...to sing about 'the shape of you'! =========================================================================== by PAM I know, I know, the past few posts were grim. OK, so let me make it up to you (assuming we have a 'you' here, that is) with this, and see if it doesn't crack you up like it did me...
"Come on, now, follow my lead... I'm in love with the shape of you..."
Hahaha.... oh, gosh! Now, isn't that fun? So hilarious!
But, really, seriously... what if, the great "Presidential Lecturer" himself really tried singing "Shape of you"? I'd wager he'd do really great. Are we ever going to find out? Ah, gosh... I wish we'd see the day when Pres. Barack Obama really gets the pop singing going, seriously!
OK, I wish I had more time here... but I gotta go. 'Daily grind', ya know... whatever.
***
Video credit: Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.
...we know there's hope. ===================================================================== by PAM Eight years ago, I was working on getting 're-integrated' to the Philippine society. I just got back from the United States of America (USA) then, fresh from five years of stay previously in NY State. I watched the Americans eagerly as one of their major political parties, the Democratic Party, nominated the man to become the first black President of the USA, Barack Obama. He went on to win the election and took up the Presidency. It was a defining moment for the USA. They just broke through the racial discrimination barrier in such a powerful and meaningful manner. Now, eight years have passed... amid all the stirring rhetoric, post-slavery discrimination is stronger and more divisive than ever, not just in the USA, but all around the world. The manifestation of meaningless hatred and discrimination these days have been violent and gruesome - an utter disrespect to human life. Therefore, it was wonderful to listen to the 'quiet force' beside President Obama - the First Lady, Michelle Obama - speaking eloquently in the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to rekindle the message of hope against discrimination... not just racial discrimination, but discrimination in all its many forms, such as gender, age, ethnicity, body size and shape, and religion. What struck me the most in her speech, however, was how she spoke beautifully on how leaders impact the lives and the future of children through education, health care, safety and security, and just being a good example as leaders.
"...when we go to the polls, that's what we're deciding... this election, and every election, is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives."
Indeed, an incredible speech! Speeches like this one are some of the reasons why I thank God for technology, because now, it's easy to capture and preserve the moment; and in one's very own cyber space, too. At times when despair looms, our 'cyber repository' helps us too keep rekindling the message of hope... in just a press of a button and a few strokes on the keyboard. And it helps us to keep going... keep hoping, keep the inspiration to work towards a happy world where there are no discrimination, no inequality, and where children are loved and cared for, where children grow up to become very good people.
***
What it all means to us...
It's incredible how a speech of the First Lady of USA could mean something for someone in another country. I guess, we all do live in a moral world where certain truths are shared. Therefore, some messages issued in one place resonate in another.
I just hope that the message lasts... and appreciated, and put to practice and good use - in our daily lives. Even in our workplace, and especially in the Academia... when we "choose" the people to lead our organizations, our groups, our teams, we should think about how they will be shaping our Institution, and especially our students, for the next
It's all about students' success, and just a little bit about our own.
years. Are they going to be good examples to our students... are they going to be models worth emulating? In the first place, would they be able to, at least, communicate effectively with our new generation of learners? Are they willing to learn 'the language' of our new generation of learners, and reach them in their 'own space' to understand how they thrive, and what makes them thrive in knowledge? Are they willing to persevere towards this end... learning new things, exploring possibilities? Are they willing to open their minds to understand the 'new style of learning' that this new generation adhere to and fight for rather than forcing upon them old and outdated methods that should have been long buried six feet below the hallowed ground of innovation in teaching-learning? Do they have the drive, energy, inspiration and the right motivation to persevere towards this end? After all, in this profession, isn't effective communication the key to successful teaching-learning; and that effective communication begins from the teacher's knowing and understanding the learner, and vice versa?
We often talk about commitment at work, and I believe that commitment is, indeed, very important to be effective in one's duties and responsibilities. And yet, in the teaching profession, one need not have a lofty leadership platform to illustrate commitment, in ways that are both effective and positively 'affective' to help our students, and even our colleagues, to discover the very best version of themselves. In fact, the 'quiet places' where one can concentrate deeply on one's mission as educator can be more conducive in creating avenues for student success in learning. Often, it is these creations that endure the test of time, more so than those created in the often 'busy and noisy' environment that surrounds the leadership 'perched seats'.
