The Passionate Teacher

To all parents, "near and far". This is for you!

Eternal Gratitude: A Tribute to Parents

In the cradle of your arms, I found my first home,
Guiding me through paths unknown, like a beacon.
Your love, a radiant light in the darkest night,
Leading me towards what is just and right.

With every sacrifice, my heart swells with pride,
In every stitch of care, my soul’s joy resides.
Your eyes, pool of unwavering love and grace,
A bond so strong, time cannot erase.

Through laughter’s echo and tears gentle flow,
Your love endures, a steady unwavering glow.
For all you are and for all you do,
My gratitude shines bright and true.

To my parents, my guiding stars,
In your love, I find solace afar.
Thank you for every battle won.
In my heart, your love forever found.

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Let's continue to guide young minds to follow unceasingly what God commands. God bless!

Sharing my talk on Healthy Food Diet.

Talk on
Healthy Food Diet
Giovanni Battiste Leanardi School
Brgy. Pansol, Quezon City
Nov. 22, 2023
HELE Week

Magandang araw po sa ating lahat!

My first time to be here in this beautiful school. My first time, after so many years, to see again a former Maryknoll College High School student, now the principal of this school, Sister Vangie. It's nice to see you again and this time in your habit, Sister. Also my first time to give a talk face to face since the pandemic.

Thank you, for inviting me to be part of your HELE Week. You have a very enticing theme, Feast of Food Delight. When I saw your theme, I imagined tables and tables of delicious foods. It must be, because you have a number of excellent food evaluators/judges. You will not invite them with only a few dishes on the table. Right, Sister?

Today, I am fulfilling a request from Sister Vangie to give a short talk on healthy food diet.

Pero bago ako magsimula, kukumustahin ko muna mga magaaral natin. Kumusta na kayo? Kumain ba kayo ng agahan bago kayo pumasok o baka sabi nyo sa mga mommy nyo, di na po ako magagahan kasi madami ngayong pagkain sa school?

Yong mga nagagahan, anong kinain ninyo? Masaya ba kayo sa kinain ninyo? Sa palagay nyo, masustansya ba yong kinain nyo? Pano nyo alam na masustansya sya? Any volunteers who would like to share?

Maraming salamat! Eto para sa iyo kasi magaling ka.

Let me just give you some established facts about healthy diet and later on share a little about healthy food habits because the two are closely related. Food habits can make your diet healthy or unhealthy.

Let's start with the definition of the term 'diet'. There are a number of definitions depending on the context. But let me just limit my sharing on this definition.

In nutrition, diet refers to the sum of food you habitually consume: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Lahat ng kinain mo sa isang araw.

Kaya parang mali yong sasabihin mong diet ako kong ang ibig mong sabihin di ka kakain kasi nagpapapayat ka. Di ba?

Another one is when somebody tells you, I only go for "sea food" but actually he means he eats anything he sees.

Okay. Let's get serious now.

A healthy diet is one that provides your body with the nutrients it needs to function well. It usually includes a variety of foods from different food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

Pag sinabing healthy fats, hindi dito kasama yong taba ng pork or beef. Pwedeng olive oil, canola oil, and the likes. Mas expensive nga lang and mga ito.

There are five important things to remember about healthy diet:
1. There is no single food that can provide you with all the nutrients you need to be healthy. That is why it is important to eat a variety of foods from different food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. This way, you can get a range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds that support your health.
2. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to a healthy diet. Different people have different needs and preferences. For example, children like you need more calories, protein, calcium, and iron than adults, because you are growing and developing.
Similarly, pregnant and breastfeeding women need more folate, iron, and iodine than other women, because they are supporting the growth and development of their babies.
Moreover, people may have different dietary preferences, such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or low-carb, that influence their food choices. Therefore, a healthy diet should be tailored to the individual’s needs and preferences, as long as it meets the basic nutritional requirements.
3. A balanced diet is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a healthy diet. To achieve a healthy diet, you need to balance not only the types of foods you eat, but also the quantity and quality of those foods, as well as your eating patterns and habits. You also need to consider your individual needs and goals, such as your age, weight, medical conditions, allergies, or preferences.
4. A healthy diet is about calories and variety. It is important in maintaining good health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. As I already mentioned, a healthy diet should include a variety of foods from different food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and foods from animal sources like meat, fish, eggs, and milk.
5. A healthy diet is all about balance and moderation. It should be the right kind in the right amount. We should also give importance to plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, and nuts. Diversify your diet by cooking meals at home.

