2018 In Review: The DepEd Story Writing Project 2 of 2

With NLP People and Participants from CDO DepEd and Libraries

In June, at that month's last week, I found myself in the company of librarian friends from the National Library of the Philippines (NLP). Fresh from the controversy of the #NationalNonLibrarian, Ed Quiros, Dolly Carungui, Melai Ramirez and their band of silent workers from the NLP were in full force in Cagayan De Oro to conduct another Story Book Writing and Storytelling Workshop.

And yes, I was the facilitator for the writing workshop.

What made this experience interesting are two things: 1) I met the #NationalNonLibrarian up close and personal, and 2) I did a writing in the mother tongue workshop when in fact, I neither speak Bisaya nor Cebuano.

For an introduction of NLP's project, read the blog post, NLP is on the move. I realized this is an unfinished post, so I will catch up on this before the year ends. Long story short, the NLP is doing its job to connect with the LGUs and the DepEd in the regions, donating books and shedding light to what seemed a hopeless case of public library development in the country. The current library director is a Human Resource Manager and his appointment caused a great divide in Philippine Librarianship. But, given the status of  the profession and some technicalities to the nature of the NLP as a government office, Dir. Gilbert Adriano will have to perform his duties and the Filipino Librarians who are adverse to his assignment must simply accept things as they are. For now.

Good news from the NLP recently: LGUs are taking a more active role in public library development. We will explre and find out more of this next year! So rejoice in this good news.

Now, how did my workshop in creating books in the mother tongue go?

Kamusta Ka in Cebuano

I started with a Filipino song and have the participants translate it in Cebuano. This was a planned activity of course, but, the response of the public school teachers present in the workshop were automatic. They jumped into the exercise. Proud to speak their mother tongue and to sing it out loud as a community made the session more meaningful. The rest of the day was spent on writing their own stories, reading them aloud and giving feedback.

This prepared them for Day 2 of the workshop which is the use of an app for creating story books. The books they made are accessible through the NLP and in cooperation with the DepEd and the Cagayan De Oro public library. My takeaway from this experience is this: we need each other to work collaboratively to ensure that our children would have the materials needed to teach them how to read, create their own stories and eventually, grow a genuine love for books (of all types).

For my work on mother tongue based instruction, both as librarian, teacher and writer, go to this blog post on My Musings on Mother Tongue Based Education.

More Musings on My Journey in Mother Tongue Based Instruction

I often integrate Mother Tongue Based Instruction in my storytelling workshops and reading skills teaching for teachers and librarians, especially if the venue is in the province or in the regions. I got this insight while being a part of Sa Aklat Sisikat's team of facilitators and trainers (circa 2006 - 2016). Of the trainings I had, four remarkable experiences stood out:

1. the 2012 IASL Regional Conference in Bacolod because that was where school librarians saw the importance of oracy and oral tradition in language development and that, by conducting read aloud sessions and storytelling, librarians and libraries contribute to language acquisition and development; 

2. the Storytelling Workshop in Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao because, participants created their own story flash cards in Ilocano, Ibanag and Itawis; 

3. the Naga Workshop by EDUCO and ADARNA HOUSE where teachers and librarians created mini-books and they wrote their stories in Bicol Rinconada;  

4. the Storytelling Workshop I had in Mindoro last May 2018 because, I met Teacher Ann Lee Masongsong who learned the mother tongue of the Mangyans so that she could teach them.

 5. the recent Story Creation I had in CDO as organised by the NLP because, it was the first time I used the Language Experience Approach in teaching mother tongue, as subject and skill. I first heard of LEA in UPD, in Dr. Hermosa's class, saw it used by Sa Aklat Sisikat Master Trainers and I was inspired to use it with Zoe who was, at that time, a struggling reader. 

         
But, in retrospect, it is Teacher Dina Ocampo who allowed me to run a workshop on Storytelling where I was able to use the Tandem Telling Technique during the Summer Institute of Linguistics 2009 teacher training. I learned of this technique back in 2002 when I attended the Storytelling Congress in Singapore.

