Habi Hour S1 Ep 8: Start with Day 1

Overview

18 December 2020 | 39 min and 57s

As the year ends, we invite you to listen to stories from our beginnings. Paano ba nagsimula ang Habi? In the 8th episode of Habi Hour and the last for this season, Habi’s co-founders talk about starting a start-up and early moments in making well-designed learning experiences for everyone.

Transcript

Introductions and Check In

[Habi Hour Intro]

CLIFTON: From Day 1 eh, parang may constant belief lang ako that it will all be alright. Not saying na it’s blind confidence na, okay, let’s do Habi, it will succeed. Pero mayro’n lang akong nararamdaman na talagang may need for it. And based on the little experience that I had, nararamdaman ko na we’re onto something. We’re onto something.

[instrumental]

GERSON: Hello. I’m Gerson, and welcome to Habi Hour. Our group Habi Education Lab was formed in November 2014 and as of this recording, we are celebrating our 6th birthday. We thought it would be a fitting end to our month-long celebration by talking about Habi’s origin stories. So kasama ko ngayon ang aking mga co-founders and we’re here – think of this as a reunion episode. To share some early stories, just to show how scrappy of a start-up we were… and in some ways we still are. Hopefully this gives you some insight about our humble beginnings and our ambitious dreams. This episode is for you, our friends and community members, who have always believed in us. Maraming salamat po. Hope you enjoy it.

[instrumental]

GERSON: Alright. Game. Simula na tayo. We have here 3 guests in this episode. So I’d like to ask each of you just to quickly introduce yourself. Tell us who you are and what you’re currently doing. 

CLIFTON: Hello everyone! I’m Clifton. Right now, I work with Habi as one of the directors. 

KAROL: Hello everyone! Ako si Karol. Ginagawa ko ngayon ay nagte-take ako ng PhD in Education. So yung focus ng study ko ay inequality in education opportunity. Dahil mas marami akong background in education policy work, at wala masyado sa academic side of it, nauubos ko yung oras ko ngayon sa statistics at pag-aaral nito. Essentially yung topic is inequality in education opportunity and how this has changed in the past six decades in the Philippines.

KATTY: Hi, ako si Katty! Currently nagtuturo ako sa Department of Psychology sa UP Diliman. Ang tinuturo ko mostly ay Psychological Measurement. Isa rin akong PhD students sa Personality and Individual Differences area. Mayro’n akong mga consultancy work tungkol sa measurement and statistics, mostly sa education, healthcare and sometimes tungkol sa design din.

GERSON: So what we’re gonna do. I just gathered questions from our Learning Experience Designers and I thought that those could be our starting points for our conversations.

How everyone joined Habi

KATTY: Paunahin ko na kayo kasi kayo yung nasa simula. Nasa third month ako eh. [laughter]

CLIFTON: What I was doing before Habi, after graduation, I went into a sales job. I worked with a real estate company. So ako po ay isang ahente ng mga properties in Fort Bonifacio, McKinley Hill, Global City – that area. So ’yon ang ginawa ko for 3 years. Then I did sales, marketing, I talked to people, I went around Metro Manila to sell, basically. And then…

GERSON: Naalala mo ‘yong moment na sumali ka ng Habi? 

CLIFTON: I was working with a company na nagte-train ng mga teachers sa Cavite. Normally, kailangan namin ng mga facilitators to help us train the teachers. Our CEO that time recommended Gerson who just came home from grad school wherein siya daw yung invite namin para gumawa ng isang workshop on design thinking. And ako yung nag-contact, nagsundo, nag-invite kay Gers para mag-workshop for those teachers in Cavite. And then, I suppose, that was the beginning of it dahi doon kami nagkakilala and then after that, we stayed in touch. Tapos, the rest is history.

KAROL: I guess yung backstory is – pareho tayo, Gerson, diba? Sa College of Mass Communication. Pero noong time na ’yon, you were taking Film, I was taking Broad Comm. Parang it wasn’t it my consciousness to pursue education at that time. Tapos nalaman ko na lang afterwards that when I joined Xavier, you were also teaching in Pisay. Parang we stayed in touch pero lightly?

GERSON: Mhmm.

