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Gifted children in the Philippines According to the Department of Education (Depend), there are 1. 27 million gifted hillier in the country. (See story here). Gifted children are special children, and they need special education as they differ from the average child based on mental characteristics. In the 14th Congress, a bill was introduced to give due attention to the 5. 49 million children with special needs (Cans) in the country. The Special Education Act of 2010 would have, among other things, called for the formulation of appropriate curriculum for Cans, including gifted children.
Despite calls for its ratification, the bill, however, was not ratified before the 14th Congress held its last session in June SAHARA ULNA “l hated photography and photographers in general,” declared Sahara Ulna. Growing up, Ulna always had a camera in her face. “My mom’s a stage mom,” she said, being the subject of the lens rather than her current profession. “Since I was born, I had albums mull floor to ceiling. ” But she was no ordinary kid. In the sass, she and others around her age became household names thanks to a series of Prompt TV commercials that hailed them as “gifted children”.
They excelled in science and the arts, spoke in front of students to talk about education, and carried high expectations from adults. From Prompt gifted child to pro photographer, Sahara Ulna shared her story at Dell’s Mallet Literary Folio’s Convention for the Arts. Love for music fueled photography Sahara Ulna was expected to become a doctor when she took up BBS Human Biology, entering De La Sale University at age 13. She dropped out six years later after shifting to various courses and became a photographer, the last thing that she, as a SKI, ever wanted to 00. Allan Eng plan-oral as Klan I Llano’s pursue. Everything: evolve, guitar, all the instruments, art, sports, I excelled Amman but I Just didn’t [continue them],” Ulna, now 26 years old, told GAMMA News Online. It was photography that was not taught to me. I think I was challenged by it. ” Every photographer started with a subject close to his or her heart. For Sahara, her love for music made her follow bands, her “only escape in school” then. She studied photos from magazines, looking at how portraits and subjects were lighted and storing the information in her head. L didn’t know what to do in school. I was not studying at all and my only escape was watching bands, because I was also into music. But instead of playing, Paulson OK Yuan an I’m playing but I wasn’t, I was taking pictures,” she said. Sahara shot with an Olympus Comedian CA, a 4 megalith point-and-shoot diagram that had a maximum resolution of 640×480. The specs don’t sound strong and “the zoom was limited,” but in 2003, it was as clear and sharp as she needed it to tell her story as it “taught me how to frame subconsciously’ and became a tool for her to discover life outside academics.
Zero social life “l [didn’t] have a social life [then]. Really, none. I don’t watch movies, bawl Kong lumbar, kayak tasks tailgate. I would watch bands and I would Just take pictures. Yuan Lang nag pawed gung kina. Kaki at home I didn’t have friends, wall Kong layman’s, I didn’t have cousins, I couldn’t take self portraits,” explained Ulna. “That’s why I started taking [photos of] bands, and it was good practice. Kaki low light ‘did baa? And the lights are moving so you know you have to wait for that moment, young emotion Eng singer, or the guitarist. It’s a Saturday morning a decade later, and Ulna has come back to DULLS, not to continue her studies, but to share her experience of how she turned from a gig snapshot to a pro photographer. “l kept shooting and the bands [l shot] kept posting photos on forums,” Ulna told the audience at the Mallet Literary Folio’s Convention for the Arts. L tried portraits, I tried food.. .1 would shoot events, I would shoot birthdays, banyan, fiesta, basketball Eng alga. Waling Kong peninsulas. Minoans living din. I won’t turn anything down and, literally, would shoot everything. ” She kept on shooting until she realized “This is really fun! A gifted laywoman, 10 years later Friends came along by then and she’d post “If you need photos, hire me! ” She didn’t have a DSL but people who loved her work helped her save, and eventually, work started coming after a magazine shoot featuring the bassist of Barbie’s Cradle. “l was so killing,” said Ulna. It has been ten years [since I started shooting] and I still feel the same. ” Sahara Ulna is now a professional freelance photographer and has shot premium subjects from comedian Ramona Battista to Senator Bonging Marco’s, as she continues to learn the craft through direct experience.
Ramona Battista is Just one of the many subjects that Sahara Ulna has photographed “Minoans young subject scabbing ‘ay panging aka Dianna’ or ‘patina MO Amman aka ditto. ‘ You’re part- psychologist, part-magician”, she told the audience. She has tried shooting rugby and soccer games, but she begged off a basketball assignment “because I didn’t know the rules. ” When she gets architecture and Jewel requests, she’d pass it on to someone else, knowing her limitations as she focuses on her strengths. Muff have to learn how to use what you have, you Just can’t keep buying Just Decease,” seen snared. You get a really nice camera Ana you teen want everything gad but you don’t know how to use it? You’re dead. Me, the longer I shoot, I find, the less equipment I’m bringing. ” Sometimes there is too much light One time, she shot with a point-and-shoot when her main camera’s battery died. Butt I had the Limit with me,” she told GAMMA News Online. Mimi have to be fast. You pick up these little things, always store it,” she said, motioning to the head. Contrary to popular belief, Sahara Ulna’s infamous line was not about the sun being a medium sized star at the center of the solar system. The cardiovascular system is the system that circulates blood around the body and transports nutrients and oxygen to the tissues,” Sahara recalled her spiel. To budding photographers, she stressed that they should observe the little things. “If there’s a specific effect you want to achieve, what made it that way? Is it morning? Is the sun Anastasia? Is it bouncing off the floor? ” Sahara wants to improve in the niche of cinematic photography. She’s fascinated with how movies turn night into day, and she keeps mental corrections of film scenes for possible future use.
