Book review: Who Are We

(Book picture taken from Vibal Shop website)

EXCERPTS from today's column of Michael L. Tan in the Philippine Daily Inquirer "Who Are We" of October 23, 2019.   A book review of a Filipiniana material worthy to be included in our library collection.

Vibal Publishing is probably better known for its excellent and innovative textbooks. Less known are its Academica Filipina series with intriguing titles: “More Hispanic Than We Admit” (volume 1 already out of print, with a volume 2 out now), “More Tsinoy Than We Admit” (Tsinoy being Chinese-Filipino), “More Islamic Than We Admit” and “More Pinay Than We Admit.” 

Except for the “Pinay” book, which concentrates on gender, all the others are useful reads as we ask ourselves: Who are we? 

Vibal’s publications remind us there is so much more to discover and celebrate in what makes the Filipino: a lively, if not sometimes chaotic, blend of cultures that is reflected in the most basic aspects of our lives, such as what we eat, what we wear, even what we think.

Read more: https://opinion.inquirer.net/124759/who-are-we#ixzz63Ef3eLnc

Book Review: Notable Children's Books of 2015

Click HERE to read the full article from New York Times.

Book reviews: 5 books that will inspire you to travel

From: Philippine Daily Inquirer, 18 November 2015 issue.

With great inspiration comes great adventure. Here are some of the stories that will inspire you to travel:

Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

Christopher McCandless decides to leave his home to escape from domestic violence. He abandons his comfortable life and becomes a hitchhiker, meeting new people and living in the wilderness where adventures happen on every corner. This non-fiction book will touch all kinds of emotions and make you realize that sometimes, being alone and away from your daily life will make you appreciate living even more.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

A search for everything—this is what urges Elizabeth Gilbert to travel in her memoir. After getting divorced, she travels to Italy, India and Indonesia to fight her depression. On her adventures to help her ease her anxiety, she discovers that the way she’s been living hardly scratches the surface of what the world has to offer. At the end of her wonderful journey a surprise awaits that changes her life.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien http://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/biography/

With the help of Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins agrees to help a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Kingdom of Erebor. The journey from Shire to Erebor includes treacherous lands swarming with ogres, orcs, goblins and other dangers, while also having an unexpected encounter with the well-known character in the previous books, Gollum (Smeagol). This story is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and it will take you to amazing places you’ve never imagined.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This book will encourage you to do whatever it takes to follow your dreams, even if you have to cross a continent to find out where the real treasure is. Despite the lack of money and experience, Santiago manages to pursue his Personal Legend because of perseverance and faith, making him achieve his goal while never giving up. This book will rouse your inner adventurer, making you long to find your own path and goals in life.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Although the main genre of this book is romance, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight allows you to experience the misfortunes of traveling alone and missing a flight. But all the hassles of the main character are soon forgotten when Hadley meets a handsome young man. This is a great read, especially when you’re at the airport waiting for your flight. This can help put you in the shoes of our heroine, wondering what it’s like to find love out of the blue. A real heartwarming novel that will make your heart flutter.

Relax with a cup of coffee and experience the world between the pages of these magical books.

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Book review: The ten commandments of professionalism for teachers

I came across this newly acquired book in our library, entitled "The ten commandments of professionalism for teachers: wisdom from a veteran teacher" by Vicki Gill. The book has 69 pages, with ten chapters that discusses each commandment per chapter and is intended for beginning teachers. The book is published by Corwin Press and there is a publisher's description for Library of Congress . Below are the recommended ten commandments from which we librarians can probably derive our own ten commandments of professionalism for librarians that we can add to our code of ethics (entries were taken from this link). Read on and share what you think?

1) Thou shalt define your terms - Successful teachers develop a clear image of themselves at their professional best.

2) Thou shalt locate your mentor - New teachers need to locate someone whose style they respect and who will guide them through the pitfalls of the first few years.

3) Thou shalt keep up appearance - Successful educators understand that their appearance creates the first impressions that students, colleagues, administrators and parents will have of them.

4) Thou shalt respect your power - Professional teachers respect that power -- they do not abuse it by becoming a "buddy" or a "'dictator" in the classroom.

5) Thou shalt take care of the parents - Professional teachers work hard to open up lines of communication between the home and the school.

6) Thou shalt pull your weight - All teachers are part of a team and must learn ways to work cooperatively with even the most difficult coworkers.

7) Thou shalt pay attention to the details - Before school begins, teachers need to establish a classroom management plan that includes a system for documenting discipline problems

8) Thou shalt pick and choose your battles - A professional knows the difference between a petty annoyance and a roadblock.

9) Thou shalt grow in your profession - As with any profession, teachers must stay aware of the new advances in education and resist temptation to teach the same curriculum in the same style year after year.

10) Thou shalt be yourself - Master teachers work as productive members of their teams and understand that they will be far more effective teachers if they maintain a personal life that is separate from their professional life.