As an educator, whose mission, first and foremost, is to educate students successfully,
one has to be prepared to commit to the mission be it on "perched seats" or in "quiet
Leadership is an opportunity to serve, not an ascension to unbridled source of authority that shackles one to its enslaving allure.
places". And yet, there could be time to be effective in one or the other. The opportunity to fulfill the educator's mission from a 'perched seat' comes rarely, and it is a "call to serve". Therefore, when an opportunity presents itself to perform one's duty as educator in it, one has to humbly seize the opportunity to serve and work one's heart out to fulfill the mission from there. However, one has to be very careful not to be too attached to the seat lest it becomes a shackle in its 'imagined allure', and one is unable to extricate one's self from it without a crushing heartbreak in the end. Therefore, the 'perched seat' must be treated as a golden opportunity to serve - with humility. And when serving, one must do so to the best of one's ability and with all of one's heart... but with a heart that's anchored on God. So that when the heart 'whispers' something, one knows that that is God's voice, and following one's heart is following God's will. One has to commit fully to accomplishing the task at hand at all times - joyfully and with love, always working like there is no tomorrow... so that when the time is up, when the time comes to pass on the baton to someone else, one moves on happily and freely with no feeling of dejection. Instead, there will be a joyful feeling of fulfillment and a deep sense of gratitude to God for an accomplished mission... no heartaches, no regrets... only a priceless peace of mind.
***
Video credit: Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.
QOTD #7: On education and success ================================================================== by PAM
"Education was the gateway to opportunity for me.... it is the gateway to a middle-class life....no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school. No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don’t have the money. No company should have to look for workers in China because they couldn’t find any with the right skills here at home.
"Government has a role in this. But teachers must inspire; principals must lead; parents must instill a thirst for learning, and students, you’ve got to do the work....
"We insist on personal responsibility and we celebrate individual initiative. We’re not entitled to success. We have to earn it."
- Pres. Barack Obama from his Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech at the Democratic National Convention Charlotte, NC September 6, 2012 It doesn't necessarily have to be the United States or China, or Pres. Barack Obama, this applies everywhere... and to everyone. ***
"Hillary's guy" haven't lost his touch... he just got better! ======================================================================== by PAM He brought the house down - as usual! Only this time, he was so much better than ever before... and I didn't think that was possible at all! Former United States President, Bill Clinton, formally nominated the current President, Barack Obama, for re-election in the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. And, man, was he AWESOME! He has always been a charismatic leader and exceptionally good orator, but I
Bill Clinton: "What works in the real world is cooperation." (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)don't think I've seen him give such an incredibly eloquent, engaging, heavy-punching and humorous speech ever before. Ah, talk about wine getting better with age! Bill Clinton made a case for Mr. Obama's re-election in a way that no one - not even Mr. Obama himself, I think - could ever do. His speech was well-written, brilliantly structured to send an irresistible message about Obama's inclusive policies and essentially "Middle Class First" Programs while assuring the world that "America is your friend" through his foreign policies. This as he leads the US to a long and hard road to recovery after eight years of war and gut-churning excesses at Wall Street that brought their economy (and the world's economy with it) to its knees four years ago under the watch of the Republicans. Without sounding like offering an excuse for Pres. Obama's failure to make good his promises from four years ago, Mr. Clinton delivered the message so effectively that it electrified the Democrats - worldwide, I suppose - and maybe brought an approving smile to the "undecided" voters' lips. My attention was glued to the TV screen - in awe - the whole time. It's a good thing that he didn't talk about abortion though. I specifically liked how he emphasized"advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics, because discrimination, poverty and ignorance restrict growth, while investments in education, infrastructure and scientific and technological research increase it, creating good jobs and new wealth for all of us" just because they were some of the things that I appreciated in the State of the Nation Address of our own President, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, in July. I was just recovering from the 'man, that Paul Ryan charisma has serious wattage, it actually convinces' thing, and the 'hey, Mitt is human, too' dramatic revelation in the Republican National Convention last week. Those got me seriously Obama + Clinton, 44 + 42... "Arithmetic!" (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)'scared'. Oh, boy, Americans aren't letting those Wall Street vultures take us to another free-falling economic ride, are they??? But the Democrats came back punching - with their biggest and most dazzling superstar no less. If there had been doubts as to whether or not Mr. Obama can win the election in November against the gathering momentum of the Romney-Ryan campaign... well, it looks like Citizen Bill might have just won it for him right there! I think it might just be 'game over' for Mitt Romney. Too bad for Paul Ryan.
