Ace water spa buffet fee and other menu, Paper and pencil assessment, Ethical considerations in assessment, #IWishMyTeacherKnew

Thinking of going to Ace Water Spa?

Here are their buffet rates:
Adults
P605/head weekdays
P715/head weekends
Kids (3-4.6ft in height)
P247.50/head

Separate access and payment to the spa

Spa access:
Adult - P550
Kids 4ft below - P250

Paper and pencil assessment
Paper and pencil type comprise the majority of classroom assessments I had as a student - from quizzes, to seat work to essay tests. I remember taking some performance-based assessments such as dance presentations, home economics skills demonstration and public speaking during elementary and high school. For college, my undergraduate course required a few TV and radio production classes which involved regular performances.

Paper and pencil assessments taught me valuable life skills such as taking down notes during class, mustering the courage to clarify what is not clear to me, and developing friendships with classmates who help me prepare for such exams.

Performance-based assessments, on the other hand, helped me directly learn new skills and processes.

Hat Tip, Escape The City

I have been a proud product of Philippine public school education. It is only now in post graduate that I have enrolled in a private institution. Generally, I consider my schooling as top notch. I was fortunate to have excellent and passionate teachers who valued us, their students, as if we were their own family.

However, my educational experience does not resonate with the majority of Filipinos.

Stories about teachers physically hurting non-performing students, school administrators manipulating honor roll, teachers giving out quizzes as punishment to students' behavior are real and illustrate lack of ethics when it comes to assessment of learning.

Though I have not directly experienced any such things, I am most able to resonate with the psychological strain that classroom assessment typically has on students.

I would like to meet a student who enjoys taking exams. Assessments, no matter how beneficial, remain a requirement students grudgingly take on. It is synonymous to pressure, cramming and manual labor.

School and learning are fun, but when assessment gets into the picture, the fun stops. Perhaps due to competition among learners, pressure from the family or society, and the feeling of being judged among other things, contribute to the negative psychological impact of classroom assessment.

#IwishmyteacherKnew
An American teacher, Kyle Schwartz gave out a simple question at the start of the school year to break the ice with a short essay prompt: I wish my teacher knew. The responses she got where overwhelming, with several students revealing deep and personal issues about their family, parents and dreams.

She shared some students' reply via Twitter and the hashtag #Iwishmyteacherknew became viral.

Everybody wins

Everything else implies a winner and a loser. But this is not a game. If someone wins, everyone does not have to lose. And if someone loses, everyone else doesn’t win. Instead, we need to figure out how to come together and reconcile with one another. — @glennbeck https://medium.com/@glennbeck/disagree-or-be-fired-a0ae2deca9b6#---54-305.ld8hbj7dz

As a parent and a wannabe educator, I would like to promote an alternative mindset much different from competition we are all familiar with. 

In competitions, contenders battle it out for the first spot.  Each prepares and trains, but only one one gets to be awarded the ultimate competition title. This works in athletics, in school competitions, in promoting excellence and hard work. However, the trouble begins when we adopt this competition mindset to our daily lives. On the road, we feel like we must beat the other car and drive ahead. In the office, we refuse to help others who may reach higher than us.

We fail to understand that life has its ups and downs. Life has opportunities and right timing (TAMANG PANAHON ala Kalyeserye style). No matter how good we may be, our preparations and skills will not land us to the top spot unless the odds favor us as well. Adopting the mindset that we can all win recognizes that our time has not come yet, and we must keep on improving and growing until it comes. We can begin to feel truly happy for others who reach this success, because their triumph is not deducted from our capabilities to win.

We must not treat one another as enemies fighting the same battle where only one wins. Instead, let us think that life is a battle, yet all of us WINS at our own right time.

It's all a matter of perspective.

Aguinaldo International School Manila

A friend told me about Aguinaldo International School in Manila. She said a friend's kid goes there and mentioned to her of the very affordable tuition fee. She knows I may transfer my kid/s.

Aside from having a multi-culture exposure, sports include soccer and swimming. Mandarin is being offered along with other languages.

