Dear colleagues,
It is Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday today here in the US, and as I was reading once more his immortal speech "I Have A Dream", a movie of the same slavery, bondage, injustice and oppression that our Filipino ancestors endured was playing in my mind. I guess I am presently too preoccupied with so many trivial things happening around me that I have buried our history into my subconscious. As if reminding me, a voice of our own heroic leader back home in the Philippines resonated in my head...
...At the vanguard of progress in this part of the world I stand - a forlorn figure in the eyes of some, but not one defeated and lost...
...Out of the lush green of these seven thousand isles, out of the songs of the farmers at sunrise when they go to labor in the fields, out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms, I shall make the pattern of my pledge:
I am a Filipino born of freedom and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my inheritance - for myself and my children's children - forever. - Carlos P. Romulo
...Out of the lush green of these seven thousand isles, out of the songs of the farmers at sunrise when they go to labor in the fields, out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms, I shall make the pattern of my pledge:
I am a Filipino born of freedom and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my inheritance - for myself and my children's children - forever. - Carlos P. Romulo
It is no coincidence that CNN's 2009 Hero of the Year is a Filipino Teacher. Indeed it runs through our veins...heroism, valor and persistence is the insignia of our race.
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Are you a Filipino Teacher? Here's an invitation...
22 comments:
Will do!
Thanks for the kind words, kabayan! Please help spread the word about the PTN! Thanks for your support!
Yes! It is indeed SUNSHINE for all of us here at PTN as we welcome back our dear dear Marisol who is really back with a vengeance ... Maraming salamat!
Crisma
Quezon City, Philippines
Hey Crisma,
Kayo ang unang-una kong hahanapin pag uwi ko :D I promised before that this group is going to make a difference for our Filipino teachers and students...we worked hard for it...it won't be long...
Miss you all...let the party begin!!!
Hey, please continue spreading the word about us, do you have FB accounts? Invite me...my Facebook ID is Maria Angala.
Hi Marisol,
I'm glad you're back with a vengeance he he! Now Crisma, Bo-peep and I can sit back and relax, for a while lang naman as you do the typing.
Enjoy keyboarding !
Rox
Claret School of QC
Philippines
Thanks Rox,
OO nga e, na-miss ko yung conversations and mga collaborative projects with your students in Claret and my students here in DC...maybe we should do that again?
Dear Teacher Sol,
I'm so glad to see you back with us in PTN, you did not abandon us after all!
You are such an inspiration to us, I follow your blog and I'm learning a lot.
Please continue to share your expertise with us...
Inspired by you,
Your colleague in NYC
You mentioned about a party?!!!!
When is the reunion? Get-together? Basta kita-kita tayo, masaya yun! I want to see everyone and learn about what we all are going through here, pare-pareho lang naman tayo, we're in the same boat, we should get connected.
I'm in!
Len
Florida, USA
Salamat Teacher Sol, salamat sa pagpaparating mo sa iyong mga mambabasa ang nasa puso ng karamihan ng mga OCW's, hindi lamang ng mga Filipino teachers...ang nagbabagang pagmamahal natin sa ating Inang Bayan, na kung hindi nga lamang dahil sa malaking pangangailangang buhayin ang ating pamilya, sana ay kapiling pa rin natin ang ating mga kaibigan at mga mahal sa buhay sa bansang ipinaglaban ng ating mga bayani.
Mabuhay ang mga gurong Pilipino!
My daughter is a Filipino teacher in PG County. How are the Filipino teachers in the US? I have been following the news about the teachers in Louisiana, are they ok?
I hope what happened to the tragic death of two teachers in Baltimore will not happen to any of our Filipino teachers in Louisiana or anywhere in the world. You all are making a big difference, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you in all your endeavors.
Lucita Manansala
A parent of a Filipino teacher in the US
Mga kababayan ko,
Maganda ang ating adhikain sa PTN, sana naman ay suportahan tayo ng Philippine Embassy at mga organisasyon sa Pilipinas. Mas marami tayong magagawa kung may suporta sa mga organisasyon na may layuning itaguyod ang edukasyong pampubliko sa Pilipinas.
sana naman ay makinig sila sa mga gurong Pilipino...
Rodel Natividad
Atlanta, GA
Colleague in NYC,
:D I'm still here...had to rest for awhile but I will never quit *wink.
