Special education for the special ones

“Each child has unique skills, capabilities and dreams.”

The line above is quoted from Aamir Khan who played the role of Ram Shankar Nikumbh, an art teacher, in the 2007 film “Every Child is Special.”

Every child is special. Every child has his own set of skills and talents that he can develop and make use of in the future. Even children with special disabilities have the right to be educated in order discover these potentialities. This is the vision of the special education program of Tugbok Central Elementary School SPED Center or TCES SPED Center.

Before the SPED program was recognized in 2002, Mrs. Elena Maxey, a teacher, had to make a proposal. She was obliged to gather at least 10 students with special needs. She was able to gather 20, which paved way to the establishment of the program.

“I started as a volunteer, which was difficult because I did not receive any salary. This went on for a year.” Mrs. Maxey recounted. It was only in 2003 when she received her first remuneration for teaching.

The SPED program caters to fast learners (FL), hearing impaired (HI), and children with autism (CWA), learning disability (LD) and intellectual disability (ID). There are 85 pupils, all from ages 4 to 25. 12 of them are part of the mainstream, which means they are permitted to join regular students in some subjects given that their quizzes, assignments and other activities are modified in keeping with their special needs. Mainstream pupils can also graduate and enrol in
a regular high school just like every regular student.

To showcase and develop the skills and talents of their pupils, the program holds fun day every Friday. The government also shows support by conducting citywide and nationwide Olympics specifically designed for children with special disabilities.

One of the challenges the SPED program experiences is the lack of teachers. At present there are only 3 teachers with special education degrees to give proper instruction to all pupils enrolled in the program: Mrs. Lydia Piamonte, who specializes in instructing the HI; Mrs. Marialus Dalagan, who is assigned to the CWA; and Mrs. Elena Maxey, who spearheads all the other categories.

“It’s difficult to focus on all these children when you have other stuff to do and when there are only a few of you to do the teaching,” said Mrs. Piamonte, who also teaches other subjects to regular students.

With the growing number of pupils, the program is also short of classrooms. They are maximizing the space of two classrooms by dividing them according to the different categories.
An additional classroom was being constructed three years ago but the construction discontinued because of financial problems.

The SPED program is in need of learning materials as well that will help improve the skills of its pupils. The school’s remote location, as it is situated in Tugbok District, makes it difficult and time-consuming to acquire these materials.

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'Faith' or 'fake' healing?

(photo courtesy of shamanism)

In places where most people greatly rely on their faith in God, deception is a widespread occupation. Just like in the Philippines to be exact, faith healers or albularyos gain a quite huge sum of money for treating diseases through what they call “God’s grace.”

Faith healing is defined as a healing through spiritual means. American Cancer Society said in its article entitled “Faith Healing” that faith healing can come in various forms such as prayer, visit to a shrine or a strong belief to a supreme being.

Among all these forms, psychic surgery is the most disturbing. It is a procedure wherein the healer’s bare hands allegedly incise a certain part of the patient’s skin in order to remove pathological matter and backs it with meditation. After the procedure the incision instantly disappears like the skin was never incised before. It is said to be a miracle from God.

Several YouTube videos proved that psychic surgery is merely a trick. All you have to do is to prepare pieces of bacon, food coloring and fake blood. The trick is quite simple. The healer orders the patient to stare at the ceiling like he was staring at God while faking an incision through the skin by manipulating his hands on the affected area and showing the said to be tumor which is actually a piece of bacon. It is indeed a waste of money. According to Stephen Barrett in “Some Thoughts about Faith Healing,” several patients face serious injury after believing that the procedure healed them.

Other psychic surgeons make real incisions. And knowing that they perform it with their bare hands, it is in truth risky. Every bona fide medical practitioner knows that sterilized medical gloves should always be used in operations to avoid infection of the patient’s body.

Even the Holy Bible condemns faith healing. It was said in the third commandment of the Lord, “Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Faith healers, despite their strong faith in God, obviously violate this commandment for they are using God for financial purposes.

Whether faith healing is real or not, everyone must remember that healing comes from God. Any disease can be cured even without a medium. All you have to do is to believe in Him.

'Premature' student

               "How old are you?"

               "Seventeen."

               "Oh. So you must be a college freshman."

               "No. I'm in 3rd year college."

              I always encounter this whenever I meet new people. It's awkward but I'm getting used to it. In fact, seeing the different reactions on their faces was sort of fun.

             Don't get me wrong. I am not a picture of the girl with eyeglasses, braided hair and metals on her teeth. If you also think that I have a brain like Einstein's, again, you're wrong.

              I'm just like the ordinary. I groom and dress up like how girls should be. And like any other students, I also cram, get lazy, feel bored, get low grades in some of my subjects and sometimes fall asleep when facing my books.