After a quick Google search, I landed on the home page of Aguinaldo International School. The website has a detail as to how much the yearly tuition fee for 2012-2013 was. I called to inquire about transferring kids and here's what I found out:

• Incoming grade schooler needs to take a written exam
• Papers required include clearance from previous school
• Interview with the school principal
• P10k off for early enrollment (P38,800 for Pre school, P58,500 for Grade School) and miscellaneous fees included already
• Grade 1 schedule is 730am-230pm
• Near UN Avenue LRT Station which gets flooded

Anna Quindlen on Parenting, Patient Love for my Daughter, Playful Love for my Son, iTunes App Most Used

Famed author Anna Quindlen, in an interview shared her parenting insight:

Kids should have enough freedom on their own - once they know the rules.

I agree very much.

Kids are smart. You don't need to tell them often what to do. Plus, they pick up what you do. More is caught than taught. If there's one thing that should be stressed out to them again and again, like a broken recorder (this little kids won't have any clue what cassette tape recorders are!) are the rules, the virtues you hold dear.

A friend in her senior years sagely advised me, "Just remind them again and again."

Then I remembered. The stories my mother told me, told others, were repeated numerous times to drive her deepest values. And yes, I absorbed them. It worked! I got pissed hearing the story again and again. But looking back, my life echoed those wishes she repeated again, and again.



Anna Quindlen's Books

Got another parenting strategy now!

Patient love for my daughter
I love my kids, yet I don't know how to show it. I'm so interested with my work that I don't get to play with them often, not unlike when they were still toddlers.


Their maturing minds allow them to reason. They argue with me. I like it that I lose most of the times. My reasoning is often confusing - to the dismay of my husband.


One big challenge I face is overcoming myself when it comes with my daughter.

She's my Mini-Me alright. And we clash personalities.

Because of this, she gets grumpier. I see myself in her more. I fight back with anger, it doesn't work. The two persons I see are both unpleasant in my eyes. Got to draw back and reflect.

Got to be patient with my daughter. Bite my tongue when I don't have something good to say. Never let myself snap in front of her.

Yes, God has been teaching me patience all throughout these years. I don't want to fail at the cost of my daughter.

Playful love for my son
Thinking about my 4-year old son, I would suggest having kids when you're older. The older you can, the better. Why? Three things:

1. Kids' inherent playfulness - foolishness at times, is refreshing for my age.
2. Rough play is a free workout session. Or better yet, a kid serves as a giant plush toy that's so fun to hug tightly. There's a Filipino term that loses its meaning when translated - gigil!
3. Their ideas are colorful!

Trouble remembering your passwords - Get 1Password

Most used iTunes App for Work from Home Moms

• Email - Okay, this comes installed. I LOVE how Apple's Gmail and Yahoo may get instantly pushed notifications on my phone. Saves me a lot of in-front-of-the-computer time! Too bad Google Hosted App Emails for businesses have trimmed to five (5) free accounts maximum. I still know of an account with 200+ allowed users.
• 1Password - Computer and 1Password on my phone work together. I don't let my PC remember my passwords for security reasons.
• Kindle - Got Kindle, I'm solved! There are lots of classic books that are free, and bestsellers are cheaper in Kindle than the actual book. Choose your device and download one now!
• TuneIn Radio - My kids don't know radio as an individual device. For them, radio is car radio or music playing. Why not, we listen through the Internet. Local stations are there, along with all the world's radio stations. Talk about choices!

Sick kids, women's purse, Shamcey Supsup, Preschool conclusion

Sick kids are the most difficult to take care of.

Recently, Carlos fell from the stairs while rushing down with his sister. They were racing. He skipped a step and fell head first. Good thing I caught him before he landed on the bottom most part. However, the incident broke his left shoulder, clavicle, the doctors call.

Good thing they were on a semestral break.

Days after this, he and his sister developed cough which I think turned into bronchitis. Health is indeed wealth.

Germs trivia
What a shock to read about women's purse as homes to E. coli and salmonella as well as fecal contaminants! Think about it, while using the rest room, there are times when there's no choice but to lay bags and purse on the ladies' room floor. Aside from this, our bags are with us on the train, the bus, the restaurant.

