Are school graduates achieving the 21st century education?

Witnessing the three samplings of graduation addresses from preschool, elementary school to professional high school at the five Operation Brotherhood Montessori schools, has allowed me to gauge if these students have fulfilled the four pillars of UNESCO 21st Century Education. It matches perfectly Dr. Montessori’s four “Periods of Man’s Construction” in pursuit of lifelong self-reliance. Pillar I Learning to Be refers to the Absorbent Mind of early childhood, Pillar II Learning to Learn cites the enormous reasoning power of six to 12 years, Pillar III Learning to Earn alludes to the economic independence of 12 to 18 years and Pillar IV Learning to Live Well With One Another, 18 to 24 years. Are our new senior high school graduates succeeding to build their manhood?

The wisdom of investing in quality preschool first

Preschool parent and O.B. Montessori, Angeles, Pampanga alumna (High School 2000-2001), Atty. Teresa Villanueva-Tiansay and Atty. Kristoffer Tiansay, are the proud parents of Ethan Zac, six-year-old preschool graduate. As one of the parent speakers for the pre-school graduation she recalls the school motto – “SEIPSUM FACIT PERSONA” (Man Makes Himself) emphasized to her parents when she was a preschooler, now repeated to her during the parent orientation of Zac two years earlier. “Prior to going to O.B. Montessori, Zac relied on us for everything – brushing his teeth, dressing up, fixing his things, cleaning after him. In a short period of two academic years, it was truly “Learning to Be” as he preferred work to play doing activities like Pouring Liquids, Dressing Frames and Sweeping Exercise and setting the table for snacks. He became independent working with advanced Geometric Cabinet, learning units, tens, hundreds and thousand with the Decimal Golden Beads.

“Parents usually believe that its best to save for the child’s college years but the amazing transformation of the very young, taught us that the best investment is the preschool age when the character of self-reliance easily sets in.“

Pillar II - Learning to Learn in grade school

Maria Anastasia Ybiernas, OBMC Las Piñas Elementary School addressed the graduating class: “Our OB Montessori journey is like the transformation of three States of Matter. Preschool made us “solid” as we learned independence.

“Liquid adapt and take the shape of its container. The stage of Learning to Learn, provided us the Cosmic Curriculum as we compare the External and Internal Parts of the bird, fish, reptile, etc. using anatomy kits to dissect the innards of a fish or chicken. Daily we filled up our data files with notes for all the subjects, accumulating three-inch thick albums. We learned to adjust and adapt, like liquids.

Gases are made up of molecules that have no fixed shape, and expand freely. Our relationship with one another matured beyond the four walls of the class as we engaged in overnight scout camping at Preziosa Botanic Park. It magnified our Save the Earth mission as we were exposed to a real large farm growing various ornamentals, vegetables and trees while observing the livestock. This related to Home Arts (Cooking, Housekeeping, Grooming and Hygiene, Baby Care).”

Pillar III – Learning to Earn in high school, 12 to 18 years

O.B. Montessori Senior High School class valedictorian RJ Benedict D. Latina narrated in his graduation speech, “Unlike most of my fellow classmates who have been with OB Montessori since Casa, I only became a Montessorian when I transferred to OB during Grade 3 from another school. In the class, I was fascinated by a tall illustrated chart showing a stack of men stepping on top of one another – The Totem Pole of Civilizations. Six men stood one on top of the other: the Primitive Man at the bottom, the Villager, classic leaders the ancient Egyptian and Greek civilizations. Then the Age of Monarchy funding the Explorers to expand their empire. Topmost is the Modern Man and the Space Man. Altogether summed up the title “The 21st Century Men Owe Their Present to the Men in the Past.”

RJ states “It is just fitting to show our gratitude to the men in the past by continuing their achievement in service to mankind. For students to taste the “world of work.” Senior High Business Management instructor and CPA Ana Pagtalunan advanced the entrepreneurial spirit that has been initiated in Junior High School way back in 1984 in the yearly Food Fair and Minimart activities by assigning the Grade 11 and Grade 12 students to create their Entrepreneurship Showcase. Side by side with his senior high school teachers who prepared them for the rigors of college life, RJ believes that his dad is the best entrepreneurial mentor. “My Dad runs the trucking company Asiamovers Corp, with a fleet size of about 10 trucks and 50 truck trailers. It is engaged in transport/ hauling services, transport of import/export of containerized cargo to and from the various ports in Luzon. Big clients such as San Miguel Brewery have regular trips paying fixed rates while relatively small clients negotiate. My Dad educated us more on the operational side of the business than its technical side with emphasis on staffing and accounting. But I believe I must first understand the basics: the mechanics of driving, automotive system of heavy trucks and their maintenance, the heavy schedule of the professional drivers as they observe road safety and enhance the various enterprises in the far flung provinces of Luzon.”

Pillar IV “Learning to Live Well with one another”

Dr. Montessori cites the adolescent psyche of the 12 to 18 years old, evolving from intellectual pursuit to active enterprise. Nothing is more engaging to the young Jollibee crew than fulfilling their economic independence. During the Middle Ages the Craftsmen Guild of Europe made connoisseurs bequeathed to their children their unique skills in producing quality merchandise. Handed down from generation to generation this established steady economies of the nation. Today we leave this training to colleges and universities which lack the facilities for apprenticeship and the skilled operators. Let us learn from the first Chinese immigrants who started humbly as “taho” (tofu) vendors in our country. They personally handled the training of their children as early as the age of 12 by exposing them to work in their stores or factories. They have become the fabled “taipans” the country looks up to. They are the paragons that have paved the way in reaching the goals of 21st century Education.