I’d like to thank Tonyo Cruz of Bloggers Kapihan for inviting me to join the Blog Action Day 2008. This year’s theme is about making a stand against poverty - Manindigan Laban sa Kahirapan. 

Poverty is close to my heart because teaching is often viewed as a noble profession, but not a lucrative one. But the thing that bakes my noodle is the fact that all social development organizations recognize the role of education as a means to eradicate poverty. Or as Oxfam International put it, “Education is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty. By expanding horizons and increasing opportunities for employment and social development, education is a key to enable poor individuals and marginalized communities to take control of their lives and stand up for their rights.” Which brings me to my first point about poverty. If we recognize the critical role of education in improving the lives of everyone, especially the poor, then isn’t it about time we started investing more money and resources in our teachers, especially those who teach in the public school system.

There, I’ve said it. Now we can move on to lighter things.

I’m sure you’ve heard the time-honored Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”   But here’s a story about two men who have been taught how to fish. Enjoy

Once upon a beautiful weekend, two men, Juan and Sam, were fishing on the lake. Juan was very relaxed on his boat, smoking a pipe. Juan didn’t look that interested in catching more fish. Sam, on the other hand, was on a bigger boat and was very eager to catch fish.

Because Sam had a bigger boat, he felt that he was was richer than Juan and he felt that he was entitled to give some pointers to his “lazy” fellow-fisherman.  ”Why aren’t you out fishing?” asked Sam.

“Because I have caught enough fish for the day,” said Juan.

“Why don’t you catch some more?”

“What would I do with them?”

“You could sell them and make more money,” Sam replied. “With that you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you would make enough to buy nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to own two boats . . . maybe even a fleet of boats. Then you would be a rich man like me.”

“What would I do then?” asked Juan.

“Then you could really enjoy life.” said Sam.

“And what do you suppose I might be doing right now?” said Juan.

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