Former President Clinton's leadership was one of my inspirations in pursuing the dream to obtain Fulbright Scholarship about ten years ago or so... to learn the positive things about the American Higher Education System and the American "can-do" attitude and bring them home to hopefully help complement ours in the Philippines, and keep moving forward. I was fortunate to attend Cornell University in Ithaca, New York for five years. His wife, Sec. Hillary Clinton, of the Department of State now was the New York State Senator then, and she visited Cornell a few times while I was there to look at progress in research at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that would help the New York Agriculture sector. It was a most wonderful experience, of course. Then again, it's probably the people I met - in Cornell and in Fulbright (and the US Department of Agriculture and Department of State) - who became very good friends that made the experience wonderful more than anything else. *** In the local politics front... I had a tough day yesterday and I woke up late today. But I woke up to Karen Davila's interview of the newly appointed Department of Transportation and
Sec. Jun Abaya and Karen Davila at "Headstart". (Photo: Karen Davila)Communications (DOTC) Secretary, who is also the elected Representative of Cavite, Sec. Joseph Emilio Abaya. It did give me a good "Headstart" that I even found the time to drop by here and talk a little bit - to the cyberspace. Sec. Abaya is a University of the Philippines Applied Physics guy who obtained his M.S. in Electrical Engineering in Cornell, which I know for a fact to be a very tough Program, among many other outstanding academic achievements. I think the Basic Science and Engineering training is very useful for systematic, disciplined, problem solving-savvy and low-profile sort of leadership. Just look at the late Sec. Jesse Robredo whose basic training was Engineering - he made problem solving in governance looked so easy. While he has yet to obtain the nod of the Commission on Appointments, I think Sec. Abaya will do a great job at the DOTC because he has a very good track record in his relatively short career in public service and politics... but more than that, he has good things in mind that he wants to accomplish for the country's better future. Looks like we have another young and brilliant, less-talk-more-positive-action guy in the Aquino administration - excellent! Good luck, Sec. Abaya! *** Wait... tennis and football! Oh, and I enjoyed Maria Sharapova and Marion Bartoli's quarter-final match at the 2012 US Open! Maria dug herself out of a deep hole where the gritty Maria Shhhh... (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)Frenchwoman pushed her in in the first set and first half of the second set... and the stylish Russian screamed herself out the hole - emerging as the winner in a three-set battle of wits and wills, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Maria's consistently steel determination to win is so awesome! Win or lose, you know for sure that she always puts up a good fight. Respect. Never mind how loud she plays (boy, she's loud!) - ear plugs help, ya know. Aw, wait... did Roger Federer just crashed in four sets against Tomas Berdych in their QF match?? Dang, I was just going to write about his Olympics Silver medal, Cincinnati triumph and nice form getting into the US Open (eons ago, of course)! What can I say... besides 'I am a grown up with grown up concerns who blogs during free time' that is? Oh, well.... The footie boys are on an International break... and Cristiano Ronaldo is apparently 'sad' at Real Madrid, and it isn't about the money, mind you (according to him, anyway)...and that Lionel Messi couldn't be bothered to comment! :) And Barça's "pale assassin", who tied the knot last summer, showed both Crissy and Messi who was boss - he won the 2012 UEFA Best European Player award! So, is that why Crissy is sad? Aw! Congratulations, Andrés Iniesta! Better late than never. ***
