Education is like a mirror

Like mirror education reflects what kind of person who we are. (the quality of ones education
presents what qualities does a person have.)

Education is a reflection of a society.

Tell me your educational system and Ill tell you who you are and vice-versa.

We look at mirror not only to admire ourselves but also to see the things that we need to improve.

Education liken to mirror can also be use as an instrument of social change.

PURPOSE OF EDUCATION

1. Socialization school provides venue to socialized which is vital for the development of
individual.

We learn to read and to write.

We are educated about technical skill that we will use in our future professions.

2. Cultural Innovation Education creates as well as transmit culture.

In school we are encourage to use our creativity and the product of that creativity
will become part of the new culture.

3. Social Integration Schooling helps amass of people in unified society.

School is an agent of unity as it join people from different places with different
languages and culture.

4. Social Change

other ways to transform the society:

Legislation or law (tend to be legalistic)

Religion(has the tendency to be bias for it is generally based on emotion)

Politics (tends to corrupt)

Economy (the danger of consumerism)

Without education, all of these may go astray

PROBLEMS IN THE SCHOOLS

1. Discipline and Violence

Before issues regarding discipline and violence in school are way simpler; talking out
of turn, chewing gum, violating dress code and cutting classes.

Now: drug and alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy and outright violence.

2. Student Passivity

What are the possible reasons why students are passive in class?

Lack of focus due to excess usage of TV, internet, computer games

Boring lesson/boring teachers

And students themselves.

Other reasons why students tend to be passive in classroom.

David Karp and William Yoels (1976) conducted a research regarding students
passivity and they found out that passivity is a classroom norm. Passivity is a
culture among students.

But why it is a culture?

Not having done the assigned readings

Fear of rejection

Students sees their teacher as experts and their opinion contributes very
little.

Students think that their proper role is to listen quietly and take notes.

Dropping Out

Extreme poverty

Pregnancy

Lack of interest

Weakness of Education

It takes time for education to achieve its goals.

To be fully educated is not an overnight event.

Education needs patience, discipline and long range of planning.

Unfortunately, Filipino lacks patience and long range of planning. (instant-culture)

Filipinos are very fond of:

Culture of copy and paste

Jueteng and lotto

Everyone wants instant result. (instant noodles, instant gf/bf, instant

On the contrary, public and private officials want plans to be accomplished during their time
of service or during lifetime.

2nd weakness: education takes place in a society that is not conducive to or even resistant to
change.

Our society promotes social change through education, but that same society is not
willing to accept the changes that education might bring.
 Being critical

Promotion of social justice

Freedom of speech

Moral equality

A society exalts the qualities of its National heroes. It even tells its citizen to imitate the
heroes.

Heroes who possessed wisdom, love and power are actually are the ones
that the present government does not want.

Heroes are not welcome today because they will rock the boat.

Some people are too comfortable in their lives that they dont want to change their track for
it will cause them distress, even it is for the better.

Filipinos admire and celebrate the feast of Rizal, Bonifacio, Aquino, etc. but the government harass
them or even puts to prison those who share their views and imitate their deeds.

Unfortunately, the same is true to our Educational system.

People who are in authority in our educational system are also guilty of the same crime.

i.e. In our beloved CVSU, there are so many irregularities that are happening: the
padrino system/clanish culture, abuse of authority.

Person in authority, teacher, supervisors and the like does not accept constructive
criticisms.

One can never fix anything if the tool he/she uses is defective.

We will never progress if our primary instrument, which is education, is out of order.

On General Education: Core Subjects or famously known as Minor Subjects

Admit it or not, students or even teacher have low regard when it comes to minor subjects.

We often say to our class, or we hear it from them: minor subjects lang yan! or
feeling major

Some of our professors (usually teachers in major subjects) even say: ok lang ma-
late kayo dun, minor subjects lang yan.

Some teachers, think that their subjects are more important than other subjects.

This is the situation of Philippine Educational system.

We focus so much on our major subjects

But why are these things happening?

One possible reason, is that teachers of minor subjects fail to emphasize the
importance/relevance of the subject they are teaching.

Why? Because they themselves dont see the importance of these minor subjects
 Education program for the Filipino envisions the training of both individual and citizen.

It consists of 2 parts, namely, general education course and major subjects of specific
specialization.

General education are liberal education or humanities.

The Majors are the professional or technical subjects.

The educational system aim to produce a holistic person: good individual and productive
citizen.

Man is an individual and at the same time social being.

Mans uniqueness and rationality makes him a person.

Mans social nature makes him member of a community of persons.

The problem arises when one aspect of man is given priority over the other.

Giving so much emphasis on mans individual side over the social aspect of a person, and
vice-versa.

The proper attitude is in the middle ground.

Philippine Constitution: Article XIV section 3 (2)

states that all educational institutions (1st Liberal Education) shall inculcate patriotism and
nationalism, foster love for humanity, respect for human rights, appreciation of the role of
national heroes in the historical development of the country,

teach the rights and duties of citizenship, strengthen ethical and spiritual values, develop moral
character and personal discipline, encourage critical and creative thinking, .

Broaden scientific and technological knowledge and promote vocational efficiency is

To be fully human, one must meet both his individual and social aspects.

It is not enough to know. A corresponding emotion must accompany knowledge.

One must feel what he knows.

To conclude this, may I ask everyone to please avoid using minor subjects when talking
about General Education.

minor subjects creates a feeling of inferiority.

Use general education to remind us that these general knowledge will be helpful in the development
a of holistic person. or CORE SUBJECTS

To achieve the goal of education, that is to improve the individual and to transform the
society, we must address those weakness.

We must cultivate the habit of study. Let us not be overwhelmed by the idea of getting
instant results. Sometimes good things are product of life-long process.

And finally, let us not be afraid in rocking the boat.

My challenge to you my dear students is for you to be critical in things. If you find something
is not right fight for it.

The true meaning of life is to find someone or something to die for/live for.