KAROL: Tapos you went to Harvard, tapos I went the year after. Tapos nag-overlap tayo for a bit sa US. Tapos parang ang naalala ko kasi, may time na dumalaw ka sa Cambridge tapos nakuwento mo nga about Habi na pinag-iisipan mo nga ’yon. And then eventually noong umuwi na tayo dito, nauna ka atang umuwi for a few months tapos I came home. Tapos nag-usap tayo na parang puwede siyang matuloy. You were really pursuing it, tapos sabi ko “Okay, game. Sama ako diyan.” Tapos naalala ko ‘yong meeting nating talo nina Clifton was here sa may ano, sa may Magnolia? Anong kainan ba ’yon? Basta isang kainan sa Magnolia sa QC kung saan tayo nag-meet na “game.” May picture pa nga ako no’n eh, pero hindi ko na maalala ‘yong konteksto no’n. 

GERSON: Ang naalala ko, diba sa Chinese restaurant tayo unang nagkita?

CLIFTON: Oo, ‘yon yung pinakauna. We went to a school sa Manila, yung partner ng Ayala CENTEX. Nag-e-explore tayo ng partnership with them. Tapos I think nag-usap na kayong dalawa about inviting me. So we went to lunch afterwards sa isang Chinese restaurant na talang proper Chinese restaurant! May lazy susan, may…

KAROL: Nando’n ba si Gers noon?

CLIFTON: Oo! Parang ‘yon yung invite eh. The invite. After that, nag-dinner na tayo sa ramen tapos nag-Torch. Nagplano na tayo.

KAROL: Grabe, may picture ako no’n, ang payat ko pa!

CLIFTON: Tayong lahat, oo! 

GERSON: I think that goes in the podcast. [Laughter] Katty, anong origin story mo?

KATTY: Ah, ‘yong simulang-simula ba? Eh ’di, magkaklase tayo no’ng grade school. Gano’n katagal. [Laughter]

KAROL: May point naman si Katty do’n!

LIFTON: Ganda!

KATTY: Tapos marami na tayong mga extra-curricular activities noong bata pa lang tayo. 

GERSON: Student council, diba?

KATTY: Oo, student council. Tapos kapag nag-aaway ’yong classmates natin, nagfa-facilitate tayo actually ng open forum. [Laughter] Naaalala ko ‘yon, nakakatawa. Parang nadala lang rin siya. Hindi naman na tayong nakakapag-usap nung high school at saka college. Nagkausap lang tayo ulit sa isang party, sa inuman, tapos yung lagi kong sinasabi – you had me at HALO. Yung Habi Learning Organization scale. Tapos sabi mo, balak ninyong gumawa ng isang test or instrument na nagme-measure ng learning organization. Dahil addict ako sa research, at masaya ako sa measurement, sabi ko “Ah, sige, go!” At naghahanap din ako ng opportunities para makapag-practice nga ako outside the academe. At saka nagco-contemplate ako noon kung magtuturo ako. So parang naisip ko, yung Habi, isang way din para ma-expose ako sa different types of educators.

GERSON: Ganda.

CLIFTON: Ganda. Napaka-serendipitous noon, no? Yung reunion ninyo.

Tips for those who want to start their own organization

GERSON: I actually want to probe deeper into that. Kasi ang daming lumalapit, maraming nagtatanong, humihingi ng tips tungkol sa paghanap ng tao, paghanap ng co-founder, ng early collaborators. To those who are looking for co-founders or early collaborators, what tips would you give them base sa mga natutunan ninyo sa Habi?

CLIFTON: Aside from keeping in touch which is the pattern ng mga nasabi kanina with your personal or professional network, I think ang nakita ko rin is expressing yung intention mo. So kanina, for example, nung kinukuwento ni Karol – ngayon ko nga lang narinig ’yon eh. Nasabi mo rin pala sa kaniya, Gers, in a way, about Habi and how it’s going to happen. Parang expressing that seed of intending to do something. I think that sticks with people. I suppose na-miss out ko yung detail na ’yon kanina – when we kept in touch after inviting you to the training. Diba minessage kita? Or nag-post pa ko sa Facebook mo about “Uy, brother, let’s talk again!” Something like that. Ayun. Parang, saying something about what you want to do, or what you want to do with a person could maybe help para puwede kang balikan if ever. If not right then and there.

