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The name Adolf Hitler is almost synonymous to a diabolic history icon among most people around the world.

When I ask people what they think about Hitler, I usually get a negative response, such as, “ I don’t like him”, or “He’s evil.” But when I ask them WHY (my favorite question), the responses are more likely to be a shrug of shoulders and a blank stare.

Let’s face it. We tend to judge people according to what we have heard, or even according to what we have faintly learned even without thorough scrutiny or ample evidence.

Not that I want to campaign for a change of outlook for Adolf Hitler. Not that I am a Hitler fanatic. I just love studying the lives of late historic men and Hitler’s is my favorite one.

For an instance, a student might hate a strict and traditional teacher yet love entering his class because he is learning a lot. That goes to show that we could nip great lessons from what people deem to be egregious.

I won’t deny that Hitler did a horrible thing with the Holocaust. Let’s go back to my favorite question WHY. Why did he do such a thing? Let me owe it to the cliché- too much of a good thing is bad. Hitler’s patriotism was so intense that it led him to irrationally hate the Jew. Again, WHY? That would lead me to exhort the curious minds to read the biography of Hitler, which would surely make you nod and understand his anti-Semitism.

After reading Hitler’s biography, it is even more advisable to read is book “Mein Kampf”. This would not only let you understand Hitler’s intense patriotism, anti-Semitism, and Holocaust but also give you unprecedented brain foods. Reading Hitler’s Mein Kampf would surely give a dramatic twist to your universal point of view. Whether you agree to his ideas or not, the thing is you achieved a dramatic intellectual growth.

We should not stop asking WHY- that’s the intelligent way of learning. Facts should be reduced to its smallest form until it transforms to its quintessence. Look at the innocent little children- they keep on bothering you with the question WHY until they get satisfied by running out of reasons why to ask why.

There’s no harm in asking why, knowing why, and believing why. That’s inquisitiveness. That’s the intelligent attitude.

The secret of being the best is by keeping the best secret when asked about your secret for being the best.

What then is the secret for being the best English teachers for Koreans? Well, only the best ones know.

The following passages contain positions that are not suitable for very skeptical cynics. Professional guidance is recommended. These positions are not the best secrets, but they are helpful.

Keep your young age a secret.

                I once introduced myself to a Korean student this way- My international age is 25 and my Filipino age is 25 too. For Koreans, they have their Korean age, which is their international age (the standard age) plus one or two. (When a Korean was born last December, 2007, he was automatically one year old. Last January, 2008, he was two years old. He will then turn three this December, 2008.) The thing here is, for Koreans, knowledge and expertise come with age. They tend to deem a younger tutor less credible. That’s why my tutorial age is 25 though I was born May, 1989.

Observe consistent progress.

                Pali-pali! (Kor. Hurry up! Hurry up!) Koreans hate slo-mo. They hurry in a queue at the supermarket, along the sidewalk, and of course, in their English proficiency progress. After every session, there must be a progress for both the teacher and the student. Set a specific goal (e.g. after an hour, the student should have learned 3 vocabs, 1 sentence pattern, and 1 pronun rule). Koreans are very diligent in studying be it because of their nature and culture or for compliance sake. As a tutor, you should be as diligent as they are if not more. Be credible.

Respect the Korean POV.

                Koreans view many things such as homosexuality, religion, and abortion, far more differently than the way Filipinos do. It doesn’t mean though that tutors should not bring up these topics. Tutors should just allow the students to discuss their viewpoints. You might compare it with the Filipino POV but never argue. (Slow down when humps are ahead.) It is best to habitually read Korean history and current events; it paves a way for a conversational rapport with the students. Be credible.

Eschew the Filipino xenophilia.

                Filipinos love foreigners, regardless of colors. Say, it’s hospitality. Yet it greatly affects teaching English to Koreans. Don’t be a fawning lackey, acting like a second-class citizen, nor a revengeful chauvinist, making Koreans second-class citizens. Many tutors try to be polite by condoning the unforgivable mistakes Koreans make when they speak English. In contrast, Korean students love to be corrected right away when they commit mistakes. On the other hand, tutors should balance corrections by praising their progress. Just always be sincere with your criticisms and appreciations. Be credible.

Always perk up even if you are droopy.

                A general manager in a Korean academy where I once taught said in a meeting- learn the art of swallowing your yawn. A single sign of laziness (e.g. yawning, sleepy voice, slouching, few responses) degrades the tutor’s credibility. Always be, or at least appear to be, interested in what the student is saying, whether it makes sense to you or not. The best technique here is simply to make yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally prepared before you face your student. Be credible.

Never be a beggar.

