23.3.07

Pedro is jumping...

One day, in our linguistics class, one of our classmates was sharing to us her experience being an English teacher in public school. Well, being a teacher elsewhere is never easy, but a true educator will only taste just what virtue there is in the teaching profession if he/she gets to encounter students whose academic performance seems to be beyond salvation.

My classmate went on sharing addressing it to our lady professor. “Ma’am, what happened to the English grammar of our students today? It seems like instead of improving, I feel like, it goes on deteriorating? When I tried once to handle grammar to the grade schoolers and asked them to construct even a simple sentence out of the given verb, the sentence went like this - “Pedro is jumping”. Now I have been handling grammar still but this time, I handle high schoolers and when I would ask them to write a sentence, I still read the same sentence as “Pedro is jumping”. And then here’s the funny one, out my desperation I asked them,”Class, wala ba na gikapoy si Pedro ug ambak? Murag elementary pa man mo ana nga sentence hangtud karon high school na mo gaambak-ambak gihapon si Pedro?!!(Class, is Pedro not yet tired of jumping? Ever since you were in elementary I read the same sentence from you. And now you’re in high school, you think Pedro never gets tired of jumping?!!!).

Everybody in our class laughed. We all laughed over the reality..and its sad.The poor English performance of the students especially in the remote or public schools is truly happening. Until now, we have been trying to figure out just what is really wrong with our educational system nowadays. We made research and assumption on the possible causes of the students’ poor performance esp. in English, like maybe the teacher is ineffective, or maybe its poverty when the student would go to school and yet could hardly concentrate or comprehend with the lesson because he/she must have gone to school while her/his stomach is empty, or maybe they lack vitamins, lack support from their families or maybe the school facilities are insufficient. There are many factors to consider but we still cannot find a definite fact or bases to finally put conclusion on this issue.

Now, I advice not only the schooled ones but even the out of school to make reading a habit because it will really help. Not all who can speak English well have finished college, because not everyone of us can afford to finish education, knowing how commercialized education has become at present. And so I suggest that let learning be in our inner selves’ motivation. Learning doesn’t end in school. True that sometimes we need encouragement and motivations from any concern people, but still ours is the last option. We are ourselves’ own great teachers. We are born with “free will” and not having time or busyness is never an excuse.

Well, we don't have to be grammar expert in a sense, I am not! English is not our native tongue. But somehow its good that we have knowledge about today's medium of instruction which is the English language.

8 comments:

Girlie said...

It's the native tongue. when that happens, grammar is the least of their worry. They speak the language, but they don't study grammar...in a sense, lots of native english speaker have worse grammar than Filipino. They don't learn it in school like we do...at least, for those who didn't go to school.

isko b. doo said...

I honed my English while reading and I only developed it kay pagtuo sa uban mas bright ang hawod mo-english mao abi nila intelligent ko. hehehe.

Anonymous said...

ma`am,im blogging..is my grammar okay? hehe

I`ll give you my observance,EV,honestly.

we,Filipinos have a higher standard of english education compare to some countries,like japan.but some of us,or most of the filipinas I`ve encountered here have poor grammar effect.maybe i am one of them,ok,napansin ko yan sa mga co workers ko nung kumuha kami ng exam,while Japanese are concentrating nman sa grammar.oh yeah,yung mga mataas na standard na japanese,they have almost perfect grammar...but,sa written lang yun!the fact is,they have poor toungue nman,they cant speak english appropriately,they have a problem sa pronunciation.at yan ang capital naming mga filipinas dito,we have a good pronunciation daw kung ikucompare sa ibang foreigners,exempted din yung mga natives shempre.

sayang talaga..well known pa nman tayo sa magagaling na english mimickers or speakers,sana i keep yan ng DECS :)with the help of the government,of course!

sus!nobela na naman ako rito,sensha na,hehe..

Anonymous said...

Yan din ang problema ko sa ngayon kay Josh. He speaks english fluently (di nga masyado sa tagalog) pero sa grammar ako nagkakaproblema sa kanya.

Anonymous said...

Naku naku guilty man ako jan day! heheh! sa comment kolang nman ako minsan nag luluko luko sa english e! kc ala nman taecher na nag kokorek sakin! heheh!

Kaya ngaba gusto ko tlgang maging teacher sa filipino lang para di mapuna english ko!...