KAROL: Maganda kasi kapag kilala mo talaga yung tao, no. Kasi kailangan alam mo kung pareho kayo ng values. Kasi siyempre, when organizations are starting, it can go in different directions. Pero kung yung anchor ninyo ay pareho, kung saan man siya mapadpad, at least alam ninyong pareho kayo ng gustong makamit o magawa sa pamamagitan ng organisasyon. So mahalaga yung kilala mo siya prior because it shortcuts that process. If you don’t have that advantage or privilege of knowing the person years and years before starting the organization togeteher, I think it’s important to just sit down and make sure that you have those things aligned. I think ’yon yung magandang foundation for anything. 

KATTY: Ako naman, pumasok kasi ako sa third month na eh. So may Habi na talaga. Nandiyan na kayong tatlo. Kasama ako doon sa unang batch ng volunteers ng org. Parang yung sa akin, na-hook ako kasi parang may something exciting nga para sa akin, opporunity na hinahanap ko. At the same time, siguro noong medyo tumatagal na, papasok na ko sa usapin ng challenges. Dumating yung point na nawawala-wala na yung ibang tao. So na-realize ko at some point na ang hirap din namang mag-operate sa volunteerism alone. So, papaano ba masu-sustain yung excitement o engagement ng mga tao? 

GERSON: Ang ganda nung sinabi mo, Katty, dahil nung recently binalikan ko yung lahat ng email accounts ng lahat ng dumaan sa Habi, I think umabot na ng 70 accounts. Ganoon na pala kadami – from the interns, from the volunteers before. Kasi maaga rin nating nakuha yung email address, right? I think iyon yung una talagang nakuha natin to legitimize Habi as an organization. 

Nice. Good tips ‘yon. Sum up ko lang yung mga narinig ko sa inyo. Making your intention clear, and also making your values clear and staying connected with people so that it shortcuts that initial phase of understanding the values and the anchor of another person or another movement. Kasi may pinagsamahan na kayo, or mayroon na siyang background. So knowing that context. And also, making something exciting. But that also has a flipside. So how do you sustain something exciting?

Pivotal moments and early concerns

KATTY: Yung pivotal moment in terms of knowing na “Ah, hindi na lang ’to volunteer work” actually noong kinuha namin ni Clifton yung tseke sa isa sa mga unang consultancy projects natin somewhere sa Pasay. Hindi ko maalala.

CLIFTON: Pasong Tamo.

KATTY: Tapos sabi ni Clifton, “O, ayan. Iyan yung isa sa mga unang tseke na makukuha natin.” Tapos naalala ko, habang nagda-drive si Clifton, pinapagpag ko yung tseke sa mga upuan. [Laughter] Alam mo ‘yon, yung parang unang benta ba?

CLIFTON: Oo, natutunan natin sa tiangge ‘yon eh.

KATTY: So pinapagpag naming ganyan.

KAROL: Buena mano!

KATTY: Tapos I think doon din nagsimula yung… Napag-usapan namin ni Clifton, may kinukuwento siya sa akin na nabasa niya tungko lsa 4 types of work yata. Pero mayro’n doon, yung isang type of work ata, mag-e-evolve eventually into an adventure. I think nasa second or third phase yung kinukuwento ni Clifton. So doon nagsimula yung pinagkukuwentuhan namin na “Ah, okay, nasa adventure stage na tayo.” So parang mag exploration. Yung moment na ‘yon – pagpapagpag ng tseke and pag-declare na yung mga susunod nating projects ay adventure.

CLIFTON: Panalo talaga yung memories mo ah. Hindi ko maalala yung 4 types of work pero napaka-Joseph Campbell progression of the story yung second na sinabi mo – na may opening salvo, tapos may climax, we’re in that part of the journey.

KAROL: Sa akin, I think yung unang Teachers Teaching Teachers activity natin sa Raya. Kasi parang March noon, tapos we were planning for that activity. Marami kasi siyang uncertainties in a way na very free-flowing yung model niya, tapos talagang hindi natin alam kung maghi-hit ba siya kasi baka bagong model siya sa mga taong gusto natin ma-attract. Tapos nagulat na lang ako na noong araw ng workshop mismo, talagang ang dami-daming taong dumating from all over. Tapos sa registration, may mga galing sa probinsya, nag-commute para makarating doon. And I think it drove home the point na yung unang idea natin of pollinating bees. Na we might not be able to train so many teachers, like all the teachers in the Philippines, but we can attract champions. And if we work with these champions, then they can create ripple effects in their own communities and schools. 