                Filipinos are poor- that’s a given fact. Filipino tutors should not emphasize their poverty to their students. Never ask the students to give you material things nor beg them to keep you in the job because you badly need it. Koreans are generous enough to gift gifts if they like you- you don’t have to ask for it. Be a teacher. Be credible.

Outshine the others- be credible.

                This is the quintessential rule- be credible. If your students are convinced that you are credible, you could actually break any of the abovementioned rules. Koreans fondly use the word “so-so” to mean “nothing  special”. Don’t be a so-so teacher. Master your grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Be uniquely yet versatile. Once a student believes that you are not credible, all of his friends believe so even without meeting you. Be credible then always.

Valiums are used for a preparation of diazepam, a tranquilizer C₁₆H₁₃ClN₂O used especially t relive anxiety and tension and as a muscle relaxant.

Kenito, a very good friend of mine, was feeling very uneasy one night so he took Valiums. The next morning, I received a text message from him saying, “Bro, I still feel uneasy.”

My friend Kenito is not an introvert but he is not the kind who regales people with speech. (I guess he is just a victim of circumstance around I-wanna-talk-about-me persons.) He tends to burst out if his pent-up emotions explode. He is like a sleeping tiger that you would love to stare at yet you would dare not touch lest you awaken it.

Nowadays, a lot of pills, capsules, and drinks are being peddled to protect and enhance the health of the people. Such medicines are designed to relieve stress and pain, boost up energy, bolster mnemonic ability, etc. But come to think of it, fellows. Ask the centenarians. Did they owe their longevity to these so-called health lifeguards?

People today rely so much on these health lifeguards, as I fondly call them. If you take a stress pill, would it guarantee you not to be irked by a staggering pile of paperwork?

When Kenito wasn’t calmed by the Valiums, I tried to do it my own natural way. We met, had some booze, and talked. We laughed at corny things and discussed serious matters alternately. Inadvertently, we were able to accomplish the duty Valiums failed to do so.

That’s what Valiums could never offer- the presence of a friend who listens and talks, reprimands yet understands.

There are many things man-made objects can never do. Nothing beats what the God-made masterpiece, humans, can do.

Come to think of it, folks. Instead of spending for the so-called health lifeguards, why don’t you save your money for rice and fare? Isn’t that fare?

To Kenito: If Valiums Don’t Work, I’m Always here to Calm you UP.

YES, TEACHING IS THE NOBLEST PROFESSION
(Published in Baguio Midland Courier Jan. 27, 2008 issue)

I used to be scared of getting sick lest I would miss the fun going out with my friends or simply watching the TV shows I religiously pursue.

Things changed when I started my student teaching practicum. This time, I am still scared of getting sick lest my students would miss the inimitable lessons I have for them.

Notwithstanding the lack of English textbooks and staggering number of students in a classroom, I aim to make most if not all of my fourth year students better than average Filipino fourth year students in terms of English proficiency. I only have more or less a month to accomplish that. It sounds megalomaniac.

But even if a thing is megalomaniac, if it is not impossible and it is not against the law, could it be in any way wrong?

As an alumnus of the prestigious Baguio City National High School, I am putting more enthusiasm in my practice teaching at my alma mater. I confess though, that the plans I laid at first were all for compliance’s sake.

Things do change (and I am glad they spontaneously do for the better). I don’t care much about my grade for my final subject in college (of course, at least a passing grade would satisfy me). My eyes are set not on my training as a future professional teacher per se but on our symbiotic metamorphosis. My students will help me become a better teacher and vice versa.

I was blessed with indispensable experiences, trainings, and wisdom at Benguet State University. Subsequently, I was blessed with one of the best mentors I’ve ever known as my critic teacher along with the promising graduating students at City High. But having spent almost two months with my students, I feel stupid and selfish that I haven’t given yet more than half of what I can do with my teaching, or shall I say, I haven’t really taught yet.

Last 2005 and 2007, I was qualified for the International Student Week in Ilmenau, a biennial international student conference in Germany. Despite financial shortage, I should have made it only if I wasn’t stupefied by my puerile pursuits then. Time mismanagement and wrong priorities were the culprits.

Thinking I should have done better or haven’t done such a thing has been my personal cliché. But past is past. I came to forgive myself. Unless we forgive ourselves, we cannot forgive others and we will be haunted by the shadows of our own ghosts.

I don’t want any one of my students to do the same mistake in life and miss opportunities when they go to college. I once told my students that being intelligent is different from being wise. More than making my students intelligently use conjunctions, prepositions, idioms, eschewing dangling modifiers, I shall make them wisely live life. With that, I want to prod them to come out of their cocoons, and metamorphose as useful butterflies for the pollination of the Philippines.

I shall not depart from my students at City High without my mission accomplished with a megalomaniac smile.