THE MYSTERY BEHIND GILDA
CORDERO-FERNANDO’S “THE VISITATION OF THE GODS”
“The
true purpose of education is to make MINDS, not CAREERS! ”
For
instance, Education is not a preparation for life, because Education is life itself.
This short story “The Visitation of the
Gods” helps the students like us in aspiring many of our Filipino teachers,
who considered teaching as a passion and not just a degree. Yet, human race had
evolved life bringing it in a harder way, however being true to ourselves as
educators also counts. Loving ones job is a love that is also noteworthy. One’s
dedication and passion in a chosen profession is as noble as love felt for
other people.
I.
Mimetic
Theory
Gilda
Cordero-Fernando’s “The visitation of the Gods copy the teachers’ life in our society.
Everything here is about the school, the preparation for the upcoming visitors,
the teachers, the administrators, the students concerned and those visitors
whom they considered as Gods. Indeed, the story shows the “hospitality of the
Filipinos”. Hospitality in a wrong place and in a wrong time.
It reveals the identity of our teachers in
higher positions before, thinking only for their selves and without even aiding
some concerns for the students.It is talks
about the reality of the process of death of Filipino idealism of administration
of public schools long ago . It shows the difficulties of sustaining one’s
interest and motivation in improving the standards of education in our country.
It highlights the visitation of officers who act as assessors of the efficiency
ratings of the teachers and the schools.
It
reflects the true and unforgiving culture of those common public schools which
probably encountered things like advance announcement for the visitation of
some personals from higher class. The irony of this, tackled the death of idealism
that supposedly starts from school which is in cradle. Due to this kind of
bureaucratic practice in the public schools, the standard of education is
lowered. The true progress of our educational system can not be assessed.
Teachers are not promoted based on efficiency, competence, professionalism and
other criterion based on the merit system. Hence they are only evaluated based
from personal performance, somewhat like attitude and all.
From
the story, we could find out Ms. Noel’s dedication not only for her job but to
her students as well. For she consider teaching as a profession too. When Ms.
Noel opened her frank opinion to Mr.Sawit, it was yet an uneasy meeting. Ms.
Noel honestly talked about the visitation being a ‘farce one’. Ms. Noel from
the story copied some of our educators nowadays; who by chance believe in their
selves and that in life, they were to tell what they think is right. Imagine
Ms. Noel stating that she had taught for five years. All in doing her best just
to live up her ideals. Yet, she pleases nobody.What happened is the same old
narrow conformism and favor-currying. For instance, some of the teachers thought that what matters
most is not how well one teaches but on how well one has learned the art of
pleasing the powers that be and it’s the same all the way up.
II.
Formalistic
Theory
The short story “The
visitation of the Gods” themed about “EDUCATION
as not measured by KNOWLEDGE
but by VALUES”.
This is a short story taking place in public schools
during those times wherein education here in our country is very fatal. It was
the same to time when the bureaucracy of education system is very evident. The
importance of obtaining a high efficiency rating by the school, its faculty and
the students compromised the principles of the most administrators. For them,
what matter most are their own fame and dignity. However, it not only affects
the efficiency of the schools and their faculty , but rather contributes to the decline in the actual
performance of students.
This story exposes the Filipinos mentality toward
completion. Sometimes one pursuit for personal and professional growth can be
mistaken as a threat to another man’s job or authority. More likely, it would
be interpreted as “showing-off”. Unfortunately the conflict between different
interests not only affects those involved but usually extends to the entire faculty,
which in return causes popularization in the work place.
The story focuses the students in the public schools as
the persona. Detailing their experiences as students of their times when things
like “the visitation of supervisors do the visit in the school of course.
The story prove its worth to be indeed good because it shows reality in what
is really happening when it comes to pretending. It only shows that there were
some teachers too, who had not lost their dignity and principle in life. It
also symbolizes the hierarchy on the educational system in the Philippines to
be exact, because visitation mostly was just nothing but all pretentious.
III.
Expressive
Theory
Gilda
Cordero Fernando as an author play a major role in our Philippine Literature.
One of her famous work is the short story “The visitation of the Gods” which also depicts her life. Her stories later
published a ring unto the readers ears
in a well turned English, and fill the find with curious characters like people
in the war, the sunburned Filipinos with the American twang, queen designers in
the world of fashion and even anti-Christ.
