Last Day

“Ang panget ng drawing ni Precious eh, mukhang tsong-go!” I tried not to laugh, I really did but I can’t help asking myself how a child this young can say something so unpleasant. I mean, if it was an adult who said it, meh, big deal. You’re an adult, act like one, you immature prick. But it was a kid, and kids aren’t supposed to say such things. I was obedient as a child but if my memory serves me correct, I do recall some of my pre-school classmates to be restive and difficult to control. Either way, I found the situation hilarious so I went on and just laughed about it.

I was getting comfortable with the kids, but unfortunately, today would be my last time to teach them art. Today, it was all about “Dioramas” and even without Kath, I was able to give the kids the instructions about what they needed to do. I got Bob to help; he was there to assist, same as with Vincent and Ed (thank you guys for dropping by!)

I could tell how much they enjoyed making the diorama. From a flat piece of paper, we were able to make their drawings stand up and make a somewhat close impression of their little community inside a shoebox with some cutouts of houses, the GK School, trees, some really big flowers, a sleeping dog, and something that’s supposed to resemble a tricycle.

From my experience, I learned that like adults, children have their own personalities. Mix those personalities to the environment that they are growing up in, as well as their upbringing, and you get yourself an interesting character. Some of their actions may seem senseless to us adults but to them, it makes perfect sense and it is the right thing to do. Like I have said, they are just kids being kids.

I like kids now, and I would like to think that I understand them a bit better.

It will be their graduation the following week, I wish them all the best, and may all of them have a bright future ahead.

Little People

Today, I am going to teach the kids about “Cities”… or the concept of communities. I asked the kids to try and recall what they see around them on their way to school and to draw it on paper. 

Marwell, the rowdiest of the bunch, was trying to remember his neighbor’s name, and for some reason, had the urge to shout the name out loud after he remembered it. Teacher Grace shushed him but he won’t stop talking, even purposely forgetting to say “po”. Ramsey, another kid (who I think is the brightest) shouted at Marwell “Hoy, ang bastos mo, wala kang galang!” Marwell, feeling humiliated, smirked and quieted down to continue with his artwork. I can only guess what other interesting things happen inside the classroom during the days when I’m not there.

Moving on, it was a fun activity for most of the kids. But for JM, he doesn’t quite feel like doing the task. He seemed bored; as if his thoughts were wandering away to some fantasy land where kids can do anything they want and eat all the sweets to their heart’s content--that or according to teacher Grace, maybe JM wasn’t feeling too well.

I gave them all something to eat after class and they were all ecstatic. I’m finally getting used to being around the kids. :)

So it begins

I have to admit I never really liked children. They’re noisy, whiny and most of the time, annoying. That’s why I was quite nervous when the dreaded day to teach art to a small class of eight children finally came.

It was “Foam Art Day.” Before the session started, all I can think about was “I did not sign up for this, I was supposed to be planting trees somewhere or having a fierce gunfight against illegal loggers or animal poachers or something something whatever.”

I was lucky to have Kath as my teaching partner. She brought pre-made styrofoam cutouts of all shapes and sizes for the kids to use. The problem was, the poster paint won’t stick to its smooth surface, so we tried thinking of something that would work. Luckily, we were able to find scrubbing sponges in one of the many sari-sari stores near GK (Gawad Kalinga). We used that and we’re finally ready to begin.

I was anxious to meet the children. But, of course, silly thoughts kept running through my head. “What if they won’t listen to us? Oh yeah, I’ll just let Kath do all the talking. But, what if they become too disorderly for us to handle? Hmm, about that… Teacher Grace, the class adviser would be there to guide us.” Okay, great, let’s start!

It wasn’t so bad after all! Although the kids can get a bit unruly at times, it was expected. I mean, they’re just kids being kids. Right from the beginning, I can tell that each of them has a different personality. Rico, another classmate who taught the same class a week earlier, told me to remember the name “Marwell” and boy, was he right.