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Sharing a family meal every day is a powerful antidote to drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.This podcast explores how different families engage around challenging subjects. We host the conversation at a local restaurant partner, led by our Program Director Theresa Bairos, LMFT. Join us!
My American-Filipino Educational Journey
Cultural difference in education between America and the Philippines:
They say culture is a way of life, and I feel as an individual, I have experienced many cultures through my education. My background is interesting due to starting elementary and middle school here in the U.S. and then taking High School in the Philippines.
When my parents decided to enroll me at a private school in the Philippines, it was a bit of a surprise due to the reason for leaving everything behind, such as friends and family and moving to another country where the culture is different. I believe family values may have played a part in the decision to move. My family is Filipino, and in our culture, education is important.
My parents would always remind me to study, and whenever I got a bad grade, they would discipline me by making me study more. They would emphasize the consequences of what would happen If I did not study hard such as having a low-paying job or ending up homeless. They believed that education in the Philippines would be better for me. During my first week in my new school, in a new country, I noticed that education was prioritized more than in the U.S.
The school I went to was a private school that had a Chinese background. The curriculum was a bit of a challenge for me; I had to take college classes early, such as statistics and had to take Chinese and Filipino language classes. The expectations put a lot of pressure on me. My parents expected me to do well. The staff had a high standard for their students and would let you know if you were below expectations. The teachers in the Philippines were stricter; they were not as friendly as the teachers I had here in the U.S.
They were brutally honest if you were failing and had no problem letting the rest of the class know. Another thing I also noticed was the parent engagement was different. I had weekly progress reports, and my uncle and aunt had to sign them. In the U.S., I did not have that many progress reports. The parents seem to be more involved in the school. There were many parent teacher events, and parents prioritized being involved in school activities. Looking back and comparing the cultures just made me realize how lucky I was to experience both. One culture had a more carefree approach to education, while the other prioritized it more.
Comparing educational systems
The U.S. and Filipino educational systems are similar in many ways, however there are also several differences. One would be the social environment; in the Philippines, the students are respectful to staff, and usually, if they have a disagreement, they will watch what they have to say. In the U.S., the teachers must earn the respect of the students. The kids tend to speak their minds and can be disrespectful.
With school support, the public schools in the Philippines tend to suffer from underfunding and lack of resources. Public schools in America are supported by the government. In the Philippines, there is no preschool. Usually children start their education at age six or seven[1]. Elementary schools is from K-6, and there is no middle school. High school consists of the first year, second year, third year, and fourth year.
Having no middle school was a bit strange when I first learned about the Filipino educational system. The core subjects are also different; for example, in elementary the Filipino educational system focuses on language arts, math, health, and science, while the main subjects in the U.S. are math, English skills, social studies, science, physical development, fine arts, and reading.[2] When I went to school in the Philippines, I had to take classes such as Chinese and statistics when I was in high school.
The grading systems are also different; in the U.S., there are five, six, or seven- letter grades, with A being the highest and F being the lowest. In the Philippines, the grading system follows a 4-point scale, which uses a grade between 0.00 (lowest) to 4.00 (highest). Students are evaluated in every subject four times a year. When I first got my grades, I was surprised that there were no letters, and it was something I had to get used to.
In the U.S., the school year begins in August in the fall and ends in May; however in the Philippines, it starts in June and ends in April. Starting school in the summer was something I had to get used to right away, when the school year ended, I would go back to the U.S. where most of my friends were still not done with their school year. Both educational systems are interesting and to be a part of both is quite an experience for me.
Drug Abuse in Philippine schools
Drugs have been a significant issue in the Philippines. Many Filipino youths are at risk of doing drugs. There are many drug prevention programs in the Philippines. Since 2012 CADCA (Community-Anti Drug Coalitions of America) has been working on establishing anti-drug coalitions in the Philippines.[3] There are a total of 27 coalitions throughout the country.
The Global-School Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) is a survey that assesses and measures behavioral risk factors and protective factors among young people between the ages of 13 and 17. In 2015 the survey interviewed Philippine youth. The GSHS measured drug abuse and other things, such as alcohol use and mental health. In 2015, drug use among high-school students increased from 4.2% in 2011 to 10.1% in 2015.[4]
Also, High- school males (12.3%) were more likely to use drugs than High-school females (8.1). This did not surprise me due to knowing that drug use is popular among High-school males. There were many instances when I was in school in the Philippines when older high-school males would offer me drugs. However I said no because I did not find drug use interesting. Another interesting statistic was eight in ten high-school students were those who used drugs before age 14 (77.7%), while 22.3% did not use them.
The most common drug found in the survey was marijuana. High-school males registered a higher use with 8.6%, while females were 5.3%. One statistic that caught my eye was that grade 7 students were number one in students who had started drug use before 14 years old (among students who ever used drugs) at 96.8%, followed by grade 9 with 79.2 %, grade 8 with 78.7% and fourth year with 59.3%. Also, 16.7% reported that someone offered, sold or gave them drugs 30 days before the survey.
Another interesting statistic was that 32.7% of students learned from their classes the problems associated with using drugs, and 35.2% learned where to get help to stop using drugs during the school year. When I was in elementary school in the U.S., I remember the school teaching us about drugs and the health problems associated with them. The information made an impact on me when dealing with peer pressure to take drugs.
Doing research on drug abuse on Philippine youth opened my eyes on how drug abuse is a global issue. The question is, how do we mitigate these challenges that face students in the transition from foreign to U.S. schools? For me, it would start with education.
Having programs that educate the youth on drug prevention that especially targets foreigners can help. Many foreigners do not know the drug culture of a country and educating them can help. Doing research on drug abuse on the Philippine youth has opened my eyes on how drug abuse is a global issue. As an intern here in L.S.I.S. I hope to learn more about drug abuse and help educate today’s youth in the community on the dangers that drugs bring.
David B.
BSW Intern
[1] https://www.deped.gov.ph/
[2] https://wenr.wes.org/2018/03/education-in-the-philippines
[3] https://www.cadca.org/international/philippines
[4] http://rssocar.psa.gov.ph/article/highlights-2015-global-school-based-student-health-survey-gshs-drug-use