               You may now be wondering, what brought me to college at such a young age?

               I could say that it was a combination of luck, effort, and prayers.

              I was accelerated twice; first in kindergarten, then in Grade 5 under the acceleration program of the Tugbok SPED Center. I had a hard time adjusting to my new environment but I eventually coped up as time passed by.

               In high school , my teachers and classmates knew about my age and pampered me like a baby most of the time.

               With the grace of God, I graduated high school as Class Valedictorian at the age of 14.

              You might wonder how I cope with the pressures of college life. Honestly, the first year was hard. I was so young then and lacked two years in terms of knowledge and experiences. As a result, I failed in some subjects.

              To be more persistent on my studies, I decided to apply for a scholarship grant from the Scholarship on Tertiary Education Program (STEP). I was qualified and became an official STEP scholar.

             My plan did not fail. Because of my scholarship which required a grade of at least 85 in each subject, I indeed became very persistent in studying. I really wanted to be retained in this program because of its great benefits. This determination put me in the Dean's List thrice.

            My age even had a lot of advantages. I received many compliments from people who appreciated me for what I had attained despite of being younger than the others.

          Then I started to realize that age was not a hindrance to my studies I'm just like everyone else, struggling to get the best out of life.

               Today, when it comes to the difficulties I encounter as a third year college student, I don't remind myself of my age anymore. After all, it's not age that defines you as a person. It's all about the accomplishment of your dreams and the spirit that takes you there.

               

Living through soap

          

            Business is not about big capital; it’s about taking risks.

            Have you ever heard of Biofresh Soap?

          Biofresh soap is a product made by the OBICHEM Enterprises owned by the Ocbina family. It is a small scale enterprise which specializes mainly on beauty soaps.

          Like most businesses, OBICHEM started from scratch. According to Jacobin Ocbina who is one of OBICHEM’s regional distributors and son of its present owner, his grandfather started the business. In 1995, they started making soaps and liniments in Bukidnon without any machines and with a very little capital.

          In 2005, when ownership was transferred to Jacobin’s father, they decided to focus on just one product and that is Biofresh soap. According to Jacobin, “Focusing on just one product seemed to be the wisest thing to do.”

          Today, aside from Bukidnon, Biofresh is also distributed at some parts of the Philippines. OBICHEM has regional distributors in Davao City, South Cotabato, Caraga Region, and Bukidnon who have the exclusive right to disperse the product in their respective places.

          They also have machines now which aid them in making soaps. However, they still use the traditional handwork sometimes to maximize time. They manufacture their products at Sasa and pack them up at Deca Homes Subdivision, near the Ocbina family’s residence.

          OBICHEM spends fifty pesos on each soap bars and sells five thousand bars every month just in Davao which makes approximately four hundred seventy-five pesos.

          The only problem they have about the business now is the competitors for there are already a lot of soap brands in the Philippines. But they try to be innovative enough to meet the needs and wants of the consumers. Soaps with glutathione are a hit now, so OBICHEM also focused on producing them this year.

          “Aggressiveness and innovativeness keep the business going,” Jacobin proudly said.

          And to all aspiring entrepreneurs out there, here’s a message from Jacobin, “You should not play on the safe side always. Sometimes, taking risks could be healthy.”

"Hush Hush" (Becca Fitzpatrick) Series Dream Cast

          If the "Hush Hush" series would become a movie, I would like the following actors and actresses to perform the roles of the characters in the novel.

Patch Cipriano (Kevin Zegers)

Nora Grey (Nina Dobrev)

Vee Sky (Hayden Panettiere)

Marcie Millar (Annasophia Robb)

Scott Parnell (Mark Salling)

Rixon (Nico Tortorella)

Detective Basso (Jay Hernandez)

Blythe Grey (Olivia Williams)

Hank Millar (John Stamos)

Jules/Chauncey Langeais (Channing Tatum)

Elliot Saunders (Alex Pettyfer)

Dabria/Miss Greene (Laura Ramsey)

The Fine Line Between a Friend and a True Friend ("Cinema Paradiso" film review)

                   Friends are everywhere, but it takes one special person to be your best friend. I just discovered a film which tells us that a best friend is not someone who goes with what you want. Rather, he is someone who leads you to what he thinks is best for you.

            “Cinema Paradiso” narrates the story of friendship between Salvatore Di Vita (portrayed by Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi and Jacques Perrin) and Alfredo (portrayed by Philippe Noiret). Salvatore discovered his passion for films at a very young age and for that, he went to Cinema Paradiso in his free time. There he developed a friendship with Alfredo, the projectionist of the theater. Salvatore learned how to do Alfredo’s job by observing him every time he went to the projection booth. When Alfredo got blinded by an accident, Salvatore became the new projectionist of the place. In his teenage years, he fell in love with Elena (portrayed by Agnese Nano and Brigitte Fossey) but unfortunately, their love did not last because of distance and some misunderstandings. Alfredo advised Salvatore to go somewhere far, look for success, and never come back. The latter followed the advice but eventually came back thirty years after because of the former’s death. In his return, he discovered secrets from the past and found a special gift from his best friend.

