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Author Ken Spillman donates a set of Robert Magnuson’s picture books to each Sambat Trust school library 2/21/2014 Children’s author Ken Spillman generously donated a set of Robert Magnuson’s picture books to each Sambat Trust school library. We caught up with Ken via email. *** Can you tell our readers about yourself? I’m an Australian author, based in Perth. Well over half of the 40 books I’ve written are for children or teens, and these are published in many countries around the world. In 2012, Scholastic brought my successful series of Jake books to the Philippines and I was also a guest at the Philippines International Literature Festival. I met some wonderful people at the festival, including Manila author Robert Magnuson. Why did you choose to donate a set of Robert Magnuson's picture books to Sambat Trust school libraries ? I was fortunate to discover the magic of books early in life, and I was brought up believing that it’s important to try to make some positive difference to the lives of other people. Over the past five years I’ve taken every opportunity to donate books and, where possible, visit organisations that connect children with books and stories. Until recently my giving had been confined to India, Malaysia and Vietnam, but when I learned about Sambat Trust I saw an opportunity to extend it to the Philippines. I was very impressed with the work of Robert Magnuson and I like the values that underpin his books – kindness, for example. I know the books will entertain the children and also promote an appreciation of all that is good about the world. Children reading the books in the school library at Laurel Elementary School, Batangas. You donated the books via One for One. Could you tell us more about the organisation and its concept? One for One Books [www.oneforonebooks.org] is a not-for-profit organisation that was set up in Malaysia. The idea is simple – to sell books and then to donate a book for every book sold. Donations are made to disadvantaged kids, and One for One is now establishing 50 libraries in underserved local communities. The organisation also runs Wisdom Clubs, which aim to build a love for reading and critical thinking across a cross-section of society. I met the founder of One for One Books at a conference and decided I’d do anything I could to help the organisation grow and extend its reach. Individuals like me are more effective when we work with others. Why is it important for children to have access to books? I believe that the value of books goes far beyond education. Improving basic literacy skills is important, of course, but stories also provide unparalleled access to the hearts, minds and souls of others. They lead us a deeper understanding of ourselves and equip us to deal with situations we haven’t yet encountered. These are some of the messages I like to spread as I write and as I travel. In the last three years, I’ve spoken to more than 70,000 kids, telling them that books are the best exercise for the imagination, and that we all need imagination to be the best that we can be. This is the same for people everywhere – whether living in the Philippines, Australia, India or France. Sadly, there are children everywhere whose imaginations are not being fed by books. For some, poverty is the cause. For others, there is a kind of ‘privileged neglect’ – here I mean children who are materially comfortable but deprived of stories through the misguided priorities of parents. "Such a pleasure to see these pictures. I sincerely hope that these and many more Sambat Trust library users, now and in the future, enjoy the books!" Ken Spillman Finally Ken, do you have any plans to visit the Philippines? We’d love to invite you to our schools for an author talk! Oh yes. After my first visit in 2012, I visited the Philippines twice in 2013 – once for the Little Lit Fest in Manila, and then for a conference and a visit to Davao campus of the University of the Philippines, where I spoke to creative writing students. I will certainly visit again in 2014, and I hope to be able to visit many schools. It would be a real pleasure to meet kids at Sambat Trust schools and to donate more books! –I’ll try to make that happen. Mennie Ruth: Sharing Stories with Sambat Trust Scholars 2/11/2014 A group of graduates from the School of Library and Information Studies of the University of the Philippines (UP-SLIS), the oldest library school in the Philippines, kindly volunteered to organize a storytelling session with Sambat Trust scholars. Mennie Ruth, one of the storytellers , shares her day. *** Christmas was just a few days away when we headed to Tanauan, Batangas, for a storytelling gathering with the scholars of Sambat Trust in Sambat Elementary School. Heading there early Saturday morning was truly a breath of fresh air, especially from the havoc we were all experiencing in the Metro at the height of the holiday season. The warmth of the morning sun brought a great sense of comfort as the gush of cold air from the mountains seethed through