Can I get the email of your egroup/ the Filipino teachers' listserv in NYC? I want to join...
MARISOL
Len,
It won't be long *wink...
Please disseminate the presence of the Pinoy Teachers Network on the web, our blog is http://punoyteachersnetwork.blogspot.com ... PTN is back!
MARISOL
Ulirang OCW sa Amerika,
Kamusta kabayan? Ako ay nagpapakamakabayan dahil matagal ko nang di nasisilayan ang ating Inang Bayan...
Sana naman ay inyong suportahan ang PTN, salamat!
MARISOL
Mrs. Manansala,
The Filipino Teachers in Louisiana are being taken cared of by the parent organization of our teacher's union, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). I am hoping that I can visit them in spring to hear their stories first-hand. I met Ingrid during the AFT Forum on Teachers Migration here in Washington DC, it was a brief conversation, but I am hoping that we can sit down again sometime. She's from the same university where I graduated, University of the Philippines (UP)...I can feel the spirit, passion, and determination to win this fight...it won't be long.
I know the sad story of the two Baltimore teachers, we're trying to have a stronger support group among the Filipino teachers here, collaborate more and reach out to help each other in times of need. We learn from other's experiences.
Thank you for the kind words, what's the name of your daughter? I have friends in PG County.
MARISOL
Rodel,
Sana nga dingin tayo ng Philippine Embassy at mga Consulates at mga NGO's. Malakas ang suporta sa PTN ng Phil. Embassy under the leadership of Ambassador Albert del Rosario. Marami kaming nagawang projects, at malakas din ang suporta ng mga Filipino community dito sa US.
We will reach out to them again. Hope they hear us...
MARISOL
hi marisol,
im a silent member of pinoy teacher's network.. im a public school teacher in the philipines before..
now im in alberta, canada and i work in a day care..
if ill be given a chance im also planning to teach here.. have to process my P.R. first..
MORE power to you and God Bless you and your family..
Yen
Alberta, Canada
Hello Yen,
I'm glad we got connected. How long have you been in Canada? Are you with your family?
It's my 6th year here in the US, and I thought of PTN in 2005 when I felt like giving back to our teachers who made us what we are today -- globally competitive :D I hope you can email your friends and relatives and let them know of PTN. Here's our blog:
http://pinoyteachersnetwork.blogspot.com
Keep in touch!
MARISOL
when i was still in the Philippines, i've read your blogs and it inspired me also to look for a greener pasture for my family.. although its really a sacrifice for us to take.. being an OFW is not an easy thing to do,
im on my 7 months here in Alberta, my hubby will come here this April, then my 3 kids will follow.. di ko kc kaya ung sabay sabay sila.. need muna mag work ni hubby dito, para ma support namin un 3 kids.
We 30 public and private school teachers here working in a daycare, its just a stepping stone, coz maybe in the long run we will find a better job (high paying).. some of the teachers here have doctoral degree and m.a., pero pinag palit nila kc teachers are really less paid sa Pinas..
ill let my them know our blogspot...
I really like to thank you, kasi ung story mo ang nag drive sakin para makarating dito sa canada..
throug internet ko lang nakuha ang job ko ngaun.. so direct hire ako same w/ my co workers here..
bye for now..
Yen
Alberta, Canada
Hello Yen,
Reading your story is like my story being played back, with some tweaks :D Definitely, we all are in the same boat. As I always tell myself and our colleagues, "we'll get by with a smile", remember Earaserheads?
I'm glad you follow my blog, it has always been a resource for many teachers across the country and back home.
MARISOL
Dear colleagues,
Thank you for the overwhelming response. Please continue to disseminate our presence to your friends and your listserv. Our egroup has been rejuvinated *big smile*,
Let us keep our discussions ongoing, keep ourselves abreast with education issues back home so we can better respond/help and give back to our country and our teachers who made us globally competitive. We will do something great for our Filipino students too, I have that written on stone. I am getting us supports and resources. Let us continue to reach out to people and let them know what we are advocating for and why we exist.
I will see u too on Facebook!
KAYANG KAYA BASTA SAMA SAMA!!!!
Sincerely,
MARISOL
I read your blog..very touching, you write from your heart...
-Jennifer Cheng-
LAUSD, California
you could join other teachers at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Filipino-Teachers/159630040737299
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