As a teacher and professional in the field of education with a strong understanding of classroom management, you wouldn’t allow yourself to be moved to tears by your students, especially if it’s due to their misbehavior or disrespect in class.
However, for Social Science teacher “Jehu Laniog,” his tears were not caused by any of those reasons, but rather by a heartfelt message sent to him by one of his students.
“Pinaluha ako ng estudyante ko ngayong araw. Sa ganitong mga pagkakataon ko mas nabibigyan ng halaga ang pagtuturo,” it can be read in Laniog’s Facebook post last April 23.
“Sapat na sa akin ang pagmumuni-muni ng mga estudyante na posible ang mas mabuti na mundo, na mahanap nila ang pagiging tao sa isang hindi makataong lipunan.”
“Excited ako para sa natitirang pagkikita ng klase sa mga susunod na araw.”
Laniog is part of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Ateneo De Manila University.
Photo courtesy: Jehu Laniog (FB)
Laniog shared his teaching approach, which he believes has been effective in his classes.
“At the start of the semester, I let students decide the class rules: what is allowed and not allowed, I’ll review their recommendations and negotiate a common ground between me and them. I want students to feel that they also have power in my classroom and that we are in a democratic space where opinions should be shared. I believe that people, regardless of their socio-economic and socio-cultural background can contribute to our discussions.”
“Because they decide what the rules are, they are bound to follow it. I also mentioned that it’s possible to negotiate our rules in class, given that they can collectively agree about it.”
“During class lectures and discussions, I try and connect it back to their lived reality: how do social systems affect their daily life? How does their positionality affect their perception of reality? And how can they contribute to the possibility of change.”
Photo courtesy: Jehu Laniog (FB)
He added that he doesn’t give quizzes or exams in class; instead, he assesses his students in other ways.
“We don’t have quizzes or exams in class. They submit reading responses and ‘tweets’ every week and for their finals, we do UnEssay Project Presentations. There are things that an exam or quiz cannot capture. And from my own experience, allowing students to reflect on my lectures, class readings, and class discussions is more fruitful and liberating for them,” he explained.
Photo courtesy: Jehu Laniog (FB)
