Math at 8 a.m.; Visayan on the Track

Although I am now in Payatas, I want to write some more about teaching at Dalaguete National High School. I met some great kids there, and I also got to talk with two of the math teachers. My students in Chicago will be interested to note that this class met at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The class size was pretty typical of what I have seen in the Philippines--about forty five students, and they were a lot of fun to teach. After the class, which was two hours long, I talked with about a dozen of the students for an hour and a half. And I was very impressed. For many of the students in the Philippines the question of how they will finance their college education is a pressing issue. Getting sponsorships is one way that some of the students can make it. This is definitely true with my students in Payatas who will tell me that they are very poor, but it is also true in Dalaguete where people are much better off. Here, and in Bontoc, many of the students have parents who are farmers or parents who have small stores. Financing a college education is not easy, but for an American the amount of money needed is really a relatively minor expense. I really want to talk with friends in America about how to make sponsorship of students more common. While I am sure that education is not the sole answer to problems facing countries like the Philippines, it is an important way of helping people.

The two teachers I taught with emphasized the need for more books at their schools. They told me how important they found it was to focus on hands on activities, and I must admit that with many older texts in math these kinds of activities are really missing. I met some great kids including one of the top students in the school, and I will do my best to see that someone can give her help to make it through college. While we were talking several of the students performed at singing and dancing--at my request, and then two others showed me how they had already learned how to juggle.

Afterward, I went running on the school's track and each lap as I passed the stands, I would carry on a conversation with a student who wanted to know if I could speak Visayan. Luckily I only made it sixteen laps. If I had gone any further I would have to make up some phrases.

By the way, I see many of the students here learning about farming techniques and environmental issues both in high school and in elementary grades. It is very encouraging.

I am sorry that I couldn't give name by name credit to the teachers here. I have to write some of these blogs from internet cafes, and I didn't bring my notes. I will have to do a summing up when I return to
America and have more time.


See you later Alligator