I was born in 1999. I experienced the strict yet quality education. I played almost everything of the known Filipino games. I ate vegetables every day. We don’t have many gadgets before but life is very fun.
When I was in elementary, I experienced standing facing the wall, squatting with a book on hand, being hit with a wooden ruler in the palm, being pinch, and instructed to stand outside the classroom because one of our classmates pooped his/her underwear. That was the kind of discipline I experienced in school. And when the class ends we would volunteer or all of us would help to make the classroom clean. Girls like it when their white socks tainted with pink because of the floor wax. And boys would play with mops and coconut husks. We just simply like to make our classroom clean even without the contest of the cleanest classroom.
Now, educators aren’t allowed to discipline the students like before. Little mistake and they will be in prison. Students now don’t fear their teachers, it was the other way around. Students won’t clean their classrooms if there’s no reward for the cleanest classroom. Some would even make a comment like ‘My parents sent me to school to learn and not to clean.’ It may be correct but who would you expect to clean the classroom, the teacher? Can you focus on learning if the environment is dirty? And you’re using the classroom so therefore, you must clean it.
Before, we didn't have mobile games. If we want to play we go outside and interact with our neighbour’s kids. We are surely much healthier than the kids nowadays. We play almost everything, slipper-x, luksong baka, patintero, taguan, habol-habulan, langit-lupa, chinese garter, tsinelas-lata, bahay-bahayan, etc. There are so many Filipino games that are probably forgotten now. It was so fun before and it serves as our exercise too so we don’t easily get sick that time. We also love playing under the rain. We’re like a free soul. And if ever we enjoy it too much and we forget the time, our mothers would search for us holding a branch of guava.
Now, kids games are way too different. They spent most of the day playing on their mobile phones or watching TV. Very unhealthy and may even cost their eyesight. No wonder why even at a young age, some are already wearing glasses. They don’t even let the sun see them.
Before, we always ate leafy foods. At least once a day. We get it that most kids don’t like vegetables, even me before. But our parents would really force us to eat it then we will receive a reward after so we don’t have a choice but to eat.
Now, you can’t even force a child to eat vegetables. I can see that from my cousin. She’s 15 now and very sickly. Even before she doesn't really eat vegetables, her parents let her and just spoil her with meat and whatsoever, now she’s a ‘suki’ in the hospital.
There were still so many things that are way too different from before. I know that everything changed and it was all in the past but as I can see, this change is unhealthy. I am glad that I was still able to experience those things before they totally change and disappear.
