Teacher Training in Mindoro: Bernadette Solina-Wolf, Teacher Trainer

1. What are your top 3 most memorable experience of the DepEd Mindoro Or. Teacher Training? 

For me, there were so many highlights in the workshop which made me realize the importance of book illustrators/writers to interact with teachers especially those in the provinces. 

 My most memorable was listening to the Hanunuo dialect in the tandem storytelling session of Zarah and Teacher Nesla.  It was both fun and moving because all the participants of the workshop got so engrossed in the storytelling and when the Mangyan teacher got so self-conscious after doing so well in her version of storytelling, all the teacher/participants would encourage her to go on by singing the Hanunuo lullaby in chorus.  It was all so spontaneous and uplifting to experience.

Another most memorable experience was meeting Teacher Annie Lee who teaches Mangyan children in the hinterlands of a place called Labo and took time to study the Buhid-Bangon dialects and write stories (with Filipino text) for both Mangyans and Tagalogs.  I do hope her stories get published!

My third most memorable is not to a specific person but that of the teachers as a whole---their open-ness to learn Zarah Gagatiga's storytelling techniques, Alice Panares' creative writing exercises and even understand the technicalities of illustration was really what any facilitator would wish for!

2. What are your non-negotiables when illustrating a picture book or children’s story book?

I was thinking hard on this.  A non-negotiable thing happens when everything has been agreed upon from the very start---the compensation, the manuscript and upon approval of the studies or what we call comprehensives--the final art.  It is not that as an illustrator, you'd want to have your way and period. It is just in my view, to allow the creative process to flow unhindered after all is discussed. Any change of storyline should be from the very start. When the final art is presented, that's it. Final.It has been studied through. Non-negotiable. Or else, it becomes more expensive.

3. Why nut art or bao art? How did it came to be? 

 NutArt or the my artworks in the bao was an idea presented by my husband Michael.  He said that the coconut shell is really under-estimated.  All the Filipinos can think of it as uling/charcoal.  Of course, souvenir shops do have items out of coconut shells but to use it as a canvas has been overlooked.  Michael thought of the porcelain plates in Europe where exquisite artworks are painted on them.  So why not have a Filipino version of those porcelain plates? He also developed a particular stand for the bao so the whole thing is really hand-made/home-made in every sense.  And then he said it should be named NutArt short for (coco)NutArt. So German. So no-nonsense.  

4. How to buy your books and acquire your bao art?

The STARS Kindergarten books can be availed or ordered in any Precious Pages Bookstores. Other books can be had online via my other publishers LG&M/Vibal and Bookmark Inc.

I have also a blogspot of the Nutart where you can see samples of what I have had produced so far. http://nutart.blogspot.com. 

I actually do them on commissions so email me at : mbw.vph@gmail.com

Teacher Training in Mindoro: K-3 Teachers Read, Write, Tell and Draw Stories

Oriental Mindoro K-3 Teachers Learn to Write & Draw Storybooks in DepEd Workshop

By Joy Solina

“Ito ang pinaka-da best sa dami ng mga na-attendan kong training!” raved a participant
from the 40 Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers who attended DepEd’s first workshop
on book evaluation and design with storytelling and illustration last May 5 and 6, 2018
in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro.

“There might be a part 2!” program host and DepEd Librarian 2 Arvin Delen
told the trainers at the end of the highly successful workshop.

Sponsored by the DepEd Learning Resource Management Office of Oriental Mindoro led by
Superintendent Malou Servando and Lampara Publishing
House, the Division Training workshop on Managing Resources: Book Evaluation
and Book Design for Filipino Children with Storytelling and Book Illustration based on
Philippine Culture equipped teachers on how to evaluate a book, use existing children’s
books to promote reading, and create their own storybooks based on their particular
needs and local culture.

L-R: Arvin Delen (DepEd Division Librarian), trainers Zarah Gagatiga, Alice Panares, Bernadette Solina-Wolf and
Karol Manalaysay (Project Development Officer, DepEd Oriental Mindoro)

Its powerhouse trainers were art educator and curriculum reviewer Alice Panares from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, multi-awarded children’s book author and storyteller
Zarah Gagatiga, and Ilustrador ng Kabataan founding member and established children’s book illustrator Bernadette Solina-Wolf. For 1.5 days, they taught the teachers techniques in storytelling, writing,
and illustrating their own stories in highly interactive sessions at the Kamayan Penthouse Resort
in Dalahican, Roxas, Oriental Mindoro.

Also present were the three teachers from San Teodoro Central School,
Oriental Mindoro who won the 2017 National Competition for Storybook Writing for Kindergarten
to Grade 3 Teachers for their originally written and illustrated book, “Si Tamaro at ang Kagubatan.”

They are Eleonor Q. Bicol, Mary May Rolaine S. Alvea, and Ginalyn S. Deniega.

Teachers Eleanor Q. Bicol, Mary May Rolaine S. Alvea and Ginalyn S. Deniega

DepEd organizers Arvin Delen and Project Development Officer 2 Karol Manalaysay
encouraged participants to share what they learned with other teachers and expressed
their desire to see Oriental Mindoro teachers win again in the next national storybook
writing competition.

Teacher Training in Mindoro : Tandem Telling with Teacher Nelsa

Last weekend, I was in Mindoro to run a two day workshop for K-3 teachers in the DepEd. In the next few days, I will be sharing this experience to you all, my dear readers, because we had a blast with the public school teachers there. Also, there were many learning experiences gained from working with DepEd Mindoro Oriental that are worth trumpeting out loud.

For the meantime, here is a short video clip of my tandem telling with Teacher Nelsa, a member of the Hanunio Mangyan community.

Writing Workshop: Weaving Stories for Kids and Teens

My writing worshop last Sunday, April 29, 2018 at Happy Grandma’s Cafe had been productive because participants left the workshop with story ideas. To achieve this, we looked at the status of Philippine Children’s Literature and the publishing industry. We set our own definitions on children’s literature based on Clarkson’s Ten Values of Children’s Literature. We discussed the storytelling model of David Leiber and how it can help us recall, craft and share our stories. Remembering favorite books read as children made us all see how diverse our choices and taste are in the reading materials we engaged in as kids growing up. And my, oh my! How our books “carbon” date us! Revisiting memories of childhood led us to discover the wealth of stories waiting to be shared and told. It was a wonderful afternoon of shared dreams and common goals!

One of the workhoppers, Ms. Alma Lumawag was brave enough to have her manuscript critiqued. And, sure enough, it helped her see areas of improvements on her manuscript. Getting feedback from peers is a helpful strategy for all writers.

Thank you, Happy Grandma’s Cafe for welcoming us! I hope to see you again soon!

For now, there are ideas to tame or prune. There are manuscripts to review. There are dreams to build. And there are stories to tell and weave!