Preparing and eating foods are basic activities of all human beings, young and old. Our health and fitness are directly proportional to our food habits. However, there are times when we forget what we should eat and what we should not. And when that happens, you only need to remember three key words...Healthy Food Habits. Healthy food habits refer to our eating practices that are good for our physical and mental health.

Let me now shift a little to food habits.

As young kids, you were taught about healthy food habits because health is considered as one of the most crucial parts of life. No matter how rich you are and how much food you have on your dining table, if you are not healthy, there is no way you can live your life to the fullest. Remember the saying "health is wealth?" You should always have it in mind.

Food and eating are some of the most discussed topics around the globe. There are many dishes to choose from. But have you ever thought about which one of them is healthy for you and which one is not? Most of the time we are just involved in eating tasty and delicious foods without gathering information about their nutritional value. If you are not doing this yet, today is the right time to be more conscious about it. It's your HELE week, remember?

To develop healthy food habits, we need to understand what the body needs to be healthy. In the same manner that we need to know the requirements of a car to run smoothly.

Ang isang sasakyan hindi aandar ng maayos kong walang gas, baterya, tubig langis at iba pa in the right kind and right amount.
Our body needs some vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and more, which are abundant in the different kinds of foods that we eat. Our food should be varied because not one food contains all the nutrients, we need to become healthy and sound.

So how can we develop healthy eating habits and get all the nutrients that our body needs to perform its major function which is to sustain life? Let me share with you some pointers.
1. Avoid eating too much junk foods. These are foods that contain high levels of fats, salt or sugar, and lack nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They do not play a role in healthy eating, especially if you eat too much of them. They are also known as empty calorie foods. They can cause tooth decay by eroding the enamel and promoting bacterial growth, among others. It is recommended to limit the intake of junk foods and choose healthier alternatives, such as boiled saba, kamote, peanuts, home-made fruit juices, and water.
2. Avoid eating too much processed foods. These are foods that have been altered from their natural state by adding or removing ingredients, such as preservatives, flavors, colors, sweeteners, fats, salt, or sugar. They can have many negative effects on our health and well-being.
3. Avoid packaged foods. These are foods that have undergone some form of chemical processing, such as adding artificial ingredients, preservatives, colors, or sweeteners. They are often convenient, cheap, and tasty, but they can also have negative effects on your health.
4. Don’t drink too much cold drinks. Drinking cold water is good but may also pose some risks if you drink a lot, like headaches and nasal congestion.
5. Eat one food item at a time. It enables you to enjoy the taste and texture of each food to the fullest as you are not distracted by other flavors or sensations.
6. Eat your meals at a regular time. Eating on a regular schedule supports our biological patterns (circadian) that regulate our physiology, metabolism, and behavior.
7. Drink a lot of water. It helps keep our body to a normal temperature, lubricate and cushion joints, protect our spinal cord and other sensitive tissues, and get rid of wastes through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements.
8. Drink milk and healthy shakes. They are good sources of quality protein, which is essential for our diet, development, and immune function. Milk contains all nine essential amino acids, and healthy shakes can include other protein sources, such as yogurt, nuts, seeds, and the likes.
9. Eat green vegetables and pulses/legumes every day. They are good sources of protein which is essential for building and repairing our muscles, bones, skin, and other tissues. Legumes also contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.
10. Eat fruits daily. They contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that work together in the body to increase our immune system and ward off the attack of harmful bacteria and viruses.
Phytonutrients are natural chemicals or compounds produced by plants. Examples are carotenoids and flavonoids. Your HELE teachers can explain their importance and functions.
Make it a habit to fill half of your plate with colorful vegetables and fruits. The more veggies – and the greater the variety – the better.
Remember, eating a variety of foods keeps our meals interesting, flavorful, and nutritious. It’s also the key to a healthy and balanced diet because each food has a unique mix of nutrients like carbohydrate, protein, and fat (mac­ronutrients) and vitamins and minerals (micronutrients).
What I shared is just a small tip of the iceberg because there are a lot of things to talk about when it comes to this topic, but Sister Vangie's instruction is very clear "short talk lang about healthy food diet." Pero sinamahan ko pa rin nang kaunti about healthy food habits. Okay lang, Sister?

