Jonalyn Jaen

My Reflection about Community Immersion Experience

      “Experience is the best teacher”, this quote was one of the best quotes that could express and explain my feelings about the great and marvelous experience that I had when we had our Community Immersion at Brgy. Calaya, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras last January 6 to 11, 2013. As an aspiring future teacher, this Community Immersion experience of mine made me see the real pictures on how the school and community are being linked together which is indeed really important in the educational process. In fact, through this kind of activity, I have realized that teachers play a very crucial role not only in school but also in the community because they were not only promoters of literacy and good values to students but they were also facilitators of some activities in the community and eventually, serve as religious advocates. Furthermore, I came up to realize also that preparing and planning for this Community Immersion was not just an easy one because we had really planned out all the activities that we are going to conduct before we went to Brgy. Calaya. This includes the programs that we are going to conduct, the projects that we are going to offer for the school and for the community, our demo-teaching, our interview to some of the people of Brgy. Calaya and the things needed for our culminating activity.

            Despite of the fact that we had worked under pressure during those times, still I find it exciting, unique and a challenging experience. As a leader of our group (The Tributes), I have learned how to handle and manage things better and how to sustain a positive attitude towards work especially in the midst of hard situations. In connection to this, I am happy and grateful as well that we had developed cooperation and camaraderie within our group and with our other classmates. With an almost one week stay at Brgy. Calaya, I was able to develop more my social trait towards my group mates as well as with our other classmates and towards other people. As a whole, this Community Immersion made me see how wonderful and how exciting teaching profession is. It was one of the very best experiences that I will never forget in my life as an education student at WVSU. 

Micah Momblan

           

                        

NATIVE BAGS

        Pandan leaves, a palm-like shrubs have a gofragrance. Some people used the syrup of pandan as a flavoring for sweet delicacies and use in rice to have an aromatic flavoring. Pandan leaves are also used in handicrafts especially in weaving. The leaves are cut and dried under the sun. The weavers used it as a major material in making native products like mats, hats and bags. It is very useful in people’s way of income especially to those who are very creative.

                   One of the popular products of Brgy. Calaya, Nueva Valencia Guimaras is a bag made of pandan and pineapple leaves. It takes a long process to finish a bag. The leaves are dried and sliced in fine and thin strips and sorted for further processing; after that the leaves are rolled into pandan ropes. They put dyes on pandan leaves in order to be colorful. Thereare different persons who make the bags. One person weaves the bottom of the bag and another one weaves the body of the bag. The lining inside the bag was made also by the other person.  It was also varnished in order to look presentable and elegant one. Weaving a bag is the source of income of some people who lives in Calaya.  They are the ones who produce native bags in Boracay Island and many of their finished products are sent abroad. A bag made of pandan leaves is durable.

                   Pandan leaves are very important and helpful. It is just not good in flavorings for cooking but also for making such handicrafts.

Lyra Bayona

Pandan Bags

       Pandan leaves look like a simple plant that we can see anywhere. Simple but it has many uses like putting it while cooking the rice so that its aroma will mix with the rice.In Brgy. Calaya Nueva Valencia Guimaras, pandan leaves serve as a source of income for them. Do you know why? They made bags out of pandan leaves, any kind of bags that we use like the sling bags, the bag packs and many more. They have this process in making these bags. There are people who are making the bags just using their two hands. Every person has his own task in making the bags. One person in weaving, another person in lining and another person in varnishing the bags. In this way, they can produce a number of bags in a day and it helps them in their daily living as a source of income. They made durable bags out  pandan leaves that according to the owner of that business, they are already exporting it internationally.

To other people, pandan leaves is just a simple plant, but for the people of Calaya, they are their source of income and they are thankful for that.

Cyril Sontillano

Origin of the name of barangay Calaya

In this picture we interview one of the elders in the barangay Calaya named Mang Keriko. He is telling us the history of his barangay. According to him, the name Calaya means withered, for every summer almost everything in that place is withered, and his elders says “this place is so Calaya for almost everything here is withered especially the grass”. That is the origin of the name Calaya. 

Belief of the Elders

During the interview we asked him about his belief in aswang, Kama-kama, tikbalang, fairy, kapre, sigben, and other kinds of demonic forces, and he said that he didn’t believe those things unless he will see it with his naked eye. We asked him also of his rituals before he did something like making mat or farming if he did a prayer, ritual, or “orimus” and he says that doing work is not a matter of rituals, but a matter of hard work, discipline, and dedication. In short he didn’t believe those things. We interviewed lot of elders in Barangay Calaya and almost of them don’t believe in superstious beliefs. 

Gino A. Villacampa

“The History and Livelihood of Brgy. Calaya”

       In this picture, we are interviewing a resident of Brgy. Calaya, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras. We are gathering information about the origin of Brgy. Calaya and its history. According to him, Brgy. Calaya exists even before his grandfather was born. Its first settlers came from Guimbal, a municipality in the province of Iloilo. He told us that during World War II, the Japanese soldiers never reached the said barangay. He also told us the reason why they named their barangay “Calaya”. It is because according to the people there, during summertime, all the grasses and shrubs there withered that is where they got the name of their barangay. Besides their history, we also interviewed him about the industry their barangay is famous for. He told us that they are into farming and weaving mats before. But now only few households are making mats. He said that Calaya now famous in making native purse and bags. 

