Avenue of Thoughts

“Has tenbrae cingunt mentis caligine terras hoc sancti thomae universtatis opus lumina pandit.” I remember this catchy Latin phrase at the back of the UST Central Library that Fr. Dela Rosa emphasized during the Paskuhan Mass last year. It was the homily’s message that affirms the university’s role as the beacon of Catholic faith throughout the centuries of its existence. “The darkness covers this land in mental mist: it is the task of the University of Santo Tomas to spread the light.” True to its obligation and oath to the nation and the church, our university never fails to fulfill its duty to dispel the shadow of ignorance that lingers in the society and to strengthen the moral fiber that binds us together. On its four hundredth year of existence, more than the prestige and grandeur for being an institution that witnessed the growth of our nation, our university is proud to reaffirm and redefine its role in the cultivation of wisdom in the light of the ideals of St. Thomas Aquinas and Bishop Miguel de Benavides. Initially as a school for priests, the university enjoys its title as one of the greatest institutions that bolster Christian teachings to inculcate in the minds and hearts of the faithful.

The university has been a witness to the evolution of educational systems worldwide. In the ancient times, education was primarily done to teach religion and promote traditions of the people [Richards and Rodgers, 1992]. Christian monasteries pioneered the teaching of language, grammar, and rhetoric.

Spreading the light is shunning ignorance and negligence in the society. Spreading the light is nurturing – to have better grasp of truths and tangible facts of realities about the world.

English is mandated by our law to be our second language. English has been part of our lives when the Thomasites brought with them their educational system to the country. The American educational system catapulted the multifaceted ingenuity of Filipinos in becoming one of the finest breeds of people in the world. Filipinos learning the language gives us edge in facing one of the daunting challenges for humanity: the unending pursuit for knowledge. English has grown to be the dominating language that the world knows to speak. As John Galsworthy puts it, “any impartial scrutiny made at this moment in time must place English at the head of all languages as most likely to become, in a natural, unforced way, the single intercommunicating language.” Nothing can stop the proliferation of English as the language that the majority speaks.

Teaching English is more likely to be associated to a travel agent selling an all-inclusive tour package of a certain destination. Having knowledge of the destination, itinerary, contact persons, and amenities are requisites to make a good sale of the package. This allows the agent to respond to the queries that your prospective clients might impose on them. Failing to anticipate would be tantamount to losing your market. There is no quick fix or formula in making a sale; it varies from one client to another. Teaching the language requires different approaches and methods. As early as the fifth century, a lot of approaches and methods have already been applied to effectively teach English. But one thing is common among them, that is, to improve their competence in the mastery of the language to communicate effectively. English plays a vital role in gaining understanding about the world. English serves as our passport to acquire knowledge that may not be available to everybody. English broadens our spectrum of possibilities. Although English has only come to the tongues of the Filipinos in the early 20^th century, the University of Santo Tomas has already been the living edifice – more than the structure, but an established institution – of higher learning. Once the Department of Education, our university strived to educate the Spaniards and natives alike through the extensive and rarest collection of books, periodicals, and treasures that dates back from the 16^th century. But more than treating them as treasuries, it speaks much of the goal of the university that sprang from the small collection of books of Bishop Miguel de Benavides – that education and knowledge is the most priceless possession that one can ever acquire; that one can never steal away from you.

It is in knowing that we learn to understand. It is not enough to have the knowledge, one should also learn how and when to use them - this is how to apply the knowledge you have acquired. It is not enough to sell an all-inclusive package with all the knowledge you have about it, it has to be worthy of the value that goes with it. The tour package should make your client elated because every centavo they invested is worth it! Teaching English has the same concern; it should tap on the needs of the learners for optimal development of the language. Optimal development would mean considering every aspect, and two of the most sensitive areas of English’s responsibility to teach are culture and religion. Let us face it, we have had enough of our world history’s grueling combats of men because of petty misunderstanding – or worse irrationality. Learning our history through one medium – from translation of texts from other languages to English - would improve our understanding of every single aspect of culture and religion; thereby, minimizing conflicts among nations and groups of people. The Abelams for one – an ethnic group from Papau New Guinea, yams are determinants of their culture. They follow a certain cycle of celebrations and rituals patterned from the planting, growing, and harvesting of yam. Yams dictate the social status of the Abelams in their society – the bigger yam you have, the more superior you are to others [Richard Scaglion]. Through the efforts of Richard Scaglion and the pool of anthropologists who made the study since the 70’s, one would gain cultural understanding of the ethnic group. Learning culture and religion through English bridges the gap that separates people from one another, the nexus of cultural and religious diversity.

Finally, in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, self-actualization is the end and ultimate need of human beings. To come into the full realization of our being, it is emphasized as our ‘need.’ Besides learning the respect of other culture and religion, our mastery of the language leads us to attainment of our coveted abilities and skills. Teaching English encourages us to do more and be more. It opens our eyes to a lot of possibilities and opportunities that are up for grabs. Mastering the language is definitely an ace to achieve our desires and dreams in life. English should also be taught to motivate the learners to excel more in their chosen craft. With the appropriate language competency skills, learners will never fail to come into the realization of their potentials. Is not it good to have the skills and abilities to chase your dreams? Does not it make you live in the dawn of your being? Does not it give the light of hope that illuminates your path towards the desires of your heart? Come to think of it, in merely learning the language, we already have the edge in becoming the person we ought to be. What the university celebrates this year is not just done overnight. It took our university four hundred persevering years to realize what it is good at. Through the efforts of the Thomasians, both past and present, we carry the light that continuously radiates the path towards nation building and social transformation. These are the abilities that our university possesses, the birthright and destiny that we shall hand down to future Thomasians.

“Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished,” stressed Michael Strassfeld. English in the University of Santo Tomas served as the benefactor of knowledge, nexus of culture and nations, and chrysalis of abilities that has spread lights into multitude minds of learners.