It's Christmas Season

            Christmas season in the Philippine starts with  the " Ber " months . As early as September, malls and many stores began their Christmas offering , selling Christmas trees, decors, lights , and many other items. I started decorating the house last October . I put on Christmas lights and other Christmas decor. Christmas is for children and adults. It is the time for sharing  and gift -giving. . In our area , we put tables and chairs on our street and placed foods on the table. We played games and gave money and candies. Our neighbors also placed foods on the common table. Christmas is the time to meditate what God has given us, thanking Him for giving us Jesus Christ. . 

             

The Change in Family Name

           My husband's family name should have been written as ' Calungsod ' since the family name of his father is Calungsod as shown in the marriage contract of my husband's parents. My husband's relatives in Dinagat, Surigao have Calungsod as their  family name. Reading the marriage contract of his parents ,  my husband gave me  the reason that his father had changed the spelling from Calungsod to Calunsod for his children. In early 2000, I asked my mother-in-law about the life of his husband's parents. She said that his parents were  merchants from Bohol selling blankets and  Romblon mat which is known as " banig " in the Visayas. They had been selling these items in Cebu and Leyte, particularly in Hinunangan  where they also resided. My parents-in-law were married in Hinunangan, Leyte . 

National Elections 2013

           As the filing of certificates of candidacy started , more popular and non-popular candidates are coming to the COMELEC to file their own candidacy to national or local  position  of their choice. They promised of good service and good governance. But whether they hold true to their promise or not, one thing is certain that in this arena of electing officials, voters must be wise in voting for candidates.. 

               Vote Wisely!

The Muslim Students in Our School

            In my more than 30 years of teaching at Maa National School in Davao City ,  I have high regards for the Muslim students. They are  the most  peace-loving group of students.. They  seldom  get into trouble. We are also proud that the first "Byaneng ng Kadayawan"  came from our school. 

          I am thankful to the  Muslim leaders in helping maintain peace in the community especially in school.  One of my students, Djamil Dariday, a Muslim,  always greet me when I am online. He graduated from high school in 1993. And up to this day, he is one person who showed gratefulness, respect,  camaraderie , and help discipline his Muslim brothers  in the community.  He has a very good sense of humor. He always make us laugh. 

The Students of Magtuod and Langub

        In the early years of my teaching at Maa National High School,  students from  Magtuod and Langub were the most punctual. Although  there is  a barangay road,  the pavement was rocky  and only  one public  vehicle was available which usually ply to carry market products  . These students woke up as early  as 2:30 in the morning to prepare themselves for school.   At four o'clock, they began their seven kilometers walk to school. 

        Many of them  brought  dry coconut leaves which are tied  together to form a torch to light their way. They walked in groups.  When it rained, many  of them used large  " gabi leaves" as umbrellas. They were the first to arrive in school  as early as 6:30 A.M. . School classes began at 7:30 after the flag ceremony.         

        These students performed well in school  with many of them garnering top honors during graduations. Two of them graduated back to back as  valedictorians. During recognition , many of them  were awarded best in attendance , as most punctual, and many other awards.We  encouraged those who lived  nearby , just across the street, to  come to school early since they would arrived late .

          When the land developers constructed  residential houses in the area, roads were concreted and more vehicles are seen plying the route. The students can already access  transportation in going to school. As population increased, the Dep-Ed approved the request to open annex high school  in Magtuod where the  students from Langub are also  enrolled. 

Why We Should Eat Breakfast

         Breakfast is one meal in a day that we must not skip.  A person who skips breakfast has long fasting period from his last evening meal until his next meal.  Mr. Breakfast said , " Children who eat breakfast perform better on standardized achievement tests and have fewer behavior problems in school."
      As teachers, one of the reasons the students gave us when they collapsed in school was because they had not eaten their breakfast. We also noted low performances in school.     We must take into consideration that , as parents, children's food must be well-balanced following the food pyramid. Eating a healthy breakfast does not only nourish our body but also  help maintain our energy for the day 's work.  It also helps students perform  well.

My Friend Ellen

           Mrs Eleanor C. Caasi is one good friend whom I always admire- her work, the way she write figures. She has a good penmanship.  Whenever I passed by her office where she once worked  as our school treasurer , I could not help admiring her style of writing numbers. As  a  diligent teacher, Ellen had  very well-written and neat lesson plans and class records. My husband has a good penmanship and writes numbers very well, too.   Surely, they're trained during their accounting classes. in their respective schools. Ellen, as she is fondly called, is a fulfilled mother. Her sons and daughter are professionals. One of them is a priest  whom I also admire because of his homilies. 

         Ellen  never failed to tell  students to always  write their middle initials when they write their names with due respect to their mothers who carried them for nine long months  in their wombs and delivered them.  Ellen could  have left the country  for abroad but  could not leave her mother who is in her late nineties.