“We are on the top of Brgy. Calaya”

In this picture, we are on the top of a large boulder found in Brgy. Calaya. According to the residents who lived there, this boulder is only small before. As time goes by, it begun to “grow” bigger and bigger. According to one of our interviewees when we ask him if the stone is truly alive, he answers us jokingly. “ambot kung buhi guid man na. Kung magsaka ko daw wala man na gagiho” (I really don’t know if it is alive. Every time I go up there, it is not moving). There are two big boulders located in Brgy. Calaya. They named it “Bato Lapad” and “Bato Taas”. According to the residents there, many of their visitors never missed the chance to climb on the two boulders every time they are in that place. When you are up there, it is truly a wonderful view because you can see the islets located in Guimaras.

Sarah N. Ebay

“Experience  is the best teacher”

As a future teacher we have a preparation and training for us to grow and develop.

As part of community immersion, we should have a demo teaching. Our first students are the IV-b of Calaya National High School. We taught them Economics about “ Mga Institusyong Pinansiyal: Bangko, Bahay-sanglaan at Kooperatiba.” The first teaching experience is our first exposure in the field. We apply our skills and knowledge that we learned from our previous year, how to manage our student.

"At the Beginning"

Memories play an important role in people’s life. Some may bring them happiness while others had  left them with a painful one.

The school and the community are the mainsprings of effective and powerful forces that can create a wholesome climate for mutual gains and betterment. The one week stay and observation at Brgy. Calaya Nueva Valencia, Guimaras is the one of the best experiences that can be used as a training ground for us as a future teacher. A teacher who had a personal philosophy and moral conviction, who will make a difference in the classroom and in the community. We observed the community and the school how they interact with each other. We observed that the students, the teacher, and the Barangay officials are actively participating in every community and school activities. They help each other and they are willing to take any responsibilities for ensuring for the sake of the people. The school helps the literacy program of the community. The community plays an important factor in learning; it serves as a rich source of instructional materials that can help in learning of the students.

The full cooperation between the school and community will yield bountiful harvest by creating and establishing a conducive learning environment in school and an orderly and peaceful community.

Ma. Imelda J. Gabasa

“A good teacher is like a candle- it consumes itself to light the way of others.”

A teacher is the most significant instrument in molding the young to be a better individual. And having community immersion, as one of the prerequisites of our subject, gives everyone a hands-on experience both in the community and in school. It’s one way for us to practice in school----- to be an effective teacher. As we entered Calaya National High School for our demo teaching, I’d just view on my mind on how to become a teacher someday. Every time I’d passed by and met students, I feel being respected because they were very courteous, respectful and they always greet “good morning to all”.

We held our demo teaching January 8, 2013, Tuesday in the afternoon under the advisory of Mrs. Agnes Jean Gonzaga, a MAPEH and Social Studies teacher as well. In our demo teaching, I’m the one assigned to deliver the lesson that our group have chosen. It’s nice to feel as a student-teacher that my students listen to me attentively and they were very focused on the discussion. Everyone share their ideas on the topic and there were an intellectual exchange between the student and me. I’d appreciate their active participation in the activities given and in the discussion as well. For this little time given to us, I am very thankful because this is the chance to show who would be me as a teacher someday. The comments written by the students to us would be a great help on how we will going to maintain our teaching strategies and use a variety techniques in the discussion. As what we’ve done, I realized that it’s not easy to become a teacher, unless you think and feel that you give the whole knowledge and teach the good values that would satisfy, pursue and learn by your student. Because a little part of their life, of who they are came from our teachings.

What I’ve done in Calaya National High School, is just a foot step towards teaching as my profession. This encouraged me more to finish my studies and give my best because many young individuals want to learn and gain more knowledge. Not only those cognitive levels that we can share but also teaching them different skills that could enhance and develop the physical aspect of their life and to be a wholesome citizen of our country.

“A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living.”

Serving the community would be a great help to maintain cleanliness and orderliness of our environment. As what we’ve done in Brgy. Calaya, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, I’d realized that it is very important to help preserve their nature which would also reflect of who they are. For the two days that we’ve cleaned their surroundings, I think I gave my effort to save our mother earth and gave justice to our environment. Giving our little help in maintaining cleanliness of the community would be a great help, so that the future generation would enable to see the beauty of their nature and they be enable to appreciate it as well. Furthermore, they would realize how their ancestors tried to conserve and preserve nature for the next generation to come.

Arbie Jane T. Bordeyos

Real life event: My gear for the future.

                “Experiential learning is the best teacher.” Sounds cliché yet it is a real life event that once failed could not be drawn back to make it successful instead it is a lesson learned- a gear for the future!

            Community immersion gave significant experiences in my life as a teacher-to-be. I was able to meet different people, to face complicated circumstances, and to make sound decisions. All of those were added in my treasure box of sweet memories. But our immersion was not all about serious matters and not just all about mind-pressuring field works, we also had fun!

      One thing that really etched in my heart is the time we did our demonstration in front of newly acquainted students of Calaya National High School. I found myself responsible for their learning that very moment. There I was able to feel that I am bound with my profession and that I was BORN TO BE TEACHER. And as I go along with their comments and personal messages to our group, I was filled with gratitude from all their heartfelt thanks. That is the essence of being a teacher- loving your students and they will love you in return. No matter how hard we worked with our lesson plan, how hard we worked to beautify our visual aids, and how hard we think of a better motivation our hardships were eased by a simple thank you and a smile painted in their faces. Simple things that only true teachers can appreciate. 

A big real life event such as this community immersion helped me in developing my skills as a teacher. It is a memory that deserves not just to be reminisced but a memory worth living for. Another chapter of my life was revealed!