And I think mahaba yung workshop na iyon. Nag-ilang series tayo. Pero yung last activity noon was for us to sit around in a circle doon sa taas, sa Raya. Tapos parang ang lakas lang ng energy, ng positivity at puso ng lahat ng tao. Doon ko na-realize na mayroon talaga tayong community na makakatrabaho. May community tayo ng champions na talagang magiging partners natin sa gusto nating magawa sa Habi. And for me, sobrang powerful ng moment na iyon.

GERSON: Naalala ko yung moment na ’yon. And ang interesting doon, Karol, up until now, there are some of the participants from that original TTT who still come to the yearly Teachers Teaching Teachers. 

CLIFTON: I think, Gers, minsan napapag-usapan natin ’to eh. From Day 1 eh, parang may constant belief lang ako that it will all be alright. Not saying na it’s blind confidence na, okay, let’s do Habi, it will succeed. Pero mayroon lang akong nararamdaman na talagang may need for it. And based on the little experience that I had, nararamdaman ko na we’re onto something. We’re onto something.

Although hindi ganoon ka-clear yung path niya moving forward, from Day 1, mayroong… Gers, tulungan mo ko dito. Diba kahit yung workshop, napapag-usapan natin na kahit yung pinakaunang workshop which was nung November 2014, pinag-iisipan pa natin kung may magsho-show up. Pinag-iisipan pa natin kung may pupunta. Pero in a way na-encourage natin yung isa’t isa. Naalala mo ba ’yon?

GERSON: Mhmm.

CLIFTON: Na-encourage natin yung isa’t isa na it will be okay. “Kayo ko yan, kaya mo yan. Gers, i-facilitate natin.” Moment wise, hindi pa ako makaisip ng moment in between. Pero Day 1 was a moment to remember na for me.

GERSON: Wow. Na-touch naman ako doon.

BOTH: Over! [Laughter]

GERSON: Hindi pa rin nawawala yung lack of confidence. I think, naaalala ko yung conversation na iyon. Ikaw yung mas confident, Clif. Ako, mas doubtful ako. “hala, pupunta ba sila? Hala, tuloy ba natin ito? Hindi tayo nagsurvey. Hindi natin alam kung ilan yung pupunta. Tama bang Sabado natin skinedule? Okay ba yung venue? Maliit muna, baka di natin afford yung malaking venue, etc.”

CLIFTON:  Nagtutulungan tayo, basically. Parang “hoy, wingman, kailangan ko ng confidence sa workshop na ito kasi di ako sigurado, I guess I played a foil na “kaya natin yan.” True enough I wasn’t BS-ing kasi nga I supposed I believed in you, what we were about to do.

GERSON:  Nice.

CLIFTON:  Then ayun, nag tuloy-tuloy na.

GERSON: Oo.

Stories of failure

GERSON: Maybe to balance out our stories, do any of you wan’t to share a story of failure?

KATTY: Yung sort of failure story would be yung Manghahabi.

[narration]

So kinikwento ni Katty dito was the Manghahabi program. It was a 12-week intensive design thinking mentorship program that we designed for schools.

KATTY: Tuwang tuwa tayo dun sa design nun, parang ang ganda niya, naka-spread out sa mga iba-ibang weeks tapos per week, ito yung theme, ganyan. Tapos naantala na yung program na iyan. Actually, parang hindi na natuloy diba? After yung 4th week yata or basta parang ganoon. Tapos, syempre, pumasok yung reality na, oo nga, kaunti lang kasi talaga yung time, extra time nung teachers, so talagang mawawalan din sila ng energy at resources para magtuloy sa ganoong klaseng program. So nung dumating yung Prism..

[narration]

Yung Prism ay isa pang teacher training program na dinesign at finacilitate rin namin in collaboration with Globe.

KATTY: Actually, magkakabit siya eh. Naisip ko din doon na, eh kung hindi kasi pala kaya long term, bakit hindi na lang na magdecide for short term, tapos dahil masmaraming batches yung nagagawa, masmalawak rin yung reach natin, yun yung naisip ko na connection nung Manghahabi na sort of failure story tapos yung Prism na success story naman para sa atin

