EDUCATION IN A DEMOCRACY

ELMER C. PAMINTUAN

Education in a democracy must be of the viewpoint that avoids the pitfalls into which democracies have fallen and which have given rise to dictatorsh i p .

This type of education must provide every citizen with a certain degree of self-reliance, self control, and self-direction, and enough moral courage to back his own judgement, while at the same time he must have the readiness to make personal sacrifice for the common good.

if the people are never to acquire the habits of initiative, of thinking for themselves, they must develop attitudes of neither subservience to, nor rebellion against authority. What is wanted in a democracy is neither a slave nor a rebel but a citizen.

It is also hoped that the promised new deal in our government means the merit system in the service will be unfailingly observed; the political pressure will not be brought to bear upon the school officials to open schools where they are not needed; that appointment, transfer and promotion of teachers will be left entirely in the hands of he school executives; that the schools will not be used as

medium of propaganda for religious, sectarian or commercial interests; and that the schools will not degenerate into a mere instrument or tool of the government for the satisfaction of its own will to power.

Physical Education penetrates Filipino learners

Physical education appeared to be a teacher-monitored recess, with the students engaged most of the time in group sports, their specific nature changing with the seasons. Some schools clearly made a concerted effort to teach the rules and rudimentary skills of volleyball, baseball, soccer, and the like interspersing such outside “dry day” activity “wet day” emphasis on health, safety, review rules of games, and nutrition, frequently

with the help of films. A few schools had programs emphasizing the education part of physical education-space and body awareness, rhythmic movement, animal mimetics, how to practice different body movements without interfering with others, and how to use different body parts consciously. Some health education was taught in connection with physical education classes. There must be a special course for students with handicaps or posture problems. Just recently, The DepEd Memo give emphasis on how to control and eradicate drug addiction among students which can easily penetrate young minds on control ing drug addiction. Physical education a subject not dominated or even moderately characterized by test, workbooks, and worksheets. Teachers used books as their own source of ideas and information at all levels, evaluation was based almost exclusively on performance. Occasional paper and-pencil test required short answers to questions of terminology, rules and certain procedural matters, such use of equipment although health education took a secondary place to physical education when the two were combined, formal written test were frequently to evaluate health knowledge.

Most teachers, it appears, will resort to paper and pencil test whenever the possibility of employing them emerges. It is interesting that there was very little diagnosis of physical skills as a basis for further refinement. There was, however, some actual performance testing of physical skills.

More than in academic classes, students actively performed exercises, practiced skills, and played games, but teachers still managed to talk a lot.

The team sport can be a given emphasis that no one be left behind.

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The author is Teacher III at San Vicente National High School, San Vicente, Lubao