaborations, weakness in implementation and lack of evaluation aside from the fact that some stakeholders have just “embraced everything” without really looking into more important matters at hand — or if they do, they might at all be too hesitant to breakthrough “some steady walls”.

“Transnational education, open educational resources and K-12 are movements and norms that navigated across the globe and reached national borders. Depending on how we embrace them and value them as good or bad, would dictate the shape, structure and approaches of our ways of life, and in this case, our Public Administration.

— Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza,                                                                                                                  Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UP Open University

True, “It should not always be a shot from the outside!” [Mendoza, 2012]

We may have explored vast opportunities of collaborating with all sorts of transformation in our Educational System where we actually may have experienced different SEASONS of LIFE while along the way we’ve just allowed ourselves to get swayed by all sorts of weather and its various elements, some of which, we may have missed & did not recognise; and some, we’ve even misinterpreted — but HAVE WE REALLY IDENTIFIED OUR SIGNIFICANCE — the part we played?

It all boils down to ONE SIGNIFICANT SECRET!

The Weakness in our Educational System is not really in Implementation per se |pəː ˈseɪ| !

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS — OUR ANSWER:

how much PLANNING have you done in your life?

Have you really PLANNED ENOUGH for yourSELF?

We could never do enough for others if we cannot even IMPLEMENT “PERSONAL” PLANNING & ADMINISTRATION!

SO, what are the things that you want to: KEEP, DROP & CHANGE [Trongco, 2013] in 2015?

Believe that this time YOU CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

Be that development that the 3rd World needs to “come up with something out of nothing or whatever is left”!

Trivia: Four Worlds

After World War II the world split into two large geopolitical blocs and spheres of influence with contrary views on government and the politically correct society:
1 – The bloc of democratic-industrial countries within the American influence sphere, the “First World”.
2 – The Eastern bloc of the communist-socialist states, the “Second World”.
3 – The remaining three-quarters of the world’s population, states not aligned with either bloc were regarded as the “Third World.”
4 – The term “Fourth World”, coined in the early 1970s by Shuswap Chief George Manuel, refers to widely unknown nations (cultural entities) of indigenous peoples, “First Nations” living within or across national state boundaries.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Credits to:

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world_countries.htm

http://ncpag.upd.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/The-Challenges-to-the-Futures-of-PA-Education-1-copy.pdf

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/04/the-term-third-world-country-refers-to-the-politics-and-economic-structure-of-a-country-not-its-developmental-state-or-wealth/

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/07/23/1349322/suspension-k-12-program-sought

http://www.up.edu.ph/tag/k-12/

http://dailytwocents.com/philippine-senator-trillanes-wants-k-12-program-suspension-on-education/

http://dirp3.pids.gov.ph/ris/eid/pidseid1202.pdf

Strategic Planning in Education by Dr. Eusebio F. Miclat Jr.

Fundamentals of Management by Stephen P. Robbins et.al

Management in the Philippine Setting by Ernesto A. Franco

“Maximize, We Don’t Have Forever!”

Cor Dei 45. 30Nov2014, 1st Sunday of Advent

Let’s open our heart for today’s Gospel: Mark 13:33-37

“maximize every opportunity” … to TELL & UNDERSTAND … and be God’s messenger 🙂

“Walang Tulugan!”

I would always love that scene:

Each time i would see my dad & mom at my side & front mirrors, standing in front of their gate, looking to my direction until i’ve driven almost at the end of their street.

Ang sarap nilang tingnan … ang saya sa pakiramdam!

‘Yong alam mong naging masaya sila dahil we’ve been with them.

Then i would always tell myself, “sana walang isang araw na walang naghahatid sa akin ng tingin” hanggang almost sa dulo ng street where i grew up and unleashed myself as the person that they want me to be.

Kung pwede nga lang, araw-araw namin silang nadadalaw, araw-araw nakakakwentuhan, araw-araw hugs and himas sa likod — just to at least ease their longings na sana nandon kami lagi for them.

This is one of my greatest fear!

“You do not know when the time will come!”

— that at this very moment, how i want to “clone myself” so that i can both be a daughter by my parents’ side all the time while i continue to be a striving wife and mom to my own family.

In my “child mode” today: how i want to maximize time with my parents for they are not getting any younger! I want to stay awake taking care of them; supposedly looking into their every need even if they keep on saying that they are still strong, seeing the joy in their eyes and hearing the happiness in their laughters everytime we would spend few bonding hours with them. That “feeling of being remembered & regarded importan still” amidst our super busy scheds & multi-tasks — i know will never be enough to be in gratitude to the fact that — when as a child, we didn’t had everything that we wanted — none of those material luxuries — but every amount of sacrifice and love which were not perfectly delivered all throughout those growing up years with my four siblings — that was all that we had until we become the persons that we are!

I hope to make them feel how much appreciation there is in my heart for them while I am also grabbing every opportunity to be at my best for my husband & kids and for my spiritual community: my friends, my students & those who can relate with my every “striving” to relay God’s silence.

“35 So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn; 36 if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep.”

Bottomline po brothers & sisters, whatever MODE we are in right now, God is reminding us today that we’ve got to: “maximize giving our BEST”; “learn to understand MOST” the things that we have no control of; and humbly strive to be “lifted high” in FAITH in whatever ways we could — so that we won’t have to cry over some spoiled chances when the unexpected arrives.

And along with this, we CONGRATULATE our Feast Builder Bro Jon Escoto for a powerful Talk & our Feast Binan & Sta. Rosa TEAM for maximizing an awesome experience of being “LIFTED HIGH” as volunteer servants & attendees in last week’s successful KCon 2014 🙂

published in The Feast Binan CM Bulletin.Issue#45.”Walang Tulugan”30Nov2014

Let The Learner Love Learning

 

When we fail to “look-into” our Learners …

https://plus.google.com/111650383278180869270/posts/XCUL6BsHPLv

Would you mind taking into consideration that it would take … NOT THE BEST  — rather an “influential teacher” to make THE LEARNER LOVE “LEARNING”?

From SIMPLE TO COMPLEX, Psychological Foundation of Education suggests that there is the need to look-into THE LEARNER all throughout his levels of development  from Infancy  to Old-Age.

Probing into the fulfillment of his Biological & Physiological needs, The Learner should be provided various amounts of experiences to help him reach a certain level wherein he should be able to perform some developmental tasks until Maturation is  attained.

Although development could naturally be sequential/chronological, the rate of improvement could possibly be different in every individual due to Heredity and Environment — which brings about INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES.

However, despite such disparities, each Learner is  naturally endowed with Positive Attitude such as: Curiosity, Persistence & Responsibility coupled with their “innate” Ability, Aptitude, Attitude & Interest.

Danger is … when “The Teacher” is not equipped with some amount of CREATIVITY to address  certain difficult episodes — just because he did not take time to take into consideration his students’ individual characteristics and  differences in developmental levels.

As I’ve previously conceptualized,  “Not many would consider looking at the learner and its kind before going through the many strategies which a teacher can utilize.” Learning who the Learner Is”, should be an integral factor to consider for a teacher to succeed in the kind of experience he could create in each of his Learner! https://plus.google.com/111650383278180869270/posts/XCUL6BsHPLv  

Thus, we should, in one way or the other, help ourselves become “influential” by  “pondering-on” these:

Teachers should be the first “learners” — pondering on concepts like these!

How would you “influence” The Learner” NOT TO HATE SCHOOL?