When she was my student, she had to follow my instructions in class. Now, she's not just a teacher but also a principal, so all the more I should follow her instructions. Right Sister? Also, your HELE teachers will discuss more on this in your HELE class.

Before I end my sharing, can I have three volunteers, one from each grade level, to mention one of the things you need to remember about healthy diet.

Maraming salamat at nakinig pala kayo. So let me surprise you a little with simple gifts.

Thank you for listening despite the mind and tummy boggling smell of delicious foods prepared for your food tasting and enjoyment. I hope I did not destroy your appetite.
I also hope you learned something new today.

MARAMING SALAMAT!

References:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322268
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=2081&q=healthy+food+habits&cvid=f2854ca57a69450299fccd7831c46cd8&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOzIGCAEQRRg5MgYIAhAAGEAyBggDEAAYQDIGCAQQABhAMgYIBRAAGEAyBggGEAAYQDIGCAcQABhAMgYICBAAGEDSAQkxMTQ3OGowajGoAgCwAgA&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=ACTS
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7938737/top-healthy-eating-habits-according-to-a-dietitian/

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard!

Ogbodu Elohor, Ifeoma Anyaohaigbokwe

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160109277004822&id=573784821&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Part 3

The Role of Home Economics Education at Post Pandemic

The Big Question?

How can home economics educator apply these strengths to help families improve or sustain their wellbeing during the new normal?

As home economics educators, we should not be confined in the transfer of learning through the classroom. We should expand our mission by strengthening competencies thru trainings, seminars, and workshops. We have to create a ripple effect in inspiring change in the lives of others. The more people we get in touch with, the more people will be touched in return.

We should commit ourselves to engaging in research because it is thru research that we find new ways of solving problems and enriching knowledge, skills, and values. We should not be a one-stand department. Let us involve the various specialized areas in our quest for relevant knowledge, skills, and values. We should continue working hand in hand with home economics organizations. They have the power to bring together home economists all over the country and abroad. They can multiply the transfer of knowledge, skills, and values in multitude. If we can do all these, it will be easier to combat the effects of Covid 19 in our lives.

Getting Forward to the New Normal

Back to Normal

Many people, including myself, were waiting for things to get “back to normal.” I used to say, I hope things will get better soon so we can go back to normal. But is there such a thing as going back to normal? Isn’t it that life moves forward and not backward? There are also people who talk about “new normal” but the question is, could anything new be possibly normal?

New Normal

Many people will be working from home even when the pandemic becomes endemic. It is more efficient and beneficial to the environment. In fact, COVID 19 has broken the old belief that people cannot work productively without being supervised. As we move forward and adapt to the rapid changes that affected our lives, we have to innovate ways to serve, feed, train, educate people and family members. One thinking that we can get stuck in is about how the future will magically turn back into the past. You need a time machine to do that. If you don’t have one, let us all march forward to the “New Normal”.

"Better Normal"

The ‘new normal’ gave images of people wearing face masks, dining behind plastic shields, attending class and ordering necessities online. While the COVID 19 pandemic has forced us into a shaky array of new behaviors, they are far from normal. Just like other crises, the COVID 19 opened collective consciousness to change and to the possibilities of a “Better Normal.”

Today is the best time to create a “Better Normal” during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. A “Better Normal” understands that we succeed only when our most vulnerable communities survive and thrive. A “Better Normal” that gives hope and joy to everyone and not just a select few.