To prevent these germs from getting into our homes, wipe it clean every day with sanitizer. Yes, alcohol's a good choice, if you think your bag's surface won't get damaged with it. Cleaning your bags regularly help too.

Plus, wiping clean regularly used purse items like keys and mobile phones may keep germ-caused diseases away.

Source: Family Education

Shamcey Supsup

Shamcey Supsup made the Philippines proud last September when she bagged the 3rd runner up slot in the Miss Universe 2011. Last year, Philippines' candidate Venus Raj ranked 4th runner up.

While she was doing the pageant, me and the kids were headed for the LBC bankruptcy forum for depositors. Haven't heard from the bank nor PDIC again.

I was impressed with her brief yet intelligent answer about shifting religion for a man and am reminded by a quote by Maya Angelou:

 A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.

• Shamcey is from General Santos, the home town of now legislator world class boxing champ Manny Pacquiao
• She graduated Magna Cum Laude in the University of the Philippines in Diliman under the College of Architecture, a 5-year course with a professional examination board exam. That means her general weighted average during her whole college life is 1.45 or higher. That's like getting a grade of 90+ (out or 100) in all her classes.
• She topped the Philippine Architectural Board Examination with a grade of 86.60%. Heard that she enrolled in a review center twice, and has a habit of re-reading textbooks several times over. Now that's a habit I want my kids to adopt!
• She was a consistent honor student, valedictorian in grade school and salutatorian in Makati High School.
• Her gym instructor commends her discipline. While training for the Miss Universe, she has to get fit to gain the 'right' abs. There would be times when exercising would be too difficult, but when she was reminded that she will represent the country, she gets motivated. She eats healthy too.
• She attends Victory Christian Fellowship.

Lois' conclusions

At the end of her Nursery 2 class, my eldest's class was told by their teacher that three among them will transfer to another class. Therefore, they will not be their classmates anymore.

During their school's break, we decided to enroll her to a Vacation Bible Class, which is like an extended Sunday School. She had her new teachers and classmates. She liked it, but not as much as regular school, she told me.

At the same time, we enrolled her brother to an orientation class in her regular school because he is a new student. He has to be familiar with a class' routine before the start of the official school year.

Due to this, Lois told me a conclusion she arrived at. "Mom, I won't be attending regular school anymore. I am one of the three students that teacher said will be transferred to another class." She was referring to the Vacation Bible Class as the 'other' class.

On James Soriano's take on the Filipino language, Baby Alive, Cars 2

Majority of Filipinos are offended again - this time by Mr. James Soriano's article about the Filipino language.

Was not able to read the article in full, because it was not available in the web site of Manila Bulletin, and had to really research to grab a copy of it.

Language, learning, identity, privilege
By JAMES SORIANO
August 24, 2011, 4:06am
Ithink
The Manila Bulletin


MANILA, Philippines — English is the language of learning. I’ve known this since before I could go to school. As a toddler, my first study materials were a set of flash cards that my mother used to teach me the English alphabet.

My mother made home conducive to learning English: all my storybooks and coloring books were in English, and so were the cartoons I watched and the music I listened to. She required me to speak English at home. She even hired tutors to help me learn to read and write in English.

In school I learned to think in English. We used English to learn about numbers, equations and variables. With it we learned about observation and inference, the moon and the stars, monsoons and photosynthesis. With it we learned about shapes and colors, about meter and rhythm. I learned about God in English, and I prayed to Him in English.

Filipino, on the other hand, was always the ‘other’ subject — almost a special subject like PE or Home Economics, except that it was graded the same way as Science, Math, Religion, and English. My classmates and I used to complain about Filipino all the time. Filipino was a chore, like washing the dishes; it was not the language of learning. It was the language we used to speak to the people who washed our dishes.

We used to think learning Filipino was important because it was practical: Filipino was the language of the world outside the classroom. It was the language of the streets: it was how you spoke to the tindera when you went to the tindahan, what you used to tell your katulong that you had an utos, and how you texted manong when you needed “sundo na.”

These skills were required to survive in the outside world, because we are forced to relate with the tinderas and the manongs and the katulongs of this world. If we wanted to communicate to these people — or otherwise avoid being mugged on the jeepney — we needed to learn Filipino.