            Alfredo was a perfect example of a true friend. An ordinary friend may want your happiness, but Alfredo desired for what he thought was best for Salvatore though it may not necessarily mean the second’s happiness. He believed in the potentials he found in his friend and forced him to do something he did not exactly want. Salvatore then realized the dream he never thought he had and became successful in life.

            I also want a friend like Alfredo in my life. I want to have someone who will not spoil me by just putting up with what I want. I prefer someone who knows what’s best for me and who will scold me whenever there is a need of doing so.

            “Cinema Paradiso” presented several symbols and topping the list was the Cinema Paradiso itself. It symbolized the people’s common interest for film. It was also the place where people from diverse backgrounds and lifestyles got united for one special cause. Second symbol was the projection through the concrete lion’s mouth. It signified the long and difficult process that every film must undergo before it could be projected on the big screen. Another symbol is the film invoices that were scattered inside the projection room. It told us that life could sometimes be so cluttered and complicated. The demolition of Cinema Paradiso was also a symbol which implied the start of another chapter in Salvatore’s life.

            Most of the time, it’s not about what makes you happy; it isn’t about following your heart. Sometimes, you also have to listen to others. Their words may not always please us, but it could be best for us.

            I suggest that everyone must watch this film. It will really make you laugh, cry and think at the same time.

Chasing Dreams ("Billy Elliot" film review)

          “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This famous line is from the Chinese philosopher Confucius himself. This saying meant nothing to me before. But now, it made a lot of sense.

            There was also this Billy Elliot (portrayed by Jamie Bell) guy from the movie “Billy Elliot” who seemed to live his life according to this saying. He was the youngest among the family of miners. His father, Jackie Elliot (portrayed by Gary Lewis) and his brother, Tony Elliot (portrayed by Jamie Draven), both miners in UK, were on a strike. Billy’s father forced him to take up boxing lessons and he sucked at it. Then, he discovered his passion for dancing, most especially ballet, when he fortuitously stepped in Georgia Wilkinson’s (Julie Walters) ballet class. He secretly attended her class without his father knowing and without even thinking that this might make him appear like a total “poof” in front of his friends and acquaintances. Georgia saw Billy’s potential and suggested that he audition for the Royal Ballet School in London. However, when Jackie found out about Billy’s secret dancing lessons, he was told to stop. Over Christmas, while Billy was with his gay friend, Jackie discovered that his son really had a gift in dancing. He decided to do everything to be able to enrol Billy in the Royal Ballet School. With the help of their neighbors and friends, they arrived in London. Billy almost failed the audition for punching another child but the board reconsidered and sent him a letter of approval. Billy’s dream started to bear fruit and fourteen years later, he was made to perform the male lead in Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake.”

            Some of the many symbols that were present in the movie were Billy’s boxing gloves and ballet shoes, the letter from the Royal Ballet School, and his invalid grandmother. The boxing gloves and ballet shoes symbolized two opposite things – Jackie’s dream of Billy becoming a boxer and Billy’s dream of becoming a ballet dancer. The letter from the Royal Ballet School represented the starting point of Billy’s dream. His grandmother who also loved dancing, on the other hand, performed a special role in the film by signifying a dream that did not come true because of some circumstances.

            Of all the films we’ve watched in this class, this was the most meaningful because I, too, encountered the same situation as Billy just a year and a half ago. I was an Accountancy student during my first year in Ateneo. I’ve made a lot of friends, became comfortable with my classmates and had good grades. However, after a semester of facing the calculator, worksheet, and journal, I realized that something was missing; I just couldn’t figure out what it was. Later, I discovered that this “something” had something to do with how I lived my past. I used to be so creative in elementary and high school. I was the imaginative type – I write stories, scripts, and songs. I write about anything that comes to mind. These talents seemed to be of no use in BSA. I thought that maybe I’m not on the right path; that I needed to change direction while it’s not too late. And I did. At first, my parents were doubtful of my choice, but after some time, they accepted and supported me on it.

            No matter how hard it was to leave friends behind and to start from scratch, I was still happy with the decision I made because it made me a better person. I discovered my potentials in Masscom. In fact, three of my stories got published on Sunstar. (I don’t know if it’s enough. “Enough” for me means just making my parents happy.)

             To all the dreamers out there, I highly encourage you to watch “Billy Elliot.”