What can Home Economists do to Improve the wellbeing of Families during the New Normal or “Better Normal”?

So, what can we as home economics educators do to help bring individuals, families, and communities to a “BETTER NORMAL”? As home economists, we should be able to go beyond content because we address the actual concerns of people in families and communities. We should be ready to touch the core, as thinking and feeling human beings. Let us therefore…

Promote sense of safety

Feeling unsafe brings overwhelming problems. The number of Covid 19 variants, in addition to other health concerns, can make anyone more threatened. As home economists, we can promote sense of safety by acquiring up-to-date information that we can pass on to students, families, and communities. Let us help in ensuring health and safety protocols.

Reassure Families

The COVID-19 pandemic is stressful to family members. Home visits may not be possible but if it could be done, talk with parents to avoid activities that could trigger fear. Explain to them that there will be times when members may not be at their best, and that it is important to try to be patient, tolerant, and kind with each other. Introduce fun and creative activities to learners that they can introduce to their respective families.

Encourage family members to bond together and stay connected

Make families realize that even if they are physically apart from loved ones, they can still stay connected. Let us demonstrate to them the many ways to connect like phones, text messages, Facebook, Messenger, or better still, simply writing notes. Suggest activities which they can do together as a family like backyard gardening, online business, and other productive activities. These activities were successful in reducing panic among families since the start of the pandemic.

Strengthen personal and family competence

Include in our lessons how to develop skills and ways to build students’ competence; skills that can help them get through their current challenges like, involving them in a problem-solving approach to challenges, discussing problems, breaking them down into smaller chunks, brainstorming creative solutions together, and negotiating the solutions that will work best for the family. Let us remind families the importance to hear ideas from each member.

Let us serve as role-models of competence. Remember, “we have to walk the talk.” As we strive to do our best, let us remember to keep our expectations realistic.

Let us document learned lessons. Teachers and students can create diaries, scrapbooks, or art works together and highlight on what is happening and what they have learned from these things. Document the positive things that others did to survive and also let others survive like putting up a Pandemic or Kitchen Pantry, Feeding Programs, and more. Whatever we choose to do, competence can be fostered by organizing our actions, discussions, and activities.

Nurture Optimism

Many families felt discouraged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those who suffered significantly. Let us nurture hope by sharing ways our own families cope with the situation, or ways that we are grateful because we survived. Give assurance that experts around the world are working to help everyone.

Let me end by saying that the mind is related to rational or logical thinking. It is in conscious form, and it has the ability to make decisions without anything fogging its judgment. On the other hand, the heart is related to emotions like happiness or excitement. Its nature is physical. It attuned with sentimental values.

As home economics educators, we must strike a balance between the mind and the heart in everything we do.

Together, we march forward to a “Better Normal.”

References

Part 2

The Role of Home Economics Education at Post Pandemic

Strengths of Home Economics Education

In this article, I have identified four strengths of Home Economics Education from the point of view of my references and my own experiences as home economics educator.

Home Economics Education is well-rounded. The fundamental skills developed among our graduates qualify them to teach all areas of home economics. Meaning, they are prepared to teach any of the fundamental skills: Food and Nutrition, Sewing and Crafts, Home Management, Art and Interior Design.

I taught in a private high school for 36 years. My home economics education enabled me to handle any subject in the Practical Arts/Home Economics and Technology Area. I used to substitute for absent area teachers, and I did actual teaching, instead of just supervising activities prepared by absent teachers. My skills in teaching and training qualified me to be a Secondary Education Development Program (or SEDP} trainer from first year to fourth year where we trained Home Economics and Technology private school teachers all over the country.

Home Economics Education is future oriented. It teaches the things the students need to become responsible adults even before they need them. The things that make them useful individuals in the family, in the community, and in the society.

I remember one occasion during my high school teaching days. One of my students told me that she does not need to learn sewing and crafts. She can just hire someone to do those things for her. I just smiled and instructed her to start working on the activity.
Many years after, I met her again. She approached and hugged me and said, Miss, thank you for teaching me sewing and crafts. I am now married and with a kid and I realized how important those practical things you taught us in high school. Now, I make things for my baby and do repairs for myself and my husband. That admission validated my claim that Home Economics Education is future oriented.