That being said though, I was proud of my proficiency with the language. Filipino was the language I used to speak with my cousins and uncles and grandparents in the province, so I never had much trouble reciting.

It was the reading and writing that was tedious and difficult. I spoke Filipino, but only when I was in a different world like the streets or the province; it did not come naturally to me. English was more natural; I read, wrote and thought in English. And so, in much of the same way that I learned German later on, I learned Filipino in terms of English. In this way I survived Filipino in high school, albeit with too many sentences that had the preposition ‘ay.’

It was really only in university that I began to grasp Filipino in terms of language and not just dialect. Filipino was not merely a peculiar variety of language, derived and continuously borrowing from the English and Spanish alphabets; it was its own system, with its own grammar, semantics, sounds, even symbols.

But more significantly, it was its own way of reading, writing, and thinking. There are ideas and concepts unique to Filipino that can never be translated into another. Try translating bayanihan, tagay, kilig or diskarte.

Only recently have I begun to grasp Filipino as the language of identity: the language of emotion, experience, and even of learning. And with this comes the realization that I do, in fact, smell worse than a malansang isda. My own language is foreign to me: I speak, think, read and write primarily in English. To borrow the terminology of Fr. Bulatao, I am a split-level Filipino.

But perhaps this is not so bad in a society of rotten beef and stinking fish. For while Filipino may be the language of identity, it is the language of the streets. It might have the capacity to be the language of learning, but it is not the language of the learned.

It is neither the language of the classroom and the laboratory, nor the language of the boardroom, the court room, or the operating room. It is not the language of privilege. I may be disconnected from my being Filipino, but with a tongue of privilege I will always have my connections.

So I have my education to thank for making English my mother language. 

*Reprint of Mr. Soriano's article came from the view point of Mr. Tonyo Cruz.

Addicted to the imperialistic colonizers
I agree 100% with every point raised by Mr. James Soriano. His observations and sentiments are the realities of life. I know of some parents whose kids flunk in the Filipino subject at school. This prepared me to make Filipino a strong foundation for my kids' life.

As Filipinos, I want my two children to master the language, for it is ours, and it is beautiful.

Read the poem of Gat Andres Bonifacio about Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa, or listen to F. Landa Jocano or Mike Coroza dish out those old, pure Filipino sentences and you'd be impressed. My 5-year old girl hooted for more kundiman songs when I brought her to a concert.

For story time, we have English and Filipino books. We speak Filipino when we are outside the house, and when we are at home, we practice speaking in English. This is in preparation for Mandarin, which I want my kids to learn too.

Children are intelligent beings. Batibot knows that and that made them successful. Expose them to a new language for two years, and they would be proficient in it. Consistently talk with them in that language and they will flourish in whatever dialect, language you throw them.

Sadly, a lot of Filipino parents choose English as the mother tongue of their children for the exact points that Mr. Soriano raised - we are impressed with the American Dream. We are 'honored' to have Paris Hilton come over the Philippines to design a real estate property, when in the United States, nobody takes her seriously. Deep down, we desire to be the colonizers who abused us and left us thinking low of ourselves.

Proud to be Filipinos
This has got to stop with my kids. I am fortunate enough to come from a poor family. My limited access to imported goods sheltered me to love the Philippines - sickness and all. My husband let go of a lucrative offer to work in the US and start our family there, because he does not want to step over a colleague who is in line for that job.

We pay our taxes diligently. We obey the traffic rules. We pray for our leaders. We segregate our waste. We buy Pinoy products. We mold our kids to love and live excellently for the Philippines. We dream that we will live to see that day, with the America going lower and lower, when the Philippines will be a positive contribution to the world - not just cheap source of manpower.

Long way to go
Though it is a lot of work and a long time a coming, every day is a step closer to that.

The parents' goal is to help their kids find out that niche they are meant to fill, conquer. The soonest they discover it, the better for all of us.

A monster, where?

Un-birthday traditions, heart eggs, preparing for PTC ala Kenneth Cobonpue and Ferran Adria's El Bulli movie

How to make heart eggs

I grew up not celebrating birthdays. I understand my parent's reasons and I don't resent it, we are 12 in the family - not including the extended members. To not celebrate is the safest and most economical way to go for a farmer village family sending children to school.

