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.

The National Library of the Philippines is On the Move (1 of 3)

Since the #NationalNonLibrarian controversy erupted early this year, the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) remained mum. There were no press releases (PR) after a short television interview given by its acting/assistant Director. It seems that, as of writing, the issue has died down.

Life goes on. For everyone.

While a few bemoan the lack of PR, both on the issue in question and about the programs and activities that the NLP implements (there are select photos and posts on Facebook by NLP librarians on library events but, nothing official), they continue on. I think the silent treatment is a classy response to all the hulabaloo. Being quiet can be a good shield against the media hounds.

But let me tell you this, the NLP is on the move!

By conducting training workshops in the development of mother tongue books and teaching materials, the NLP is reaching out to different communities in the regions. Since 2016, a core group of librarians have visited provinces and partnered with the local government units to activate the children's library services of the public libraries. One way they do this revitalization is by telling stories, conducting workshops, training teachers and librarians to craft and create stories in the language of their home, family, community and locality.

I have seen them in action last summer for I was an invited trainer and facilitator in the NLP's workshop in developing materials in the mother tongue for teaching and reading in Cagayan De Oro, Misamis Oriental. The NLP librarians I met and spent two days of training were quiet workers who, like you and me, are learning constantly as they practice the profession. What's more, I met leaders in the NLP who show a genuine concern for grass roots development.

Sometimes, we need to go out of our comfort zones to see a bigger perspective of the world. Once in a while, we have to burst our own bubble and bravely enter another's to listen and to see their world. Only then can we truly understand, not just others, but our selves too,

My one-day workshop along side the NLP leaders and librarians was, on different levels, an enlightening one.

The Creation and Production of Mother Tongue Books

One of my friends in the publishing industry has taken interest on the Bulilit Books-Project LEARN Series. I have these questions answered as requested. Sharing it here in the blog, because, sharing is caring!

1. Could you tell me more about the NCPPC? What prompted them to revive this series in Filipino and translate them into Cebuano and Hiligaynon? 

The NCPPC is a foundation and has two main thrusts: nutrition and health education. For more than four decades, they have been publishing materials and teaching resources to help parents, teachers, daycare workers and social workers in the nutrition and health education of children. They have bread products too that are packed with micronutrients. They have adopted public schools in Luzon and Visayas. While feeding kids age 3 - 10 years old, they provide training and instruction on good nutrition, health and hygiene to parents, teachers and community workers (daycare and social workers). In conducting the training, they have modules, reading materials and resources designed and published by their teams, staff and commissioned professionals.

Because health and well being is developmental and systemic, they thought of reviving the Bulilit Books, circa 1976-1982, to address the mental, moral/ethical and values development of children. Thus, they planned PROJECT LEARN.

PROJECT LEARN is a project that is aimed at creating books for k-3 learners addressing reading skills and comprehension development and the MTB MLE program of the DepEd. It has three phases: research and development; writing, editing and revising; and post-production.

The adopted or recipient schools of NCPPC were the first to acquire the books as part of the foundation's programs on good nutrition and health education. They are also selling the books in different markets.

2. How are they being distributed? Retail? Government purchases and donations? School adoption?

The adopted or recipient schools of NCPPC were the first to acquire the books as part of the foundation's programs on good nutrition and health education. They are also selling the books in different markets.

3. Now that the books have been produced, what challenges do you face in terms of sales and distribution?

NCPPC does not have a marketing team that sells in the open market like Lampara. Since it is a foundation, they have limited budget for this kind of distribution. The most that they can do is to have DepEd approve the books as supplementary materials so that schools, public and private alike, can buy them. News is, the Bulilit Books-Project LEARN Series is on the second review by the DepEd. Hopefully, it gets approved!

Thoughts on Mother Tongue Based - Multilingual Education Training for Teachers and Librarians

It is very timely that I am running a book sale of the Bulilit Books-PROJECT LEARN Series as fundraiser for our eldest’s endeavors in music. I will use these books as one of the three samples for a session on writing and producing materials for a training-workshop on Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education in Cagayan De Oro next week. Having done preliminary research on MTB-MLE reports and best practices I have information on the relatively small literature of mother tongue based instruction in the country today. I am excited to do this workshop with friends from the National Library of the Philippines, nonetheless. I will be meeting a new community of learners.

Miyawing Kuting, Beybi Bibe, Magbilang Tayo Filipino versions

I recall the teacher training sessions I had in the past six months. One in Albay and one in Oriental Mindoro. The learning and insights I learned in Albay and in Mindoro are factored in this new module I have designed for public school teachers, school librarians and public librarians of Cagayan De Oro. One new thing I have added is a role clarification activity. Do we expect teachers to write stories in the mother tongue? Why not? But to what purpose? Where is pedagogy in the creation of stories? Why is there a learning resource management database and why give the task of managing the database to a licensed librarian? How effective are writing competitions in the growth and development of mother tongue materials? Is there documentation of all our mistakes and success stories? If there is, what does it tell us? If none at all, how do we make one?

The Cebuano versions of the Bulilit Books-PROJECT LEARN Series

I was invited as a writer of children’s books to run the workshop, but I am first of all, a librarian and a teacher who loves storytelling and believes in the power of narratives. I am challenged, yet confident enough to show MTB-MLE from different lenses: as librarian, teacher, storyteller and writer.

It is a journey that excites and  frustrates me interchangeably because writing didn’t come to me in a dream nor was it a gift from the muses. I did not breathe out a full story upon waking up. No. Writing, for me, has always been a struggle. The reasons are many. But I persist. It is a lot of hard work. 

The Hiligaynon versions of the Bulilit Books-PROJECT LEARN Series

 I will tell the story why and how it is so in the session on writing the Bulilit Books-PROJECT LEARN Series.

Darrel Marco, Xi Zuq and Tinsley Garanchon, keeping you all in mind when I run the workshop in CDO next week! 🙏🏾💕