Deep play and other notes

Miriam Bayani writes: “I am a master’s student of language education at the University of the Philippines, Diliman…

Thank you for writing about ‘deep play’ (July 11, 2011). When I was in college, I read Tamora Pierce’s ‘Circle of Magic’ novels. The protagonists were four children with very strong magical powers. They had to learn to control their power, and they did so through meditation. In the next novel, ‘The Circle Opens,’ one character had trouble meditating until her mentor made her do repetitive drills with her weapon. Thus, she was able to meditate and control her power.

“Around this time, I started to read about the benefits of meditation. Like the children in the stories, I tried to meditate, but it didn’t work for me. I even tried wushu, but I dropped it because it did not have enough action for me. I was a member of the taekwondo varsity, after all. As part of our training, our coach made us do several drills. I thought drills were only for the physical level, but now I know that these were meditation in motion. I had already quit the team, but I still crave the physical and mental exercise of taekwondo.

“Now when I feel restless, I take my dog for a walk. Your column has confirmed that physical activity can contribute to a better state of mind.”

My reply: Thank you for sharing your experience. Meditation in motion does improve mindset and emotions. Dog-walking is excellent, but since you crave the perks that taekwondo offers, perhaps you can add this sport back to your day. I stopped intense training for swimming competitions decades ago, but I still do laps regularly, mainly for relaxation and flow.

Best practices for thesis

Martin Joseph Badoy says: “I am a fourth year student of BS Psychology at Far Eastern University, Manila…. I am also interested in educational and developmental psychology. My groupmates and I are brainstorming on topics for our thesis. I got the idea of correlating the items in your Best Practices of Ateneo High School Parents survey with the mean grades of high-achieving, average, and at-risk high school students in a middle-class school, to find out how the best practices are related to the actual performance of the three student categories. May we use your Best Practices questionnaire in our research?

“If our thesis will be accepted in March next year, it will appear in the collection of the FEU library and the psychology department. If our thesis makes the cutoff grade, the questionnaire would also be published in the ‘FEU Psychological Review.’ We would be privileged to further explore the research that you have started.”

My reply: I am glad that you read the book well enough that you want to extend our study. You can use the survey questionnaire, but make sure to credit my coauthor (Ma. Isabel Sison-Dionisio) and myself, plus the Ateneo de Manila High School. Include also the complete title of the survey, the source (book, page numbers, and title of our original study). You can state that you used the survey with permission.

In return, do send me a bound copy of your thesis afterwards, plus two copies of the “FEU Review” if your thesis makes it there.

Visiting Europe

Mayla Navarro, mother to a toddler, says: “I also like to travel, and I love your article about your Italy trip (June 6, 2011). If we travel to Europe for the first time, should we go with group tours, or go on our own?”

My reply: Usually, when our family travels, such as to Asia or Australia, we go on our own, because we do not want to be tied to the pace of a big group. In fact, Italy was the only place so far where we tried a group tour.

Since it was our first time in the country, we were not certain if Italians would speak English. We also found it more convenient to do a prebooked tour to popular places such as the Sistine Chapel. If we had gone on our own, we would have had to line up for hours to get in without a reservation.

If you are visiting a place for the first time, research and figure out whether you have enough time and knowledge to do the sites on your own. For Europe, except perhaps the United Kingdom, it may be better to do a group tour first. Enjoy!

Paging Ateneo math grads

All Ateneo de Manila University graduates, major in mathematics, are invited to a reunion on the afternoon of July 30 at the campus. The first class of Ateneo math majors graduated 50 years ago, in 1961.

A mini-conference will be held during the reunion. Speakers are Jose Tanchoco (AB 1966, now at Purdue University), Roy Pargas (BS 1971, now at Clemson University), Eduardo Mendoza (high school 1963, now at the University of Bonn), Rommel Regis (BS 1993, now at St. Joseph’s University), Fulton Gonzales (BS 1976, now at Tufts University), Elvira de Lara-Tuprio (BS 1990, now at the Ateneo), and Glenn Laigo (BS 2003; now at Phinma Education Network).

Industry leaders will talk about math opportunities in their fields. These include Gil Guanio (BS 1967, now the chief executive officer of Software Ventures), Renato Vergel de Dios (BS 1974, now the CEO of GeneraliPilipinas), Francisco Guerra III (BS 1976, now vice president at SC Johnson), and Roberto Vergara (BS 1983, now CEO of the Government Service Insurance System).

A Mass will be concelebrated by Fr. Karel San Juan (BS 1986), Fr. Luis David (BS 1977), and Fr. William Kreutz. A dinner program follows.

Visit www.admumath50.weebly.com or call 4266001 local 5682-83. E-mail the author at [email protected].