Makabansa: I Am Filipino AND...
Who Am I? A Guiding Question
As part of our preparation for our experience in the Philippines, teachers were asked to create a guiding question to observe and reflect on in our time abroad. As someone who lives and teaches Spanish and EL in communities with a strong Latino presence, I have been able to observe how the youth in these communities integrate and fuse both Latin and US cultures. As someone who has been teaching for over 20 years, I am also seeing the children of former students and those from families with long-standing ties to the community come into my classroom with less understanding of Spanish as a functional heritage language. In fact, a study done Princeton found that around 62% - 83% of third generation Latinos lose fluent speaking and understanding abilities in Spanish. That is concerning to me as a world language teacher and global citizen. After all, languages are windows into culture as well as reflections of identity. And as their language is being shaped by their environment so is there identity. So I wanted to know, how do Filipino students see themselves and their identities when there has been such heavy influence of outside cultures (Spanish, US American, and Japanese)?
I am Filipino AND ....
Learning the answer to this question was one of the highlights of my trip. As part of the experience, all teachers were asked to teach a lesson. As we moved through a discussion of US Literature, we had an activity in which students were asked to finish the statement "I am Filipino AND..." Their answers moved, amused and inspired me. These are just a few of them:
I am Filipino AND...
resilient
courageous
independent
handsome
creative
proud of my culture
I deserve better
I love rice!
not just a Filipino
proud of my skin color
disappointed in our leaders
proud of our hospitality
hungry
I hope to make the world a better place
I will express myself no matter what.
As I read their responses again, I can not control the tears that come to my eyes. I think about these amazing students that I was lucky to meet and my heart just overflows with emotion. These students were beyond kind; they were everything they mentioned in their responses. I could not be more proud of them even though we only spent a few days together.
Makabansa
These students are living examples of the pride and leadership that is inspired by the fourth and final core value - Makabansa. Makabansa is demonstrating pride in being Filipino and exercising the rights and responsibilities of being a Filipino citizen. I see so much of this value in them. They are proud of who they are and where they come from. That much was evident in everything they shared with me from Bicol. They cheered when I told them I had tried the local food Bicol Express and yelled when I danced with them the first day. They taught me traditional games and laughed along with me when I didn't play so well. They encouraged me when I tried to say Filipino words and they always, always treated me with respect and hospitality.
But what I am most excited to share about them is their vision for the future. Another key component of Makabansa is to perservere to achieve goals despite difficult circumstances. There is so much leadership in them. They want to make their communities and country better. I saw that everywhere I went and with every student I talked to. Student Government members at Oro Site High School organize events and groups like an LGBTQ alliance and recycled-materials fashion show. Students at the AHA Learning Center seek to improve their lives even though they live in poverty. And students at LegaSci want to enhance the world through science and technology. The future is bright because of today's Filipino students.
A Global Education
These students are nurturing global minds. They are learning to solve conflicts, volunteer, celebrate cultural diversity, seek different perspectives, and dialogue with each other. But they are not the only ones learning. They taught me so much. Through them, I learned what it means to be Filipino. And being Filipino is many things. It is
hospitality
leadership
kindess
generosity
joy
courage
curiosity
determination
It is being "For God, People, Nature, and Country" It is "Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa." It is love.
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