Blessings in Disguise

Blessings in disguise

Alxen A. Navarette - Cuñado

          August 14 ( Wednesday), I had a chance to observe a demonstration class of a colleague who handles Science for Grade 8. The topic was Earthquakes and their relationships with faults. All the equipment that he needed was there. All the tools he had to use were there, including his sense of humor, glamor and rapport. It was amazing how he was able blend those three ingredients in delivering the lessons on disaster and calamities.

     Aside from the oozing confidence, my colleague, Sir Yhuel, has never failed to use his creative powers to do magic in the learning process of his classes. His humor ( a.k.a. improvised pick up lines) made the kids felt as ease. His glamor (  a.k.a. his facilitative touches) guided the class as the lesson progressed. His rapport ( a.k.a. his initial investment) moved the class discussion in a fluid fashion. Those seasonings made the glaring and undesirable but relevant topic interesting.

     The teaser was an array of ugly images of disasters which the kids described. Their sentiments were also gathered. Memories of Ondoy, and Habagat were recalled – how they felt, how they survived life amidst the murky water of the flood. But more than their emotions, what was striking was not how they hit their objective ( to describe earthquakes and their relationship with faults) but how they managed the tension posed on them during that moment ( their teacher’s expectations, their personal readiness on the topic and the topic itself, and the collaboration they used in order to learn).

     Above all, the challenge given by the topic was clear: to  be always prepared and vigilant in times of emergency.

Thanks to formal schooling, life’s lessons taught by nature can now be anticipated and surmounted by human beings. Thanks to students, we are assured that their actions and decisions shall remain informed and responsible. Thanks to all these blessings in disguise, we recognize the rainbow beyond the storm ( or typhoon). Life will go on and we will struggle and survive for the future generations.