Childhood and Early Education PDF

Childhood and Early Education Matthew Arnel A. Parone  Prayer Rizal had good memories of his childhood in Calamba. As a family, they prayed together during the Angelus.  Nature Lover There were times when they would stay in the garden exchanging stories. It was in th...

Childhood and Early Education Matthew Arnel A. Parone  Prayer Rizal had good memories of his childhood in Calamba. As a family, they prayed together during the Angelus.  Nature Lover There were times when they would stay in the garden exchanging stories. It was in this garden that he learned to appreciate nature.  Poor Health Rizal’s childhood was full of love and care shown to him by his parents and siblings. Due to his poor health, Rizal had a personal servant who, after the daily Angelus, would tell him legends and fairy tales. These stories made him interested in myths and folklores.  First Teacher As a young boy, Rizal demonstrated intelligence and learned easily. His first teacher was Doña Teodora who taught him how to pray. He was only three years old when he learned the alphabet. At a very young age, he already showed a great interest in reading books. He enjoyed staying in their library at home with his mother.  Tutors Rizal experienced education under private tutors. His first private tutor was Maestro Celestino followed by Maestro Lucas Padua. But it was Leon Monroy, his third tutor, who honed his skills in basic Latin, reading and writing. This home education from private tutors prepared Rizal for formal schooling, which he first experienced in Biñan.  Tutors At the age of nine, Rizal left Calamba with his brother to study in Biñan. After a one-and-a-half hour of travel, they reached the town on board a carromata. They went to the house of their aunt where Rizal stayed for more than a year. Before leaving his brother, Paciano introduced Rizal to the teacher, Justiniano Aquino Cruz, who was also Paciano’s former teacher.  Tutors The class, as described by Rizal, was in a nipa house, about thirty meters away from his aunt’s house. Every day, Rizal would wake up early and either hear mass at four o’clock in the morning or study his lesson first and go to mass afterward. After returning home, he would have breakfast and go to class from which he would come out at ten o’clock. He would then again go to school at two o’clock and come out at five.  Tutors He would pray with his cousins at six and then study for a while before going to sleep. In Biñan, he excelled in Latin and Spanish. He also had painting lessons under Maestro Cruz’s father-in-law, Juancho, an old painter. Rizal’s leisure hours were mostly spent in Juancho’s studio where he was given free lessons in painting and drawing.  Student of Manila Rizal was sent by his father to Ateneo Municipal, formerly known as Escuela Pia, for a six-year program, Bachiller en Artes. He took the entrance exam on June 10, 1872, four months after execution of Gomburza. He followed the advice of his brother, Paciano, to use the name Jose Rizal instead of Jose Mercado. Ateneo