Teacher on Center Stage: Annie Lee Masongsong of DepEd Oriental Mindoro

Teacher Annie shares her takeaways from the workshop.

The blog's Teacher in Center Stage is Ms. Annie Lee Masongsong who teaches Mangyan children in Labo Elementary School, Oriental Mindoro. She narrates how she learned the Mangyan language and the long travel she takes regularly to teach them.

I met her during the K-3 teacher training in Mindoro early this month. Her story as teacher to Mangyan children in Labo, Bacud Oriental Mindoro is inspirational. She writes stories for her students in Mangyan language so that she can further teach them how to read and write in level 2 language.

Read on and get to know her more!

If not a teacher today, what would you be?

If I am not a teacher surely I am a social worker or a founder of a foundation that supports and takes care of the children, like orphans.
What do you teach the Mangyans and describe your experience being with them in their community?

To become a teacher of the Mangyans is not easy.

It was a culture shock for me actually. Before one reaches the place where they live, one would need to walk for four to five hours on mountains and cross sixteen raging rivers. No cellphone signal. Going home before the sunset is not really possible because of the distance. The language used by my pupils is really alien to me. It is difficult to stand in front of them when I talk a lot in teaching lessons and in giving them activities that none of them would get the correct answer because of the language barrier. One thing more, most of them attended the class with an empty stomach.

There are times when I cannot eat well because I am thinking of them. Giving up to this kind of work came to my mind. I cried every night because I felt useless. Then one afternoon when I was about to give up, my pupils came around me and said they want to play with me. They held my hands and said, "Madam eglaro tam isna sa baskebolan ". It means I have to play with them in the playground. From then on, I realized that I have a mission in Labo and in the life of each child in the community.

Teacher Annie reaches her destination at mid-morning after crossing rivers and climbing mountains.

The next time I ascended, I brought food for the Mangyan kids and we cooked them simple food for lunch. We do this now every day. I started to solicit food from my friends, school supplies and used clothes for them. I studied their language and used them in my everyday teaching with the kids. I was happy with the result because I am in the stage of winning the battle. I am really happy to be with my students.

How did you learn the language of the Mangyans?

I learned their language by interviewing the adults of the community. I have a notebook of words and its translation in their native language and of course I used their mother tongue in school. It really works!
Now, I am writing stories just for them. It is written in their mother tongue with Filipino subtitle. I am communicating to one of my possible donors for a library. Honestly I just want to have published story books so that it would be my legacy to them when the time calls me to leave that place.

Teacher Annie (far right) with cultural workers in the Mangyan village at Labo, Bacud Oriental Mindoro

Do you wish to help Teacher Annie in providing books and reading materials for her students in Labo Elementary School? Post a comment or get in touch with me via email: zarahg815@gmail.com. I am organizing a book drive for the Mangyans in Mindoro!

Book Preview: Bulilit Books 2017

Book Preview: Bulilit Books 2017 from Zarah Gagatiga

Mother Tongue & An Integrated Children's Literature Course

The two hour bus ride from Manila to Tanauan, Batangas with Teacher Portia Padilla of the REGALE, UP Diliman was peppered with conversations, insights and views on topics and issues we both hold dear -- books, reading, children's literature and literacy instruction, off course!

Some bits and pieces:

a. There is talk of legislation on Mother Tongue instruction in the education and political circles these days. As things are, there's the All English Instruction block and the Mother Tongue Instruction block. It's going to be one long process of debates and lobbying but conversion of curricular offerings, scope and sequence and lesson plans in the first language is on going.

b. The Reading Department at UP Diliman has taken an integrated approach to teaching Philippine Children's Literature. The undergraduate program will commence next semester. What does this mean? There will be five professors who will teach the course to education majors of the department. These professors are from the different colleges in the university -- Education, College of Arts and Letters, Filipino, Reading, School of Library and Information Science and a practitioner in the discipline who is into children's book publishing.

I'm wondering if I'll be allowed to sit in sessions?