I had an opportunity to visit an elementary school in Cavite and a high school in Tagatay on Tuesday. The principal and teacher were gracious and open to having American Peace Corps volunteers tramping over their spotless floors and interrupting the instruction. I watched several lessons being taught and was impressed with several things: children expertly used choral response to greet visitors and to respond to the teacher's questions, they also had a class response in the second grade pictured above (one, two, three, boom and arm and hand extended). The weather is hot and humid, yet the children are scrubbed clean and dressed in white shirts and navy skirts or shorts. The teachers wear uniforms and it is my understanding that the government gives the schools a budget to help pay for the clothing of the teachers. You will not find books in the classrooms. It is DEPED's policy to send a book home with each student and they may or may not bring it back to school for instructional time. There are @55 to 70 kids in a classroom so there is not a lot of space for books. The children put their backpacks behind them in their seats because there is no room to put them in the room. On their feet are "booties" to help keep the floor clean. The children are responsible for cleaning the classroom so they are very focused on being tidy. You will notice a few notebooks and pencils. Parents must provide these and most do. Penmanship and cursive are stressed at all grade levels so the student work is neat and legible. These are beautiful people who have no books but still love learning.
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