Problems in Reading Education

            What’s more difficult than learning from scratch? It is learning from scratch with kittens scratching you on the side. It is already a known fact that reading is one of the first skills a child must acquire on the early days of his life. With no basic back-ups in the cognitive department other than his instincts, learning how to read becomes a great obstacle a child faces. However, this already seemingly challenging phase of his life is being more bothersome with the society - in general - subconsciously creating an environment which I think is less conducive to learning with respect to what we already have in theory. With the lack of good and appropriate materials for reading education, as well as the premature use of English as the medium of instruction to the students who are using another language at home, the Filipino kids are indeed facing a war against the society and themselves. It does not also help that when these kids grow up, the monsters that were created from the terrors of past wars continue to haunt the students in the form of low-level efforts in attaining the highest goal of reading education.

            I have read before that a child is like an empty slate, not much knowledge is imprinted on his brain. Thus, the reason why a child is always at search for answers to his never-ending questions. This curious-child phase of a person is a great platform on promoting the beauty of reading and learning through reading. However, as much as a Filipino kid wants to learn more about his surroundings, the Filipino society seems not to be on its full gear in helping this child on pursuing the pursuit of knowledge. The society provides less than adequate amount of materials and resources on helping a child read - more so learn. In this vulnerable stage of a child with not much things on his hands, I can’t blame him so much if he turns sour towards reading and learning. When he has this interest, he can’t look for help. When his heart is so ready to fight, he has nothing but his might. Might might not be enough, because it only takes too much valor to overcome an on-going war. Poor kid has nothing but a depleting one.

            And what does the society say when it was asked why it does such - or should I say “does not”? Simple. They lack money - to buy books, to build schools. With all these elegant houses I see, and the billions of peso being spent on few’s luxury, they indeed lack money. Poor child, he has dishonest people as protection. But, is there still light despite the disgustingly dark life he was in? I think there is. The society needs to pull off the selective blindfold it wears. Look at your children who were so starved of knowledge. Let them receive what they need. Let them receive what they deserve. Afterall, they are the ones who will take care of you when you slowly forget how to…

            I also find it funny how the self-declared society tries to compete with its rich neighbors. However, this poor society cannot emulate the elegance its neighbors exhibits. In this case, its money is indeed not enough. Reading may be elegant, but it does not have too much price. However, the funds for luxurious spectacles must be bottomless. Philippines does not have that. Poor society, it can’t go head-on. But worry no more because it has sought a solution for its problem. Let them hear if they can’t see. The Philippine society, for the reason of being globally competitive, tries to choke everyone with the overdose of English in their systems. No age is being looked at. Even the poor, vulnerable children, they have to swallow their reason. They just have to follow because the elders tells them to do so. With not much training in arguments, they just zip-up their lips. No words spoken, just taken what he can take. The poor child was even at risk of being thrown out of their little kingdoms - called self-esteem - if they try to break the rule. Much worse is that they will be thrown out of general existence if they refuse. If the very home he considers fails to appreciate him for what he has and not what the language he says, how much more is the cruel community that surrounds? But it all boils down to attitude towards success. For the previous problem relying more on the lack of attention, and this problem leans towards the overkill of attention. The easiest and best solution must be the modification of outlook on education. The good thing here is, we are already on our way there. With the promotion of using the child's mother tongue as medium of instruction in early education, further hindrance of his learning at such an early stage can be no more. 

            Now, we are already on the stage where we assume some passed the test of persistence. They are now on the higher stage of pursuit of knowledge. However, like what I have said before, not all of them passed the test, worse is that those who passed just made it by molding themselves into a clone of the prototype the society wants them to be. They haven’t made themselves be the man of their reason. And when some of these unfortunately become teachers, the cycle goes on and on with exponential growth. There’s a big probability that he has one of his teachers as this one. These teachers are now promulgating the hate towards reading by veiling the beauty of reading with easy questions and shallow understanding. Poor child-no-more, when he has thought he is past that problem, here he is facing another form of one. The solution I suggest is that these products of pseudo education must be redesigned in a way that they will be the one to analyze themselves on how much they can do to contribute to society’s growth. The keyword there is analyze. If they can’t analyze, or they were too young to think of those, and too old to remember those, then let them remember. Perhaps, late is better than never.