The Backpack

I’m applying for jobs right now, and every time they ask me about what I did for one year aside from taking my MBM- I told them that I was a computer education teacher. Well, for inquisitive interviewers they would dig deeper and ask like- what grade levels were you handling and what lessons do you each?… then, I would show a huge smile then answer- Hmmmm… I’m handling kids ages 5 and 6… technically that makes me a kindergarten teacher. I’m working with this NGO for almost 3 years now. We reach out for indigent children by giving them supplemental education aside from their formal schooling and providing programs that would enhance their holistic development until they turn 21. As for the computer education of the kids, we have a 3-year contract with a company that provides computer units, books and of course- computer teachers. But sometime July, we have 19 new kids who are not part of the contract- and so our project director asked me if I can handle the computer class for them. My initial reaction was excitement but then I tried to imagine myself on the actual setting- and I start to think- hmmm… preschoolers… wouldn’t they be a rowdy batch? Well, before I would kick off on August, I did a bit or a lot I mean of research about how Information and Communications Technology (ICT) would affect the programs in early childhood development. To my surprise, there are actually many researches already conducted about these topics. Some excerpts (if you would be interested) are concepts of fine motor skills that can be measured to the child’s merely maneuvering of the mouse or phonetic skills learning though the use of creative softwares. I will not really be writing more about my findings in my lesson planning here because that would really be very boring unless if you are taking up masters at the UP Child Care and Development… hehehe… but rather I will write about my kids and what I’ve learned from them: Red My student who reminds me of myself. He has these chinito eyes and always wears a broad smile. He has this fear of showing his emotions to others. Whenever his classmates would come running and sometimes hug me, he will just stand on one corner and watch from afar… very opposite from his cute outward appearance. I’m also really learning to express my emotions now to the people who are close to me… even to Red. John The most talkative in the class. He doesn’t follow whatever the crowd is doing like for instance during the singing of action songs. Whenever the class is silent because we are doing some drawings in their workbook- John would just blabber about all the new happenings in their neighborhood- he always wants to be noticed. In this way, he reminds me of my being a super conformist and a crowd pleaser at times. Some staff at the center suspects John to be the next big drug lord… God forbid. Regine The smartest in the class. But the thing I admire about Regine is that she is not only bright but she also has good EQ. She is very caring to her cousin Marlo (who is also in my class), a skill which is not typical to a six-year old. Regine reminds me of how wit can impress the crowd- especially in the Filipino culture where bright kids in the family are well-loved and can really be a show-off to our neighbors and officemates. A concept that I would like to refute since the emergence of multiple intelligence- which in some ways I also have regrets in my formative years because I lacked participation in the athletics and spent my time instead on studying and home works and my love for drawing. Regine really has a bright future ahead but I would like her to explore many things rather than confine herself in the walls of her academic subjects. Deluxe My most special kid in the batch. I first observed her during one of our drawing sessions where they were supposed to color a maze. Deluxe had this black crayon and she was repeatedly doing strokes to cover the entire maze until its very black that you can no longer find a trace of a maze underneath it… My first impression was- Whoa! Gothic! Hehehe… During the first months, Deluxe will not say a word in my class so I thought that she was deaf and mute… but as the months go by, she started interacting with only one classmate- Nadel. I also realized that to understand a person, you really have to know his story. Deluxe is raised by a single mom, her father left them. As the months go by, Deluxe starts to improve in her drawing (she still does the same strokes but now she chooses green or red). She still interacts but with Nadel only. Whenever Deluxe sees me today, she greets me and hugs my one leg… It’s really hard to grow up without a father. I have 15 more students and 15 more stories to tell. I will be leaving them this June and I know that I will be packing a suitcase of memories. There is really something mystical about preschoolers. Their love for you is truer and demonstrative in a very innocent way. Whenever they see me and shout in a chorus- “Teacher L.M.”, I just show my broad smile just like what any kiddie mascot would do… I’m sure gonna miss them!

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