GERSON: Isa ko ring favorite moment, meron tayong unang workshop outside of Manila, and that was in Vigan or Laoag, Ilocos, That was the first workshop na lumipad tayo, or may flight, so that was something to be excited about, sagot ng school. Kami ni Clif yung unang lilipad to Laoang. I think we were stuck in traffic, one hour before the flight, nagpapanic na tayo kung papaano tayo makakarating sa flight natin sa airport and all. Eventually, nagdecide si Clifton, “o sige, tara, di gumagalaw yung traffic, maglakad tayo.” So naglakad kayo ni Clifton, with our bags, with our luggage and I think 1 box of school supplies para sa workshop. Naglakad kami along airport avenue, Andrews Avenue. Sobrang traffic tapos in my mind “ano ito?!” Parang medyo nagmumura na ako sa sarili ko, “makakarating ba tayo dito?” tapos itong si Clifton, ang bilis, ang tangkad pa ni Clifton, so ang laki ng hakbang niya. Tapos ako, teka lang, ambilis masyado. So, eventually, si Clifton, nauna siya sabi niya “sige, mauna na ako”  After a few minutes, nakita ko si Clifton, nakasakay na siya sa isang motor, hindi pa uso yung Grab Bike nun, mayroon siyang nakontrata na some random stranger, na nakamotor tapos dalawa silang motor, so sumakay kami sa motor and that’s how we reached our flight. Sumakay kami sa motor and that was how we reached our flight. Sumakay kami sa motor, nag zip through kami sa traffic. I think mas-longwinded story ‘to nung story na sinasabi mo rin Clifton at sinabi rin ni Katty kanina about the adventure na lalo na sa early days ng isang start-up, ang daming adventures na ganoon na ang magpapalakas na lang sa iyo ay a certain belief. I think that’s why co-founders are important kasi if you’re alone as a founder, you tend to doubt yourself a lot, but if you have a group with you like a group of co-founders, a group of directors, you can always rely on each other para magkaroon ng tiwala or magkaroon ng fighting spirit or diskarte in this case, na may mag-iisip ng other strategies for you. As start-ups, diba? It’s uphill.

KATTY: Gusto ko lang magdagdag doon sa memory na iyon, Editor, huwag mo itong i-c-cut. Gusto kong isama ito sa ano ..

CLIFTON: Daming problema ni Editor!!

[laughter]

KATTY: …sa podcast. Kasi baka umalma si Clifton…

CLIFTON: Hay nako..

KATTY: ..pero medyo legendary kasi yung ano, eh. Yung pagka budol-budol gang member ni Clifton. I mean, isipin mo na lang, Gerson, ha? Kung halimbawa, tayong dalawa yung magkasama nun, sa tingin mo ba, may makukuha tayong random people na nagmomotor?

GERSON: …wala…

KATTY: …na ihahatid sa airport. Si Clifton, mayroon siyang some weird Clifton magic na nakakalusot sa traffic violations at nakakapanlibre ng sampu mahigit na tao sa isang beach resort na entrance. So, I think yun yung isang thing din.

GERSON: I think ang dami nating nakuhang free things or ang dami nating nakuhang free things or tulong from the world, even yung..

CLIFTON: Correct

GERSON: …furniture natin sa Habi, diba donations yun ng mga kaibigan ni Clifton?

KATTY: Oo, totoo.

CLIFTON: Yes, correct. Thank you. Shout out by the way sa inyong lahat. Oo, it’s all life.

GERSON: Atsaka yung ano rin, yung…

KATTY: Yung post its pa.

GERSON: Post its.. We had freebies din

CLIFTON: I suppose yung momentuous na ano rin

GERSON: Yung chairs and tables natin nun, galing sa office nung tatay ni Frances.

CLIFTON: Frances, correct, thank you by the way. And I suppose tama, eh. We’re just giving examples of how gritty we were. I think hindi yun natanggal sa atin, oo. Maraming mga little things na we clawed our way through it, so it’s nice to hear these things. [giggle]

Habi in the early years

GERSON: I like the word gritty. Punta tayo sa may tanong na similar na ganyan. How would you describe the early years, use a word.

KAROL: I think sa akin, medyo cheesy yung word eh, pero parang limitless or expansive, kasi syempre pag nag-sta-start yung org, everything is pwede mo siyang pasukin and I think it comes with a certain sense of excitement also na, “okay, pwede ito, kaya ito, subukan natin ito.” Parang you’re still dabbling into what might work and where you could add most value and I think very exciting yung phase din na iyon, eh. Although I think the agility naman is always been and remains with Habi, so sa akin lang nung start, parang yun yung naramdam ko, na everything the light touches is possible.

GERSON: Naaaaks, nice. Limitless!