With my own family now, we celebrate our birthdays very simply. Cake and a huge serving of spaghetti, though I prefer pansit. I cook great pansit! There would be times when we would invite some family and/or friends to share a meal with us at a place we haven't visited to commemorate the special occasion.



El Bulli
If you're a foodie, I'm sure you've heard of the greatest restaurant in the world. Closed six months of every year to prepare for the next season, reservation list is endless. The Spanish chef, Ferran Adria calls his cooking avant-garde, elevating it as an art. Isn't it amusing that he's no French?

You may want to catch this movie about him and his restaurant, which means The Bull. The guy is passionate and a perfectionist, which goes along, I think.

I once ate a chocolate bar infused with bacon bits. The maker studied and has been greatly influenced by Ferran Adria. I didn't like it, though it was fine. I didn't totally catch it.

PTC armaments
I haven't totally got passed the last PTC sessions, they kept a scar mark in my soul that will only be healed if I see my kids doing better. I thought, for the next PTCs I would be ready with my notes. I will observe my kids for their strongest and worst point to tackle with the teachers. The next parent-teacher conferences (PTCs) will be about both parties engaging over the kids' performance and how they may be better individuals.

Since then, I have been encouraging my kindergartener to read a book out loud daily, practice writing and choose iPad games that are educational. I have been stricter with our schedule, I admit. With or without a freelance project I see to it that the kids do activities that will build on skills they need to be better - not just at school but also in life in general.

I give punishments more often too, unlike before that I let things pass because I have other more important things to do.

Yes, the last PTC engaged me so much about parenting that tomorrow we'll be starting Wushu lessons even if it costs more than my monthly gym membership, which husband and I forego due to tight schedules, thank you very much.

Doing world-renowned furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue's three questions: who am I, why am I on earth for and what am I good at - I am definitely, positively engaged in parenting.

Yeah!

Kid funny moments
Husband and little boy are in search for a barber shop. They've been sporting long hair-dos and want to have it trimmed. Pointing out the iconic spiral of blue and red to our preschooler, husband said "Look at that moving colors. Whenever you see that, it means it's a barber shop."

Our little boy replied, "Ah, like the 'loading' symbol?"

Passing Gas, All Carlos and Graphics Design for Nation Building

I am very proud of our little Lois Maya.

One time, she went inside the rest room, didn't close the door and just stood there. Intrigued, I asked her what she was doing. "I'm passing gas, mom," she told me.

Daddy Paul and I looked at each other. Our eldest is teaching us, leaving an example for all of us to follow. Tough one, I'd say.

Carlos All

The kids love to play pretend games - riding throw pillows as if they were horses, petting their plush toys as if they were real pets, among a host of other imagination activities.

When we would ask the kids about their imaginary playmates, Lois would always come up with sweet names for her pals - Sally the Zebra, Sandy the Dog, Star Bright the Unicorn.

However, Carlos would always name his pets - Carlos, Carlos the Dog, Carlos the Zebra, even Carlos the Car.

One time, Carlos was crawling under the dining table and egged us to ask him who was under. "Daddy, say 'Who's down there?,'"

Daddy Paul obliged, but added the line: "Is it Carlos the Dog or Carlos the Car?"


Amusingly, Carlos replied, "Carlos the F-1 racer."

I guess we chose the right name for him, he loves it very much!

Graphicology
After embracing trial version of Photoshop CS5, I could say I am now an avid fan!

Really missed a lot from my old trusted GIMP freeware. Though I am still learning a lot, the possibilities are mind-boggling. It helped a great deal too that I've signed up for Oriental Dreamers and The Shire's Graphicology, a 2-part workshop on design.

Just learned a new technique of using treshold and color overlay. Made this sample, will post the source file too for inspiration, once I figure how to upload it here at blogspot. Haha!

Unforgettable thing I learned about graphics design, is that it can be used to help build a nation! Imagine that. Lecturer showed samples of various chocolate bars designed very impressively, stating that if a country's produce is packaged so well, it lifts the whole product, which turns the company up, affecting the industry positively, and so on. Radical thinking!

