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Education

BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING: A Gift Giving Event

by Bogie

Every year the school I am working at is having a gift giving event. We name the activity “Blessed to be a Blessing”. It is actually an activity where we teach our students about GENEROSITY. 

One of the best expressions of Generosity is “sharing what I have with others.” For this activity, we let our students prepare gifts placed in a big shoe box and allow them to place all the items that they wanted to give to the less fortunate kids in our city. Gift items include toiletries, toys, school supplies and letters of encouragement. 

For this year, the gift giving event is a bit different. Instead of gathering the gifts in school, we went from house to house to collect the gifts of our students. We have gathered around 63 gifts (almost half of the usual gifts we are preparing every year) in all. As for the distribution of gifts to the recipient, it was also different this year. We gathered the kids per batch to observe COVID-19 health protocols. Younger kids were not anymore allowed to come, instead their family representatives were the ones who claimed their gifts. 

As for our school, the COVID-19 pandemic might be one of the biggest challenges we faced this year. However, it didn’t stop us to pursue this yearly event. Gifts may be a bit few this year but despite the challenges we are thankful for the opportunity to still be a blessing given the limited resources we have. 

You are Blessed to be a Blessing

One of the best lessons I have learned about this yearly gift giving activity is that we are all BLESSED in so many ways. Sometimes it’s hard to think we are blessed because we have the wrong idea of what a blessed person is. It is easy for us to say we are blessed if things are going well in our lives. And it is easy for us to become bitter in life if things aren’t going well. However, let us not forget to count our blessings even in the midst of problems, trials and most of all in the midst of this pandemic. 

Your blessings are not just for you, they are to be used to bless others. Would you like to be part of this gift giving event next year? Let me know by leaving a comment. 

Check out the video of our Gift Giving activity this year.

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Character Matters

by Bogie

Character as defined by Character First Education is the inward values that determine actions. A mental model used for making decisions. Moreover, it is the moral compass that guided your choices and who we are when no one else is watching. Altogether, it is who you are deep inside.

Does Character Matters Today?

Definitely Yes!  Many problems nowadays can be traced to a lack of character. In schools this includes bullying, disrespect, cheating, vandalism and many others.  Unquestionably, the spread of COVID-19 these days happen so rapidly because a lot of people do not follow a simple rule of STAYING AT HOME.

In the news we hear politicians accusing each other. Businessmen getting involve in financial corruption. Additionally, leaders and famous celebrities involving themselves in immorality.

Learning Character Lessons Online

Because I am always at home these days, I decided to make use of my time by joining a class online. It is an online seminar on Building Student Character inside the Classroom offered for free by Vibal Group. The seminar topic was so relevant these days. As mentioned by the resource speaker there are discussions nowadays on the proposal of reviving Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) as a full school subject in the Philippine K-12 Curriculum. I believe our national leaders have also felt the need that this is essential for our learners is truly necessary nowadays. In addition to this, I also learned a lot from the seminar. I can’t wait for the next school year to come so I can practice what I have learned.

Top 3 Character Strengths

What do you know about your own character strengths? I’m sure you know about one, but maybe you find it hard to confirm if a certain one is really one of your strength. You can actually answer VIA Character Strengths Survey which is available for free online. My top 3 results are:

Lady smiling showing good character with arms raised

1. Love for Learning

Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally, related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows.

2. Spirituality

Having a coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and the meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort.

3. Gratitude

Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.

Day 2 of the 30-Day Blogging Challenge done!

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Licealiz battles head lice infestation in Mindanao with Kilusang Kontra Kuto

by Bogie
About one-third of elementary public school students in the Philippines suffer from head lice-related problems. Head lice infestation or pediculosis can cause severe itchiness and infection of the scalp, but this could be the least of these children’s worries; the social stigma associated with having kuto can leave lasting psychological damage on both children and their parents.
A survey of communities visited by the Licealiz caravan last year found that 47% of respondents from Visayas and 76% of respondents from Mindanao said that their children were bullied and teased for having head lice, causing some of them to miss school to avoid their peers. The parents, on the other hand, feel incompetent and embarrassed for being unable to prevent head lice from infesting their children.
In response to this, Lamoiyan Corporation’s Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo launched Nationwide Oplan Alis Kuto as a part of its Kilusang Kontra Kuto effort to educate the public on lice infestation issues. The caravan was launched in partnership with the Department of Education, University of the Philippines Manila College of Public Health and Mommy Bloggers Philippines with the goal of traveling to different schools and barangays all over the country to hold shampooing programs and lectures for students and their parents. 
Lamoiyan Corporation is set to end the year with 30 public schools visited and over 8,000 children shampooed.
The Kilusang Kontra Kuto visits Ayala Central School in Zamboanga City for Nationwide Oplan Alis Kuto.
“We want to remove the stigma associated with having kuto by educating communities on lice infestation issues,” said Lamoiyan Corporation Marketing Director Bing Cavestany. 
“We want to drive home the message that everyone can be potentially infested by kuto, that it’s not something to be ashamed about, and definitely not something to ridicule others for. We also hope to encourage these communities to unite and take action to solve this public health problem together,” shared Cavestany. 
Licealiz invites everyone to join the Kilusang Kontra Kuto in changing the public’s perception about head lice infestation and spreading correct information regarding head lice prevention and treatment. 
For more information on head lice prevention and treatment, visit Licealiz’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/licealiz. 
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