the jeepney windows. I didn’t have any expectations for the day, other than wanting to be in the company of children and have fun sharing stories with them. Mennie Ruth (far left, peach shirt) and fellow storytellers take a photo with Sambat Trust scholars. After passing by the legendary Mt. Makiling and through a few more towns, we finally came to Sambat. From the bayan proper, we still had to take a tricycle going to Sambat Elementary School and walk through a small alley between houses to get to the entrance of the school. We were welcomed by Ms. Wilma of Sambat Trust and some of the young scholars. As we were led inside the school complex, I looked around and immediately saw a complete contrast to the school where I work. The whole place was rather unassuming with some of the buildings and classrooms slightly weathered down. The silence that enveloped the school grounds was broken by the sound of hammers pounding on metals and heavy machines from a construction site. Although there is a newly built school hall at the center, another building was being constructed to serve as additional classrooms. Our group didn’t have a place to stay since the multi-purpose hall was closed, and the covered court was still wet from last night’s rain. We decided to settle under the school’s flagpole, which also became an advantage since we expected the gathering to be small and intimate. As we settled, we were introduced to each of the scholars by getting their names, year levels, and their favorite subject in school. While most of them were already in high school, we were more impressed on what their favorite subjects were; most of them were fond of math and science- which were amazing to hear. A few minutes passed when the rest of the storytellers finally arrived. JR teaches Gee Ahne the art of origami. It was time to break the ice and get to know each other through the Evolution game, where everyone competed with each other through “bato-bato-pik”. The game was quickly followed by a paper-folding activity where everyone learned how to make paper cranes. They say that, in Japan, there is a belief that anyone can make their wish come true if they make a thousand paper cranes. Everyone was engrossed making their paper cranes. It was such a pleasant sight to see each one, storytellers and children alike, teaching and helping each other the proper way of folding; some finished fast while others were feeling a little frustrated because the wings of their paper cranes wouldn’t flap. The youngest of all the scholars, JR, was a revelation since he was the one to teach the right way of folding to those around him, including Gee Ahne, one of the storytellers. When everyone had made their paper cranes, the storytellers each gave their message and wish for the scholars. It was such a heart-warming moment as each storyteller wished the scholars courage and determination to pursue and not lose sight of their dreams, and not lose hope especially when things get rough for them. The next activity was “the boat is sinking” game that then determined how the scholars and storytellers would be grouped and breakaway for the storytelling session that would immediately follow. I was grouped with Jolly Ann and Mikee, who were both high school students. Having them was like a providence since I am more accustomed to interacting with high school students, and the books I was able to bring were more suitable to their age. As I read to them the two books of Shel Silverstein, “The Missing Piece” and “The Missing Piece Meets The Big O”, I couldn’t help but be enthralled on how Jolly Ann and Mikee opened up and identified actual moments in their lives, which they could relate to whatever was happening to the main characters of the two books. I felt like their elder sister as they let their guards down and shared their stories to me in the same way that I shared some of my personal endeavors to them, relating to the process of self-discovery, acceptance, and building relationships. The gathering ended with a plenary storytelling given by Ms. Zarah. All the scholars went home with a book as their souvenir, along with the lessons they learned from their kuyas and ates, and their paper cranes to serve as a reminder of their dreams in life. The storytellers also went home feeling inspired and humbled by the stories and lessons that they were also able to learn from the Sambat scholars. Indeed, we could say that storytelling is all about empathy. More importantly, it is about giving hope and room for personal discovery. Any school librarian or literacy advocate would agree, when we say, that storytelling is an act of service that speaks the language of the heart. Storytelling allows us to feel and grasp life; to give love without any condition and feel tremendously loved in return. We also learn to humble ourselves by looking through the eyes of children so eager to listen, as they are taken to near and far off places while they relate to each protagonist and antagonist of the story.
2/21/2014
2/11/2014
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