Posted by Teacher Ria in Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Happy World Teacher’s Day!

Three cheers to all my fellow teachers out there! Hats off to you!!!

Today, being Teachers Day and all, I got to reflecting about how I ended up being Teacher Ria. It still amazes me to this day that I am a teacher, especially since  as a little girl, I never imagined my future career being in the field of education. As a child, I filled up autograph books and made countless drawings of what I’d be when I grew up and not once do I recall choosing “teacher” as one of them. I always said I’d be a doctor or a nurse, a child psychiatrist, a lawyer, and even a gymnast of ballet dancer but teacher, never. However, by some sheer twist of fate, I found myself in front of a class of little kids (eventually big kids too) and it just fit. Not only that, I found myself a teacher here in the Philippines where a teachers financial value is quite low.

I don’t think I would be the teacher I am today if not for the teachers I had in my life too. Whether they be a classroom teacher,  an adviser, or mentor, these teachers have inspired me to push on with the task on hand and to always keep going. While I may have had my favorite teachers in the past, I realize that even my not-so-favorite ones have left indelible marks in my life

Being a teacher is not always an easy job, although with preschoolers, it is often made easy by many of the fun times I have with the kids. On occasion, having difficult parents to work with can make the task more tedious and burdensome but these are often outweighed by the parents who give thanks and recognize the changes their kids show after weeks or months of school. With college students, it can not only be NOT EASY, but extremely thankless too. But I’m still here. Sometimes I wonder why I stay and persevere in this career I found myself in. I still don’t have an answer. It can’t be the money, I suppose. I don’t think it’s also the hours I get to keep. However, what keeps me going still I think is seeing how the kids in my life turn out in the future. I suppose, in that regard, I teach for selfish reasons, even just a little. So today as my students wished me a Happy Teachers Day, I will also take time out and thank my students for

…making me enjoy going to work most of the time, even though it’s so early in the morning!…

…kisses and hugs and unconditional love, even when they get sad faces….

…keeping me young at heart, even though I am starting to feel the effects of aging coming on…

…filling my heart with joy and laughter at the simplest things…

…and for showing me how I am a part of something bigger than just me…

It saddens me a little bit, however, when I look back and remember I never aspired to be a teacher. What’s even more saddening is the fact that less and less students dream of becoming teachers now. I think it’s because of the hard fact that teaching won’t necessarily translate to a good financial future. While the psychic reward is great, the needs of reality may be greater. With that, I take the time today to challenge educational institutions and departments to help improve the status of teachers everywhere. Let’s give them what it is they truly deserve. Perhaps with that, more kids will aspire to become teachers for the future.

In the past few months I began to question again why I am a teacher in the Philippines (or a teacher to begin with), especially with the financial crunch and all. In the end, my answer remains the same: kinararangal kong tawaging Teacher sa Pinas.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Advocacies, Featured | 0 Comments

Hope for the Flowers: Help X Out Cervical Cancer

For my 30^th birthday, I got myself the gift of protection. Yes, I armed myself with the protection against Cervical Cancer by committing to getting the vaccine that protects women from the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the virus which causes abnormal growth in the cervix. According to research, half a million worldwide are diagnosed with Cervical Cancer and every two minutes, one of them will die because of it. Every day, 12 Filipina die of cervical cancer. It’s ranked as the second most common cancer afflicting Filipino women. The sad part of this reality is that while cervical cancer is highly preventable, it is difficult to detect in its early stages. Being a staunch believer that prevention is better than cure, plus of course the constant reminders of my OB/GYN that I should get protected, I finally did it. GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18, the two most common cancer-causing strains.  Now, women ages 10 years and older can be vaccinated.

Last July 16, 2009, advocates for cervical cancer unveiled Hope for the Flowers, a photo exhibit featuring stills from the Tour of Hope 2009’s Dare to Be Bold bike tour that aimed to raise funds for the Cervical Cancer Protection Network (CECAP). Images by renowned photographers Jun De Leon, Jed Santos, Ramon Ty and Miguel De Leon will be on display at the Main Atrium of the SM Mall of Asia until the end of the week.

*photos used with permission courtesy of GeiserMaclang.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Autism | 2 Comments

Be an Angel for Autism and Help Save Their School!

