The world of my dad and the world of my college buddy John Griffin collided briefly in the parking lot of a Phish show last week. (This phenomenon has only occurred once in the history of time, and will 99.9 percent with a bar over it not repeat.) John explained to my dad that he’s been “keeping up with Daniel’s webpage, but I still have no idea what he’s supposed to be doing in the Philippines.” John is a smart, perceptive guy, so if he’s confused, I assume he ain’t the only one.
So I spent an hour Monday trying to put together a coherent analogy comparing my Peace Corps service to John’s prior experience in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Through his wit, charm, and good looks, he found gainful employment as a bartender at a make-your-own-drink-bar. In other words, the customers made their own drinks. (In John’s tenure, the bar received visits from such luminaries as Kid Rock and Mr. And Mrs. Griffin.) Needless to say, I couldn’t do it. There’s really no analogy. We all make mistakes.
But down you worry John, someday you’ll figure out what I’m supposed to be doing in the Philippines. Hopefully, I’ll figure it out too!
A few days ago, I watched Regine (Nang Juaning’s 19-year old helper and 1st year high scoool student) spend literally ALL her free time looking up twenty five words in the dictionary, copying the definitions into her science notebook. The next day she was still at it. I observed her flipping page-by-page searching for words.
I took a peek in her notebook. For the word “compound,” it looked something like this:
“1n1.something made by the combination of two or more different things2.a word that is formed from two or more identifiable words, for example, “blackbird,” “cookbook,” or “bullheaded,” or, in some analyses, “mother-in-law” or “fire drill” adj 1.made by the combination of two or more different things 2.used to describe a word that is made up of two or more words or word parts3.used to describe a leaf that is divided into two or more parts (leaflets) attached to a single stalk. See also simple v 1.vti to add together, or add one thing to another or others, to form a whole2.vt to make something by the adding together of different parts3.vt to make something more extreme or intense by adding something to it4.vt to accept a bribe in return for not prosecuting or informing about a crime5.vti to settle a debt by paying a lesser amount owed, typically right away in a lump sum vt to calculate or pay interest based on both the principal and the interest that has previously accrued on it” (Cut and paste courtesy of Bill Gates' Encarta.)
This was for science class. If you are reading this webpage, you probably know how to use a dictionary. You know that if you’re looking up the word “compound” for science class you’d copy down the part of the definition relevant to science. If you looked up “sublimation” and the dictionary advised “see sublime,” you’d look down a word and find the definition there, instead of just copying down “see sublime” and memorize “see sublime” for the test.
But Regine told me she had never, in her entire life, used a dictionary. And the one she’d managed to borrow from a neighbor, and pour over for hours, was moldy with a stench. I tried to explain to her that she didn’t have to copy down every word of every definition, but she was baffled. (I was doing my best to explain in Cebuano, a language I can’t really speak.)
The language in schools debate in the Philippines has been going on for at least a hundred years, but the fact is, science is taught in English. Regine doesn’t speak English, nor does she have basic English comprehension skills. I wouldn’t say it’s a waste for her to be in school, but I see her losing an interest quickly, being so frustrated at not being able to figure things out.
Anyway, I asked Regine if she could get her hands on a science textbook. I figured the definitions might be in there, in a more organized fashion, without irrelevant definitions. Two days later, she came home with the science textbook. She’d rented it from her school (the school has five copies to be used by a large number of pupils) at a fee of one peso (roughly $0.02) for the evening. So she had all intentions of maximizing the use. I helped her hand-copy pages and pages from the science textbook, including all the definitions she needed to memorize, 'til both of our hands hurt and it was past bedtime.
And she’s one of the lucky ones. I don’t know the statistics, but a large percentage of Filipino never get past elementary school (or even go to school in the first place), because their family can’t afford the fees for textbooks, uniforms, pens, paper, etc. Or they need to work instead of go to school. There are many fortunate instances where an older sibling will sacrifice his or her education to earn money to pay for the education of the little brothers and sisters.
Next time, probably: Highlights for Children and what makes a Filipino laugh uncontrollably.
Posted by dbs at August 18, 2004 10:25 AM