"Balik-aral"

I was listening to the news this morning and when I suddenly realized that the term "balik-aral" is a politically incorrect term and should not be used--especially in the context with which it was used.

The news reporter used the term in reference to the first day of class today in public schools across the country. Most reports or articles would refer to this event as "balik-eskwela" ("return to school").

I just thought that "balik-aral" should not be used. This phrase may mean two things: it may mean "review" (as in studying previous lessons) or "back to studying" (as in going back to studying). Unfortunately, the way it was used in the news report was intended to mean the latter. 

So what's my issue here? Well, it's not that much of a big deal; it's just a term, anyway. But you see, words play a very important role in shaping an individual's way of thinking, which later on leads to a collective creation of habits and cultures. Last week, I visited Fort Santiago and found a very interesting idea that Dr. Jose Rizal wrote in his essay "Ang Katamaran ng mga Pilipino (The Indolence of the Filipinos)". He said that prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, Filipinos are not lazy people simply because they don't know the word "miracle" (milagro) yet before the Spaniards came. Indeed, the inclusion of the word milagro in our vocabulary made us expect for something divine and somehow hampered us from working. These milagros also resulted in superstitious beliefs that pulled us back instead of pushing us forward.

In our case, "balik-aral" may be slowly seeping into the subconscious of Filipino society. 

I've been hearing the term "balik-aral" since I was in grade school, and somehow, did not mind it. The term is most commonly used during the last weeks of May and first few weeks of June. It entails a return to school from a two-month summer break. 

But my curious question is, "Should we say 'balik-aral'?" In the first place, did we stop from "learning" or "studying"? Yeah, SCHOOLING may have paused for a while to have a break, to enjoy summer. But I believe that LEARNING did not--two terms that are usually misinterpreted and even interchanged. This leads me to think how the Filipino term "aral" is understood by Filipinos. Do we understand it fully? Do we view SCHOOLING as just the same with LEARNING?

"Balik-aral", subconsciously or unconsciously used for so many generations now, may have created a kind of culture which "stops learning". While, some hyper parents in Manila would spend hefty amounts to send their kids to summer workshops (e.g. ballet, music, acting, arts, etc.), most parents in provinces would rather have their kids help them in household chores or have them take summer jobs. Despite the difference on how kids coming from well-off families would spend their summer break compared to kids coming from poor families, there is still something similar between them: LEARNING.

Hence, we realize that whether rich or poor, LEARNING continues--even during the summer break. The question is: "Do we teach our kids to think that learning doesn't stop?" and "How much effort do parents exert to develop a culture of continuing learning among their kids?" On a bigger scope, "How much attention does our government give to develop highly academic and competent learners?"