I wasn’t really planning to check out my Plurk timeline this morning as I needed a time-out for myself but I’m glad I ended up doing so. I came across a thread from a good friend of mine appealing for help to save her daughter’s school from losing their lease. This Center for Intervention and Development Foundation Inc. is one of the few centers that caters to Children with Autism. I beleive that WE NEED TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD! There are millions of Filipinos affected by this developmental disorder and it is time our government gave it the attention it needs.

Below is the article written by Earth of earthlingorgeous.com:

In April 2010 the lease term of my daughter’s school for special children especially children with autism (CWA)  in Quezon City, the Center for Intervention and Development Foundation Inc. (CIDFI) will be over.  Our school principal and the members of the board of trustees are not sure if they will still be able to secure a renewal of lease contract since they were told that the government has plans to put up a 6 story building at that lot they are leasing that will be used for the medical tourism plans for the country.

In 2010, if the election will push through, a new president will be in place, a new health secretary will be installed and a new chairman of Philippine Children’s Medical Hospital (PCMC) will be appointed. Will all the new officials that will be installed the CDIFI board of trustees are not sure if they will still grant a renewal of the lease.

CIDFI has been a school for special children for more than 20 years, they were put up in 1987 by doctors/neurologist/developmental pediatrician from the PCMC because they want to be able to completely monitor the case of their patients, since during that time there were no special schools or schools for children with autism (CWA) and other related diseases that involves learning disability.

Do we really need to become a tourist destination and cater for the tourist medical and health problems and leave our countrymen to worry on their own and find somewhere else to go regarding their health and welfare?

My daughter’s school will hold another board meeting by the end of July to find some solution and think of a way to lobby for a renewal of contract if not find a new place to relocate and lease.

Yesterday, we held a Parent Orientation and Parent meeting with the school principal and she told us about this problem and asked for our prayers and support.  Today I am asking everyone to pray and help us.  If you know people who got influence from the government, can you whisper to them to have compassion for the special children, the children with autism, who are benefits from CIDFI to renew their lease contract? (Here is the country’s present situation regarding autism welfare in the Philippines) (here is what the government can do regarding autism welfare)

CDIFI is a private school but it was located beside the Children’s hospital to be accessible for the doctors who referred children with special needs to study there so that they can monitor the child’s improvement and be able to hold a doctor, teacher, therapist and parent conference.  Since the school was put up by doctors from the children’s hospital they were given a low lease price of more than P203,000 a year.

• If the school will move out this year the fees we are paying for their sessions will shoot up to 500%.  With the present situation of this school which is put up by a non-profit foundation that amount is expensive. Parents with children with autism who have their child study there are mostly averaged income families, while some work so hard to be able to have their child’s intervention push through.
• If the school will move out and pay a higher rent the fee we pay will shoot up to amounts no average person can handle.  More child with autism will not be able to learn and develop.
• If the school will move out there will be children with autism who will not be able to get intervention and education they need to become independent and a helpful member of the society.
• If the school will move out there is a possibility that the good teachers helping us there will rather go out of the country to have better income.  It’s a sad fact that most of the good special education teachers choose to go abroad because the income is greater abroad than here.
• And the most dreadful of all if the lease contract will not pursue there is a possibility that the school will close down since the school does not have any funds for it. Some parents were not able to pay for their kids fee  but the school still accepts them and the teachers still teach them as their moral responsibility.  But still the school has bills to pay especially the teachers salary.  They already have a more than a million deficit since last year.

My daughter has dramatically improved since she started her sessions at CDIFI.  I love how my doctor and my teacher can talk about my daughter’s improvement and what areas they need to focus on.  I love the fact that the staff in the food kiosk in that school are CWA’s.  I love how accessible the vicinity of the school is to the hospital.  I love how intensive their programs are.  I love the fact that they are helping CWA’s for more than 20 years now.

Please help save my daughter’s school.  Please be an angel to my daughter and other CWA. Please be my angel.  Pray that my daughter’s school be saved.  Please tell God that whoever becomes the new leader of the country to have a heart for special children.