CLIFTON: I’ll go, my word is, serioso, yung beginnings ng Habi, magagamit ko na word para dito, yung magagamit ko na word ay emotional. I don’t know, I think when I look back, it’s always about what we were feeling that time, whether sobrang saya nito, sobrang hirap nito, sobrang na-stress tayo dito. It felt very emotional for me and I think, or I don’t know if I could go into the reasons why, but so far, yun yung lumulutang na word sa akin. You guys can help me. Naging emotional din ba para sa inyo?

KATTY: Related doon yung naisip ko na word, yung sa akin naman, surprise. Actually, hindi ako mahilig sa surprises pero di ko din inexpect na magtatagal ako, I think naka 4 years yata ako sa Habi. Di ko naexpect na mula don sa inuman, parang darating doon sa 4 years tapos in between nun, kung saan saan ako napadpad at kung sinu-sino na din yung nakilala kong tao.

CLIFTON: This is fun, ah! Are you having fun?

GERSON: Ayun, oo nakakatuwa naman mag-reminisce, noh? Nakakatuwa.

[Clifton giggles]

How the Habi magic stays on

GERSON: So, sige, fast forward tayo ngayon to present time, so during Habi. Ang dami nating dreams, ang daming mga, ang dami nating workshops na nagawa, mga iba’t ibang project on design thinking, learning experience design, empathy, user research, project based learning, progressive pedagogies, creative teaching, creativity or design in general. Nagagamit niyo pa ba siya currently, or does it still influence your work now? Kunyari ikaw, Clifton, as a coach or businessman, or Karol or Katty as PhD students or members of the academe?

CLIFTON: Definitely, it has seeped through my life and my work. For example, yung isang activity natin sa design thinking called “bukas, daloy, sarado,” one of my favorite activities dahil naging mental queue siya for me whenever I do brainstorming or whenever I think of different approaches with other people, whether or not alam nung other people na yung yung bukas-daloy-sarado, I think it has helped my mind, and I suppose it has helped me become more forgiving about how I construct ideas dahil alam ko “okay, teka nasa bukas pa lang ako. Okay, teka, nasa daloy palang ako. Okay, teka, sarado na. It’s time to decide.” And yun, naging helpful siya. And if I feel the need na sabihin yun sa mga kabrainstorm ko, specifically that process, which is yung una, yung bukas, kung kailan mag-e-exolore muna kami, no holds barred, skies the limit, everyone’s correct. And then, magdadaloy na which is when we start to filter the ideas. Kung sabihin ko sa kanila yung process na iyon, masnakakatulong pa further na nagiging mas rich yung mga ideas namin. Kasi I think, well I’m rambling, I think it’s effective dahil we tend to think of brainstorming or ideation as something na “o, tapusin na natin yan, or parang bilisan na natin or dapat ito, dapat tama parati.” Pero yung bukas-daloy-sarado has helped me unlock that and has helped me, parang, become more open to the ideation as a phased process na may part 1, part 2, part 3. Yun. That’s an example. As I said, nagseep na siya sa buhay ko. It has helped me, I think become more productive.

KATTY: Yung human centered design, ginagawa ko siyang example ng application ng humanistic psychology. Actually, pag nagtuturo ako ng personality class, nag di-DT rush ako minsan. Syempre..

GERSON: Naks, astig.

KATTY: tuwang tuwa yung mga estudyante ko. (giggle) Naeenjoy nila. Tapos in a lot of ays, yung design thinking process din, tsaka yung test development process, may pagkakapareho. Parang pareho silang iterative, flexible, responsive, so actually, isa sa mga ineemphasize ko na lessons sa halimbawa pagsusulat ng items, ehem Clifton, ay huwag kang ma-a-attach sa mga items na sinusulat mo (giggle).

CLIFTON: Oo nga.

KATTY: Oo. Actually, lagi kong kinekwento yun na yung parang mga ilang araw tayo, mga 5, 6 hours tayong nag po post its ng iba ibang items na sinulat natin for HALO. Tapos sa dulo, parang ang hirap, parang naintindihan ko na para sa iba, mahirap ilet go iyon kasi ang tagal mo siyang ginawa. Siguro pumapasok din doon yung mindset ng prototyping na yung mga ginagawa mo, hindi naman yan parang yan na yung final thing, eh. Parang lagi at lagi may improvement or iadapt mo sa ibang konteksto.