Yan kc nakikita ng mga bata sa TV, mga teenager na lupit lupit ang english akala tuloy nila tama.. tapos ung ina nasanay nasa call center dahil nga me speil nman na pag aaralan..

basta pag naka bebe ako ipapa tutor ko sayu ha? heheh

krystyna said...

Hi Ev!
Great post. In my country (Poland) English education is very good now. But my generation didn't have this chance. My English is very poor, because I started 5 years ago, only by myself, and my brain is not young. I try to study with grammar, but how many years I need? I don't know, but I know it is not easy, but very exciting.
You're right that
"learning doesn’t end in school. True that sometimes we need encouragement and motivations from any concern people, but still ours is the last option. We are ourselves’ own great teachers. We are born with “free will” and not having time or busyness is never an excuse".
Your post motivated me. Thanks!

ev said...

Shan,

If love can move mountains,so as curiousity...(hehe!i hope i make connection).Well, what i mean is that if one is really curious to learn bout something then its not impossible that he/she will really learn that something. Now, if learning the language is the least of their worry then there must be a reason behind..its just a matter of interest.


isko,

There's just one thing that i will never forget about you back in college..nakatulog ka in our chemistry class, then murag daghan man ata mo ato, ingon ni mam, ang gusto matulog gawas, then of all na nagpatulog-tulog, ikaw ra jud nagkalakas loob na migawas!hahahaha!nanindigan ka kapatid! i salute you for that! unsaon man pud gud na perte man pud ka-boring to nga klase oi!bisan ako, magduka!wow!off the topic ko!dili jud nako to malimtan na instance jo...hehe!

but nway, yah you're right, some people think that if you are good in English, then intelligent na ka!ambot unsa na nga mentality...pero baka somehow naa sila point. I also improve my grammar thru reading.


ghee,

I watched jessica sojo's "Philippine Agenda" last weekend. They featured the educational system in the Phils., like the struggles of the teachers and the students whose schools are located in some remote areas in the Phils. Maluluha ka ghee kung paano sila nag-aaral with very lacking facilities..and the distance that they need to walk from their homes only to go to school. I dont know what's the plan of the gov't. There are actually lots of intellectual students in the provinces kaya lang kulang ng support mula sa gov't and even private sectors.

Filipinos never fail to excel ghee, wherever in the world they may go, yun nga lang, mas nasusuportahan sila ng mga taga ibang bansa and they really shine in some places outside our country.

ann,

Be proud that josh can already speak English fluently at his age. That is already an achievement becaause you've seen him really learning and very motivated. Dont worry about his grammar, learning doesnt happen overnight, josh has still a long way to go...for sure. And you are there aside from the school to guide him always. You may correct his grammar if you think it doesnt sound right..at least earlier, he's aware of it...but never fail to compliment you kid, evry child needs affirmation. Parents are still the best motivators to their kids no matter what.


tiks,

hahahhahaha!labs na labs talaga kita come what may! i love the way you express you views in a humorous way..hope you feel better now my fren.

Anyway,i must tell you honestly that i am not that proficient in grammar my dear..isa lang akong trying hard na maging writer!hehe! Well, alam mo ba na muntik ko nang pagsisihan back in college kung bakit ako nang-major ng English!kasi naman, I hate expectations...syempre kapag graduate ka ng course na yan, people think that you're already an expert of it..eh, most of our subjects sa English curriculum ay more on literature..higher level na daw sabi nila..reklamo talaga ako, kasi maraming nagtapos samin ng English na kulang pa ang
kaalaman esp. sa grammar. I swear i only learn more about grammar when I was teaching at the review center before...I study by myself. I realize that I didn't get enough learning bout it, when i was still studying..esp, when i was still in elementary, dun kasi nag-uumpisa ang great foundation for every learner...its about learning the basic.

I dont know about the nature of this call center (though i hear lapses in English from a friend's story) so i'd rather keep my fingers cross.

naku, kelangan sugurin mo ako dito sa davao at nang matutor natin soon-to-be baby mo!hehe!ang sosyal mo kaya!akalain mo at kelangan mo pa talaga mag-export ng tutor for your kid!;0)


krys,

Thanks for your compliment..its overwhelming..really thanks.. and thanks too for sharing how learning English goes in your country. There is really no easy way to learn a thing Krys that is why patience is really a virtue. I appreciate your interest to learn so just keep going...know too that all of us are still learning over the English language..let's just never stop the drive...as a saying goes, "practice makes perfect".

Speed on dear!

Anonymous said...

Ay ang haba ng comment sa sagut ko! hehe love mo tlga aku! hahaha