Being
a lover of things on Pinoy , that is one of the main reason why Gilda
Cordero-Fernando find it interesting in terms of writing the world of Filipino
teachers who by any chance tried to improve and impart their leanings to the students and for further success of
the education system here in our country.
Her
patriotism of the country greatly helps her merge that being an Educator is
never-ever easy. However, due to some personal and humane experiences, Gilda continued
to excel in her career through continuous writing base on Philippine cultures
and the society itself.
“JUSTICE
is indeed hard to find in the Philippines. Through this story, the visitation
of the Gods by Hilda Cordero Fernando, she stated here how important justice
especially to us as a Filipinos. Even though sometimes we suffered a lot since
we belong to a injustice country, but still we find a ways to make things
possible to find. To make everything’s right and clear. That gives the reason
why for some aspects, Gilda Cordero Fernando portraits by using this kind of
story to be able to enlighten those people who are committed this kind of
issue.
The
visitation of Gods shows the reality happening in our school today. Some
teachers from public schools are not doing their job well and students can
notice it. Gilda Cordero-Fernando tells us that only few people are honest and
trustworthy. Not all people aware about the feelings of the other, they just
care about their job and to earned money. Just like the story, it's the real
thing happened in our society.
Thus,
when I try to calculate the story, it tells us of how real and how had strong
personality Gilda Cordero Fernando was like Ms. Noel. Why? Simply , because of this story she never hesitate or
afraid to introduce to us the reality in such schools that there is that
scenario happened to our schools every time there is visitation of God's or
high ranked personalities. As what I’ve observed based on my instincts too, I
could tell that it was the same woman who wrote the story the and heroin of the
story itself.. Ms. Noel is in person of Gilda Cordero-Fernando that I can tell.
IV.
Affective
Theory
I
had always believed teaching as a commitment. Education as a life long learning
and an Educator as a leader. But just lately, after reading the story “The
visitation of the Gods”, I doubt to decline my belief. Not just because I was
touched by the flow of the story itself, but also because, my personal
experience with the same idea takes place.
I
know from the very beginning that taking up Education course is never that
easy. However, I only thought of things in easier way. No worries. No fears.
Without knowing the inside story behind everything.
The
“Visitation of the God's" story is so usual to hear, where students, were
practiced on how to act the right thing to be. Thus,the story tells us of how
rude it was, that being, as a teacher who must be an example and said to be an
educator's of righteous things, is also the one who educates lie's just to be
recognized. It is sad to hear that in our world today there is only few of the
many who remains true in their position, their selves and true to their life. Hence,
they are the one who molded students to become such, to their future life. True
in it, is that, this primary group has a greater impact that affect each
individual, like us, the students.
Just
as the way life works, it was the same story that happened way back in my past
years before. I could remember when I was in my Elementary and Secondary years.
Things like the visitations of the superintendent or any DepEd personnel were
there. As a students at those times, I also take part the cleaning,
improvisation and the go-making of the school. I’m one of the member of the
cleaning committee. What happened was, we were to impress the visitors of course.
Giving them satisfaction, treating them like Gods whom they’re actually not and
everything. We give them the flattery and some gifts too.
At
first, I don’t get why my teachers have to do such things. They were acting in
plasticity. Imagine, just because of the said visit, once a messy playground
turned into an enchanted one?
Things
get real weird. Until such day I come to realize that they were doing that for
the school. To emphasized the greatness of our school. To cover its true
status, situation and identity. To show the good things and hide the bad ones.
To have good records of the school, and even for its primary intact of
performance. Yes! Doing it helps the
school. Yet, the teachers failed their way in doing it so. However, hiding
these infirmities made us exposed to the practice of conformism and
favor-currying by our teachers. Which in other hand, lead the us in corruption. For instance the school is
supposed to protect us, the students. But just what happened here, and then it’s
different. The thing is I had always had it in my mind that school is my second
home. A home to where I could enhance leanings morally,
spiritually,emotionally,physically and mentally. Hereafter, I guess, that goes
for fantasies alone. Almost every schools here in the country were influenced
by politics. In such a way that it was injustice.
I
come to school in order to study, to learn, not to be liked or accepted in
different way. From the story, I could tell a teacher who crave, as of thinking
on changing the world on how Gods in schools treat the Educators. Unfortunately,
her belief and the one from the Gods collide each other. Therefore it was made
impossible for the things she thought she could do. I think what she did is
really essential. However, I got inspired by her for her braveness and
dedication to be a teacher of passion and life.
Let us be all like her, someone who's truly worthy.
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