KAROL: I guess yung PhD work kasi is a lot of internal work, so hindi siya yung parang may marami kang kainteract na tao, especially in the UK kasi na yung degree ko is research oriented so I’m really just on my own. So parang nagdedesign ako ng sarili kong learning experience and I think ang mahalaga doon talaga is yung pagiging non-judgemental mo sa sarili mong experience and willing ka to go back and forth and learn from your mistakes. Parang, gusto ko yung sinabi ni Clif na freeflow, eh. Kasi actually one thing that has worked for me the past weeks in my writing is yung hindi mo jinujudge yung sinusulat mo pero kung yun yung naiisip mo, type ka lang nang type, sulat ka muna tapos later na yung editing. Kasi kung doon pa lang, nag-s-self center ka na, talagang hindi ka makakarating sa kailangan mong puntahan kasi yung thinking process mo is also through writing sometimes. I think yung pinakamahalaga for me now is yung empathy part of the work of Habi kasi parang as a Filipino writer, parang Filipino education policy person writing, parang very conscious ka dapat na hindi mo masyadong iniinternalize yung sarili mong persona or yung hat when you are writing kasi ang dami mong na-o-overlook na mga bagay na pag nilipat mo pala yung hat na yun, kunyari, isa kang education stratification scholar, kailangan mo ng distansya sa sinusulat mo rin para rin yung mga ibang tao na makakita sa gawa mo, maiintindihan din nila iyon from your context. Hindi yung sobrang sarado ka sa paraan mo ng pagiisip at kung nasaan ka bilang tao. So I think iyon. Yung pagiging sensitive sa mga ganoong nuances in terms of my own work and in terms of my writing, doon siya pumapasok.

KATTY: Ang ganda nung sinabi ni Karol, parang nakakarelate din ako doon (laughter). So ganoon din sa teaching. Yung sinabi kanina ni Karol tungkol sa parang pagiging non-judgemental sa sarili mo din. So nung lalo nung nagsisimula akong magturo, parang na-adopt ko din yun, kasi kung hindi, magiging harsh ako sa sarili ko at magiging harsh rin ako sa mga estudyante ko. So, I think nagmatch din naman iyon doon sa parang mas experiential learning na approach ko pagdating sa patuturo. Parang ang lagi kong ine-emphasize doon sa mga estudyante, kahit yung nahihirapan sila doon sa subject, lalo kung psychological measurement yan, ay kung anu man yung gagawin ninyo, ay parang, basta you are able to make sense of the experience at makakapagassert ka ng meaning doon sa ginagawa mo, okay. Okay yung experience na iyon.

Check Out

GERSON: Grabe, ang swerte ng students mo Katty. But no, thanks. It’s nice to hear these things, itong mga kwento niyo kasi magaganda silang halimbawa kung gaano ka-universal at ka-applicable yung mga ginagawa natin sa Habi na diba, na pwedeng magamit siya sa iba’t ibang konteksto. So, wonderful. Thank you for sharing, Clifton, Katty and Karol. As much as gusto ko pang magtuloy yung kwentuhan natin, unfortunately, we have to wrap up this episode, so let’s end with a check out! Diba, in a typical Habi workshop, we do a check-out in the end. Ito ang gagamitin nating prompt: Fill in the blank: Dahil sa habi, blank.

KAROL: Paki … paki model?

[laughter]

CLIFTON: ANG GANDA!

KATTY: I love it!

CLIFTON: ANG GANDA NUN!

CLIFTON: Ang ganda nun!

[laughter]

KATTY: Lumalabas na yung mga ano, noh?

CLIFTON: Oo, ngayon pa lang, oo. Simula pa lang ng podcast noh?

[laughter]

GERSON: Oo nga eh.

CLIFTON: Ang ganda nun.

GERSON: O sige, ako na lang, ako na mag-mo-model na lang.

CLIFTON: Sige, Gers.

GERSON: Dahil sa Habi, mahal ko ang trabaho ko. Yun.

KATTY: Sige, ako, dahil sa Habi, napatunayan ko na may comfort sa uncertainty.

GERSON: Wow, nice.

CLIFTON: Dahil sa Habi, naniniwala ako na may pag-asa pa tayo sa education.

KAROL: Same ako kay Clif, parang dahil sa Habi, mas may kumpyansa akong kaya nating makamit yung pagbabago.

GERSON: Alright, I think dito magtatapos yung episode natin. Thank you so Much, Clifton, Karol, Katty. This has been wonderful. This has been great having you here and reminiscing. Thank you, again. Thank you.

[Habi Hour Outro]