Global thinkers

A big concern when we visited Hong Kong was that the kids would love it more, it being a first-world country. This was all erased while Lois and I were walking to school this morning. A foreigner was walking ahead of us, and he had a friendly chat with one of the street vendors.

After this, Lois asked me why that guy was here in the Philippines when he obviously is not Filipino. She told me that foreigners should be in their own countries. I grabbed this opportunity to share what I thought is an important lesson - that the Philippines is a beautiful country that's why many people, even from other countries go here. And that when she is already big enough, for her to carry the Philippines in her heart so that she will never forget about her country even if she gets to visit other places.

Kaitlyn Maher - American, Singer

She may be little, but her great confidence and singing prowess make her a giant. I like so much that she knows as early as 4 what she likes to do and is not intimidated to pursue it. I hope all kids would be like that, they would grow up able to discover who they are and what they are for.

The Manila Floods: Why Wasn't the City Prepared?

The Manila Floods: Why Wasn't the City Prepared?

An article published in Times.com about Metro Manila post-Ondoy (typhoon Ketsana). Republishing it just so we will remember that we BROUGHT it upon ourselves.

The situation of the Philippines is horrible, even before Ondoy hit. This explains the exodus of intelligent Filipinos patriotic enough yet full of the country's woes. This explains why even hundred of years after our colonizers, we are still not free.

We are our worst enemies. We kill ourselves because we abuse each other - whenever we don't obey the traffic rules, whenever we take home office supplies from the office, whenever we let a friend in the long queue. We don't know who we are because we never bothered to read our history and learn from it. It's like a whole country in drugs! A president we overthrew is running again for the highest position with a big chance of winning again. A dynasty of political families who has robbed the society of its resources and dignity. We never took pride in ourselves because we have always wished to be someone else - an American, a Spanish, a European, as long as not a Filipino! Why? Because we hate hard work. It has always been luck and dole outs and alms. We sell our souls and dignity for coins. We'd rather be laughed at dancing silly at a noontime show than honestly work our day's keep. So our youth get this impression that money is everything when it's not. They become easily lured into what sells - nursing, caregiving, going into showbiz, marrying a foreigner. And once we taste luxury, we hold on to it as tightly as we can. It becomes our lord and savior. The rich and powerful would still be affluent even if they give out 10% of what they have to the less fortunate. They don't because nobody wants to break the cycle, the status quo. Change is scary, it brings the unknown. How can a people who doesn't know anything, not even himself be courageous of what is to come and therefore be prepared? So we just let the climate change consequences drown and kill us trusting that God will provide and the international support would come in.

I do not hate what is happening. This is never new. I hate it that we are not learning from this - never. We never develop that sense of dignity to look within and overcome.

Proud to be from Pandi

Yes, something world-class has FINALLY come out from Pandi, Bulacan - my hometown. For the longest time, it has been a quaint, little town unknown to the country. I'm sure it is still now, I just saw the town announcement that it has gained 2nd-class municipality status. Kudos! But the time of reckoning is upcoming with the opening of Amana Waterpark. It boasts of a wave pool that's the biggest in Asia along with 12 others. It is scheduled to open on March 28, 2009.

From what I've heard, they will be bringing in TV celebrity Jericho Rosales during the opening salvo. He's a surfing aficionado, maybe he'll ask him to do some tricks at the pool. If swimming at Amana is the same as surfing the beach waves, then surfers won't have to travel as far as La Union for the waves.

I'm really excited for Pandi as the resort will surely bring in jobs and improvement to my town. As early as now, I've heard they're limiting the hiring to Pandi residents. My brother tried applying as a bookeeper. I hope he gets it.

To get there via public transport, take the Sta. Maria, Bulacan route of bus lines. Then alight at Walter-Mart Sta. Clara in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Take a jeep to Pandi, at the Pandi Poblacion, take another jeep ride with the Bagbaguin signage. It'll pass there. Perhaps they'll come up with a direct route. I hopefully pray.

Entrance fee they say is P250/head.

And for the contact numbers, they are: 0922-8708428, 044-6612384, 044-6612383.