Home Economics Education is practical and timeless. It provides students holistic knowledge and skills in all aspects of home and family life. Things they need to survive. Knowledge and skills that have immediate and practical application like cooking, sewing, budgeting, taking care of children, managing household resources, and more.

There is not a day that we do not eat, unless we really intend to starve ourselves. We need to plan a menu, choose recipes, buy fresh yet affordable ingredients, prepare and cook food while observing principles, and applying our artistic or creative prowess to present them in the most delectable manner.

We cannot go out of our homes without wearing clothes. We need to choose an attire that is best for an occasion. We must budget our money, or we go hungry the next day. We must allocate resources for the needs of all family members, young and old. We need to clean, sanitize, and decorate our homes and make them livable. A home that we can go home to after a back breaking day or at this present time, a place we can rest after a back breaking work-from-home.

Home Economics Education is multi-dimensional. It deals with all aspects of family life, utilizing knowledge from various disciplines such as the Social Sciences, Humanities, Physics, Biology, and Arts, and putting them together to teach people how to determine the basic needs of individuals and families like food, clothing, and shelter; how to identify ways of satisfying these needs; how to improve the goods and services used by families; and how to become responsible members of the family and community, through effective home making, gainful employment, and productive endeavors.

These strengths are what families and communities need to survive at this time of uncertainties. Each family member can pitch in to help the family cope with adversities. The COVID 19 resulted to unemployment, and it is bound to happen even after claims of reduced Covid-19 cases. But the skills possessed by our Home Economics Education graduates shared with the family and the community, could be easily converted to gainful activities because they have what it takes to do it…their knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship.

To be continued.

Part 1

The Role of Home Economics Education at Post Pandemic

Introduction

We have gone a long way since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic. All of us were affected in different degrees and we confronted the problem in different ways. Although they may not have been the best ways, we keep our hopes that the experiences we all went through will teach us one or two lessons in life…foremost is Faith in God!

As home economics educators, we should take on a more active role in rebuilding families and communities after the COVID 19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the country, as of October 20, 2022, has reached almost 4 million reported cases, resulting in almost 64 thousand reported deaths, the fifth highest in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Though the cases have reduced in number, the threat is still here, and the virus is ready to grab anyone when least expected.

Many families experienced the wrath of Covid 19, in addition to other health problems and family concerns: unemployment, businesses closing down, lock downs, and many more. Definitely, as home economics educators, we have to do something to arrest some of these problems, if not all.

This topic is most relevant because Covid 19 will not be the last. Bill Gates claim that another pandemic is bound to happen. Meaning, there will always be pandemic like this and there will always be a need to adjust, change lifestyle, collaborate with authorities, and contribute to the solution of the problem. We have learned from our own experiences that there is always hope that we will surpass similar problems if we learn from the mistakes of the past.

Home Economics Education must continue its commitment to empower families and improve their well-being in changing environments for effective participation in local and global communities. Today, is the best time to examine our role as home economics educators so that we become true to our commitment of preparing students, families, and communities, not just for the New Normal but for a “Better Normal.”

To be continued.

Good afternoon Passionate Teachers! I will be sharing with you part of my talk during the UP Home Economics Centennial National Celebration held last Nov. 14 and 15, 2022

To follow.

Ronnie Cabalquinto from Roxas, Anda, Pangasinan, a young and very promising bonsaist. Below are some of his masterpieces.

Reproducing Pothos plant using the air layering method. Just did the second one.

Good morning Passionate Teachers! Have a blessed Sunday. Stay safe and healthy. God bless!

Dear Passionate Teachers,

Thank you for liking my page. There's one request I would like to ask you. Could you write a short review of my page? Your reviews will guide me as to what else I should publish in this page to help you better. I will appreciate it very much.

Thank you and God bless!

Ines A. de Guzman