Years ago, Sahara was under a literal and proverbial spotlight, all eyes were on her, watching her every move. Then she went under the radar, where she discovered she wanted to work with light as a way life. “Sometimes it’s not about adding light. It’s removing light. Sometimes there’s too much light, you block Tristan Mendoza born 1989) is a Filipino autistic savant and marimba prodigy. Tristan “Tums-Tums” Mendoza was born 1989 in Guenon City, Philippines. He was enrolled at the Philippine Interiors Center and was diagnosed as autistic at the age of two and a half.
During the same year he began to play. In 1997 the University of the Philippines presented him as a gifted child prodigy. He is now a college student majoring in percussion. He has three siblings (Rainier, Victoria Angela, Victorian Francesca) BIOGRAPHY Tristan Mendoza, or “Tums-Tums” as he is fondly called, is an internationally recognized marimba virtuoso. He was diagnosed with autism at age 2 1/2. With inborn perfect pitch, he learned to play the marimba at age 5. Born in 1989 in Guenon City, Philippines, he is now a 6th grader in the regular curriculum at a traditional school, the 0. . Interiors Center. He also did excel in the Japanese Summon method of mathematics but had to be withdrawn from Summon to shift his concentration to other subjects as he was far ahead of his other classmates in his math abilities. Tums-Tums has earned numerous national and international awards for his prodigious musical ability with the marimba. In 1997 the University of the Philippines, through its President’s Committee on Culture and the Arts, presented him as a gifted child prodigy, the youngest ever featured so far and still the only special child.
He is the only 2-time grand prize awarded of the McDonald’s Philippines Magmata Award and in two different categories. In May 2000 he received the Millennium Dreamers Award given Day ten Walt Delaney company, McDonald’s Corporation and the UNESCO in Orlando. Florida to honor children from 8-15 years of age from around the world who have made a positive impact in their respective immunities by providing an inspiration to youth. In March, 2001 Very Special Arts presented Tums-Tums with the Rosemary Kennedy International Young Soloist Award and he was invited to perform at the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D. C. One news account describes Tums-Tums as having “been born with a pair of sticks in his hands. ” Another commented “music paved the way for him to break free of his shell. ” The editor of Mother’s Magazine, Ms. Gig Patella, described her thoughts thus: “When I first heard Tums Tums Mendoza play his marimba, time stood still. All my thoughts stopped and he Just absorbed my attention completely. I marveled at how this child, whose parent’s were told not to expect anything from him, has now accomplished much more than any of us have. Since he could already read and write, Tums-Tums was enrolled at the Philippine Interiors center at age 2 1/2. However because he was not mingling with the other children but would only play by himself, with no eye contact, and also showed significant hyperactivity, the school suggested a psychological assessment and a diagnosis of autism was made. His mother recalls: “The signs suddenly fell into place. He hated video lights and any form of the shade of red. He could not tolerate the sound of electric drills and food grinders.
A loner, he needed a lot of prodding before he would play or interact with others. He did not like looking at the mirror, saying he was too shy to do so. He uttered certain words again and again. ” Also noted was a fascination with spinning objects such as electric fans and bicycle wheels. The same year as he was diagnosed with autism, Tums Tums made his first musical appearance playing three different musical instruments ” drums, cymbals and temple block ” all at the same time. He later performed as a lead musician with the metamorphose as his instrument during a World Youth Day celebration.
He then took up the marimba and, after only four months, was a special guest artist of the Philippine Madrigal Singers in a concert on the main stage of the Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. By age 10 he was a veteran of 120 shows with instrumentalist/ composers, percussion virtuosos and harpists from around the world. At the 0. 8. Interiors Center in the Philippines, Tums Tums is a consistent honor student. Psychological testing shows a Verbal IQ in the average (100-110) range with reference IQ in the high average to Superior range (118-131).
This discrepancy between verbal and performance scores shows best abilities on tasks that do not rely on verbal elaboration of concepts or percepts. Academic Achievement for highly structured tasks such as spelling and math range from the Junior to Senior High School level; reading skills are at about grade level. Language deficits in terms of language processing remain. Social skills are the main deficit. The most recent evaluation applies a diagnosis of Autistic Disorder. Tums-Tums is looking forward to the release of his first CD/cassette album soon.
Proceeds from the album will be donated to a special educational fund of the Autism Society of the Philippines for the benefit of indigent families who cannot afford educational intervention and other therapies for their special children. Using his remarkable musical talent, Tums-Tums, with the effort, support and encouragement of his dedicated, and grateful family, has done much to earls awareness tout adults In ten pineapples, Ana now Internationally, donating countless hours to fund raising activities for the Autism Society of the Philippines and other organizations for the handicapped.
As with other prodigious savants, Tums-Tums extraordinary ability has served as a conduit toward normalization for him through the unique, flexible and innovative educational approach used in conjunction with the other therapies provided him as well. There have been continuous gains in language and social skills. Meanwhile his special musical gifts have not diminished. They continue to grow and excel. There has been no trade off of special skills for gains in other areas of daily functioning. Instead, both have prospered. Tristan Mendoza remarkable progress raises important questions hat other prodigious savants present as well.
What is the best educational approach for these special persons? Should the artificial distinction be maintained, as it is in some programs, between the “gifted and talented” non-disabled children and the “disabled gifted”, such as the savant? Is it possible, and what benefits accrue, to both specially gifted groups when they are combined, rather than separated, in the classroom setting? Tums Tums is a sparkling example of the benefits of “mainstreaming” him, as it were, in a group of other gifted and talented children thou artificially separating the disabled from the non-disabled.
His special musical talent cuts across and through any such ‘disability’ boundaries to the benefit not only of Tums Tums, but to the benefit of his classmates and the rest of us as well. Tums Tums experience and growth challenges us to look closely at these vital educational questions for the savant without the typical stereotypes, classifications and categories that have been too arbitrary, too limiting and too confining. That reevaluation is underway in a number of centers and locales.