Pangan: Tongue-tied

Thursday, January 26, 2012

THE clamor to adopt the mother tongue in the classrooms for pupils starting school year 2012-2013 may not be unfounded after all, since its promoters believe the method of instruction to the young school children is expected to be relatively easy, considering the kids' familiarity with their home-borne medium of daily communication.

Their assimilation would not be that difficult either or long in coming as their daily activities are essentially anchored on their dialect.

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Now comes the hard part of the transformation. At the expense of foregoing mastery of the English language, a world-wide medium of communication, in favor of the mother language, the scheme of foisting it on the uninitiated may not be recommendable at all. But whether or not this experiment turns out to be successful, remains to be seen.

Of course, reactions are varied, on the need to switch to the mother tongue as a method of first instruction to school beginners. The proponents for the mother tongue argue that these toddlers' attention can be focused if the language used in dishing out lessons is in the sound they are too familiar with and they are acclimatized with.

The opponents, or should I say, oppositors, on the other side, express apprehension over backwardness and delay of the growing pupils in learning the second language in this case, English and add that, if ever they learn it, it is not the recommended one but rather, the bastardized and hybrid English. In this case, the noble purpose of raising kids who can English well, if not eloquently, is benignly defeated or stymied.

I submit that initial instructions on the child can, and should, be started in the home where every member can play a role in the early development of the child-pupil in any subject, including speech, he may take in school.

There is no reason for the child to get tongue-tied in his mode and manner of communication with others and, mainly, in understanding and completing his academic requirements.

These arguments are, at most, preliminary and any shortfall or deficiency in the method of instruction in classrooms or educational fora can still be remedied, corrected or adjusted. I leave it to the wise judgment of concerned authorities to pick out and adopt the proper medium of instruction for the young upstarts and learners.

There is still time to adjust and adopt to the innovations in the mode or medium of instruction. Whatever may be the adjudicated tongue of instruction or communication, it is important that the lessons given are fully relished, completely understood and deeply retained by the child so that as he develops and grows into adulthood, he can communicate effectively and efficiently and not become tongue-tied by his lack of communication skills.

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I have already written about the staging of the 2011 Region III Year End Performance Assessment of Peso Managers at the Lewis Grand Hotel on January 25 and 26, but I wanted to share with the readers what I personally witnessed in the two-day activity of Peso top guns and their cooperators including officials and personnel from the Department of Labor and Employment Region III headed by its Officer-in-Charge Leopoldo B. de Jesus and resource persons Director Ma. Criselda R. Sy and Evelyn O. Dacumos, OIC Employment Services, Program Monitoring Division of the Bureau of Local Employment, visiting Alex Inza Cruz, former chief LEO and now assigned as Asst. Labor Attache in Jeddah, KSA, Jess R. Francisco, Supervising LEO, TSSD2 and Nely P. Punzalan, OIC, TSSD2, Dole Region 3. On hand to assist these personalities are Region III Peso Managers Federation chief Beth Alonzo and Pampanga Provincial Peso Manager Luningning Y. Vergara and Angeles City Peso Manager Del Deocales. The Best Peso awards were given to Guiguinto, Bulacan for the 1st class municipality category and Zambales for the provincial category. Perennial winner Peso San Fernando got the Best Peso award for this year, which is headed by hard working Donnie Sayre. Congrats to all of you! And thanks, Mr. Alex for the chocolates. May kasunod pa ba?

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It's more fun in Mabalacat, so enthusiastically declared Mayor Marino "Boking" Morales as he cited the various fun-generating places in his town, including the much-patronized Paradise Ranch in barangay Calumpang. He mentioned others which, including the happy and resilient people of Mabalacat always offer warm accommodation to all who come to visit the bustling town now on the brink of becoming Mabalacat City. Go find for yourselves how much fun this town can offer.