If you support this cause please grab this button drop by Earth’s site and place it on your sidebar and become an Earth’s Angel for Autism

Posted by Teacher Ria in Advocacies | 1 Comment

Education and the Lack Thereof.

And so today marks the end of the first week of school. School Year 2009-2010 is officially underway! This year for me is kind of bittersweet, because it marks the year that my very first kids are graduating from elementary school this year.

It’s a bit sad to not that while so much has changed, so much still remains the same. It’s sad how education is still deemed as a privilege and not a right in so many ways. What’s even more frustrating about the whole situation is hearing how our government misspends so much of it’s money. And let’s not forget about the whole issue of corruption, right?

This gets me to thinking: how can we really make a change in the system? I feel this step will not only make a change in education but in life in general.

The solution: it starts with us.

Cliché, right? Cliché but true.

Imagine this: if we stopped thinking “everyone else is doing it, so I might as well do the same thing” things would be so much difference. For example, if the higher-ups stopped focusing on the “what’s in it for me” and instead care more about “what is in the best interest” things will start to make changes. Small and slow changes, but changes nevertheless. For me, on a personal level, I am committing to no longer using pirated videos for my lessons, even though I just borrow them and not buy them technically. While videos may technically be in the best interest of my students’ learning, I have to look at the underlying message I am inadvertently sending.

Like I said, this attitude can make a change in so many aspects of life. To be honest, the thought dawned on me while I was stuck in traffic. I realized that more than just the fact that our streets are overcrowded, one major contributor to traffic is the fact that we think only about how we can get ahead rather than how we can all get through the traffic easily. Take the bottleneck by the Bicutan off-ramp of the Skyway. Drivers refuse to yield to one another, thus the snail-paced movement extends even longer, especially for those who are in the proper lane to begin with. If we took turns and went alternately, I’m sure everyone would get to their destination faster. Bottom line, what happens is we tend to think why let people pass me when no one lets me pass either.

So this school year, my quest is to make sure I teach my students that there is indeed a world so much bigger than us, and that no matter how cliché it may be, change begins in one’s self…no matter how small that may be.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Autism | 3 Comments

Assistance for Persons with Disabilities.

Living with a disability, be it physical, cognitive, psychosocial or language disabilities, can be trying, not just emotionally but also financially. Doctors visits, tests, therapies and medication definitely place a strain on the family’s budget.  It is nice to hear that as of March 2009, the Persons With Disability ID is available in many local municipalities, as reported by the Autism Society Philippines. These ID’s entitle PWD’s to avail of health and medically related discounts in all drugstores and medical facilities.

On May 20, 2009, the Department of Health issued Administrative Order 2009-0011 which outlines implementing guidelines to RA 9442 (otherwise known as “An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known as the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, and for Other Purposes,” for the provision of medical and related discounts and special priviliges). This ordinance will surely make the lives of Persons With Disabilities (PWD) somewhat more manageable. This will also allow them to avail of services, amongst others, that they surely need. It’s kinda sad that this was not publicized or given as much attention as it should have been given. As with the ConAss issue, this seems to have been overshadowed by the controversial Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex scandal. I’m glad I am on the mailing list of the Autism Society Philippines, thus I was able to be informed about this.

With this order, persons with disabilities shall be entiled to at least 20% discounts on medicines in all drugstores, 20% discount on medical/dental services and laboratory fees in all government facilities (subject to guidelines by DOH and PhilHealth),  and 20% discount on the same services plus professional fees of attending physicians in private hospitals, again, based on guidelines set by DOH in coordination with PhilHealth. The rules further provide that express lanes for PWD’s shall be provided in all private, commercial and government establishments. The directive provides services not only for the physically impaired, but also includes psychosocial disabilities.

As I read through the guidelines, it seemed to me that the process of availing of the Senior Citizens discount (including getting an ID and purchase booklet from the local municipality) is the same as how the PWD discounts will work.  In the latest e-newsletter of the ASP, they pointed out PWD’s residing in Quezon City can now avail of their PWD ID card and medicine purchase booklet.

Click here for more information about REPUBLIC ACT 9442

Click here to check if your municipality is issuing PWD ID’s and purchase booklets.

UPDATE:

Thank you to Earth for clarifying that this law has been in exsistence for some time now. Read more about it here.