THE FOLLOWING is an opinion piece that appeared in the January 21, 2011 issue of another local newspaper. While it carried in its tagline the name of the author with her position of “Teacher III” in a public high school in a resettlement site, I refrained from identifying her and her school here, if only to save them from embarrassment.
The article is reprinted here as it appeared in that other paper. The bold, italicized sic enclosed in parenthesis I put in to indicate that grammatical lapses are as they stand.
THE HIDDEN TREASURE IN MATHEMATICS
“When hunger comes on, love flies out.” Money is one of the keys…and numbers can testify to that. How can a family survive without financial support? All that matters in order to let both ends meet is to work for themoney. Knowing why and how to calculate can not (sic) be learned in a minute. The treasure lies in Mathematics we just don’t have to understand it. We have to accept the fact that the concepts and principles in Mathematics will help you succeed. Every step of the way, time counts a lot. Start digging the treasure in Mathematics and time will come, you will find it within you.
MATHEMATICS and ENGLISH goes (sic) hand in hand.
Once a student ask (sic), “Is there really a need to learn all these Mathematical stuff? Like, if I will buy a candy, would I ask the vendor, if I will buy one and x+y is equal to N. What is the value of N?” Of course not! But the fact that you have to understand and comprehend the situation – and that can be learned in English is what it takes before calculating.
Learning the wh-Questions in English will help you understand what it means and solving mathematical problems would be easy. Analyzing the problems in Mathematics would mean “My favorite subject is Mathematics,”
MATHEMATICS and ENGLISH complements (sic) each other.
What if the problems in Mathematics is in Filipino? You say…”Ano ang dos dagdagan ng ugat ng kuatro kantos?” Whew! That will make our nose bleed. We have to learn the words, the terms, the meaning of tagalong (sic) words in English because it is better use (sic) in Math, they are easy and short. Problem solving given in Mathematics are situational and often encountered in real life. Like, we very fond “sale” (sic) in malls, discounted (sic) are given from (sic) the original price, and discount is a percentage of the original price. How can we find answers if we cannot understand the problem? Mathematics has something to do with English and vice versa.
WHEW, INDEED. Make that double Whew!
The “treasure of Mathematics” made so well hidden in fractured grammar and broken syntax that only the author can find it.
Mangling the English language has never been this bad, since Jimmy Santos and that comic character Barok made a career out of it.
For a “Teacher III” to be this grammatically and syntactically deficient takes the whole public education system to the pits.
And we still wonder why our school kids today can only manage pidgin English?
Hoy, DepEd, gising!
The article is reprinted here as it appeared in that other paper. The bold, italicized sic enclosed in parenthesis I put in to indicate that grammatical lapses are as they stand.
THE HIDDEN TREASURE IN MATHEMATICS
“When hunger comes on, love flies out.” Money is one of the keys…and numbers can testify to that. How can a family survive without financial support? All that matters in order to let both ends meet is to work for themoney. Knowing why and how to calculate can not (sic) be learned in a minute. The treasure lies in Mathematics we just don’t have to understand it. We have to accept the fact that the concepts and principles in Mathematics will help you succeed. Every step of the way, time counts a lot. Start digging the treasure in Mathematics and time will come, you will find it within you.
MATHEMATICS and ENGLISH goes (sic) hand in hand.
Once a student ask (sic), “Is there really a need to learn all these Mathematical stuff? Like, if I will buy a candy, would I ask the vendor, if I will buy one and x+y is equal to N. What is the value of N?” Of course not! But the fact that you have to understand and comprehend the situation – and that can be learned in English is what it takes before calculating.
Learning the wh-Questions in English will help you understand what it means and solving mathematical problems would be easy. Analyzing the problems in Mathematics would mean “My favorite subject is Mathematics,”
MATHEMATICS and ENGLISH complements (sic) each other.
What if the problems in Mathematics is in Filipino? You say…”Ano ang dos dagdagan ng ugat ng kuatro kantos?” Whew! That will make our nose bleed. We have to learn the words, the terms, the meaning of tagalong (sic) words in English because it is better use (sic) in Math, they are easy and short. Problem solving given in Mathematics are situational and often encountered in real life. Like, we very fond “sale” (sic) in malls, discounted (sic) are given from (sic) the original price, and discount is a percentage of the original price. How can we find answers if we cannot understand the problem? Mathematics has something to do with English and vice versa.
WHEW, INDEED. Make that double Whew!
The “treasure of Mathematics” made so well hidden in fractured grammar and broken syntax that only the author can find it.
Mangling the English language has never been this bad, since Jimmy Santos and that comic character Barok made a career out of it.
For a “Teacher III” to be this grammatically and syntactically deficient takes the whole public education system to the pits.
And we still wonder why our school kids today can only manage pidgin English?
Hoy, DepEd, gising!
