CAED SPEECH

-by Jomark Magbanua-

A beautiful day to each and everyone of us here. To the teachers, parents, and most of
all to my fellow student teachers, I hope you had a great time preparing the night before
and this morning, because I know everybody feels as excited as I am to be a part of this
unforgettable, once in a lifetime, moment in our journey to becoming a teacher.
Now, let me begin my speech with a bit of “chika”. You know, when my fellow CAED
(Culture and Arts Education) student teachers unanimously chose me to do the speech
for our major, I felt doubtful of myself. Not because I was scared to speak in front of a
crowd, although partly that too, but the bigger reason was when I started thinking of
things to say about ‘Culture’ and ‘Arts’, my mind was completely blank. Empty.
Wordless.
And then an invisible force suddenly said, “Excuse you honey, you’ve been in this major
for a hella long time and you’re telling me you can’t think of reasons why you’re even
here? If that’s the case then, child, why are you even here?! Uh uh, this won’t do. You
better think of the reasons or Imma whoop yo sorry ass. Now.” Right there and then,
that sassy, Cardi B voice, which by the way I hope I made a good impersonation, in my
head, suddenly struck me straight in the heart, which did make me wonder, were my
parents sacrifices worth nothing? Was I just here because of the pressure from the
society telling us to get a job before we die? Or is this something that I should really be
passionate about?

As I was typing in these words, I also did major reruns in my mind, a trip down memory
lane, about why was I here in the first place, why did I stay and endured everything up
till now, and lastly, what really is Culture and Arts? So “chika minute” again!
When I was in the last days of my high school, I always say that I’ll be majoring in
MAPEH when I step into college because I love dancing, mainly modern and Hip-Hop.
It’s like a life line to me. An extended body part of some sorts. Then I found out, on the
day of the enrollment, that MAPEH was separated into two, Music and Arts were cut off
from PE and Health, and that gave me the hardest decision on what to choose because
I never expected the separation of the components. Hindi na orient ang ferson!
My decision was just based on instinct, so I went for the Music and Arts, which is the
CAED, thinking my favorites, my comfort zone, Hip-Hop and modern dance is covered
in these two, which isn’t because they are under PE and Health. I also later realized that
two of my biggest weakness, musical note reading and visual arts, among others, are in
this major. To add spice to the situation, I am the kind of person that’s easily filled with
anxiety and due to that realization, my mind kept on telling me “You’re going to fail in
this major. You’ll be put to shame here. Uh huh, rest in peace honor awards from high
school.” I was scared. Really scared.
Terms, semesters and years passed by, I survived. Despite the uncertainties, the
worries and fears, I stayed, for I saw why I was able to endure everything. That is
because I finally understood how this is more than just my strengths and weaknesses
because all these, is about the experience I had with my fellow CAED student teachers.
You know the kind of people who you meet as complete strangers, unknown and alien
from one another, and in just a flick of a finger, you find yourself sharing memories with
crazy people. From laughing at each other’s lame jokes, screenshotting random
pictures, zooming in their faces and make it a group photo or use it as a greeting during
birthdays, to going into exhibits examining artworks of remarkable artists which made us
share each other’s insights, to going to different local events learning each other’s point
of view about them, and finally learning about the personality and character of one
another. You see, despite our differences, we fit together. Like pieces of puzzle. There
may be times where we become distant from one another, but that only made our bond
stronger than ever.
With all of these things mixed in perfect harmony, I finally understood that Culture and
Arts isn’t merely about seeing the habits of people or just being the best in drawing and
painting.
Culture is about understanding the beliefs, the roots of a person or a country. It is
something that each one of us have that the others do not. A symbol of how our hopes,
our bond and devotions have contested through time and is passed from one
generation to the other, leading to our very identity, like how we Filipinos are known for
being hospitable, and of course the iconic catchphrase “It’s more fun in the Philippines”.
All these are shaped, molded, by our culture.
As for the arts, it’s all about seeing the world in rainbow instead of monochromatic
colors. It is seeing in spectrum rather than just black and white. And ultimately, it is
about expressing, pouring, your innermost colors and give beauty to the world.
To all of us here, especially to my fellow CAED student teachers, this is just the
beginning of our journey in creating a vivid, picturesque, and kaleidoscopic world.

Thank you.