"Once Upon a Time" Is More than Fun!

Maria Elena Gardose Reading a Story before
the Grade 4 Pupils of CES.

November 25 is declared by the Department of Education as the Nationwide Reading Day/Araw ng Pagbasa and the DEpEd also has declared November as "National Reading Month of Every Year".

To comply with this declaration, all elementary schools of the division of La Carlota have conducted a whole-day synchronized storytelling/story reading in support of the ten-point agenda of the Aquino Administration and the institutionalization of "Every Child a Reader Program" (ECARP), of the Department of Education.

The Cubay Elementary School, one of the 23 public elementary schools in La Carlota conducted its own its reading story activities for the whole day. This writer who is the school principal of the school supervised the reading sessions.

Two community residents of Brgy. Cubay volunteered together with.seven education student of La Carlota City College and one teacher-applicant. And one former teacher of Salamanca ES did conduct reading session with the pupils too.

These junior-education student volunteers shared their own unforgettable experiences, their challenges and worries for the first time in exposing to the actual reading/storytelling to the pupils and how they overcame them.

Chona S. Ortega of Brgy. Ilijan, Bago City had this experience. "I am nervous in the sense that this is my first time to handle pupils and read them stories. And also I am excited in the sense that I can prove to myself on how I can manage, deal with them on how effective I am," she told  She confided that her nervousness was converted into happiness and fulfillment when she asked the pupils and answered her immediately with a correct answers.

While Jhenie Hazelle V. Conde of Balangigay, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental relayed. "They listen carefully and interact by giving their comments and opinions to the story I read." She was happy to know that the pupils really want to listen to more stories.

On the other hand, Maria Elena D. Gardose of Brgy. Carmona, Pontevedra, Neg. Occ. disclosed,"Some pupils are very attentive in listening, especially in higher grades for they can easily answer questions." She added that her time was not useless for they can also relate the story by themselves.

"As I enter the classroom," declared Lenny Monasterio of Hda. Merced, Brgy, DSB, Pontevedra, Neg. Occ.,"I feel the happiness of the pupils that other people will read a story for them, other than their teacher." She continued that storytelling with pupils of Cubay Elementary School was the most unforgettable experience that happened in her life.

Well April N. Salvador of Hda. Letecia, Brgy. La Granja, La Carlota City lamented, "I felt so nervous, but the pupils helped me in overcoming this. My confident was established when I started reading the story to them. I saw from their expression that they were interested in my story. They wanted more." She noticed that they learned a lesson from the story which they could treasure it and use for their lives.

In his case, Raffie Miravalles Salazar of Villa Caridad, La Carlota City related, "My concentration in reading a story to the grade one pupils was disturbed. Some of them were very noisy. But I persisted in reading the story, stressing the chronological order or sequence of the story which later the pupils paid attention." He observed most of the pupils acquired the moral lesson of the story by asking them.

"I need more patience, more ideas in telling a story to the pupils so that they can understand what I am reading to them,"  qualified Melisa D. Remitar of Brgy. San Juan, Pontevedra, Neg. Occ. She realized that in reading a story to grade one pupils, she needed a long patience for they were very noisy and kept on roaming around the room.

Mia P. Salto of  Ayungon, Valladolid, Neg. Occ. related also her situation."I felt nervous for I was not familiar with the place and this was the first time that I am going to read a story before the pupils whom I am not sure that I could get their attention," she deplored. At any rate, she said to herself that she could do it and she did, and she would never forget the happy memories that she got from the attentive, cooperative pupils of Cubay Elementary School.

Arlie Rico, and Melanie Bacurnay, the PTA vice president read with the preschool pupils in the morning and in the afternoon session respectively.While my former teacher in Salamanca Elem. School, Mrs. Rossana Campos, who took her vacation here from a job in Japan, read a story to Grade 2 pupils after recess time.

The school principal of the said school issued them a certificate of recognition for their efforts, patience, and time they spent in reading stories to the pupils. Most of them wanted to go back to the school for some time. They loved to be with the inquisitive, "makulit" (hyper), but friendly pupils of the school. In which the school principal was eager to welcome them back!