At the center of the vast cyber universe of the AMALIMWC website, where exemplary excellence abounds, the Personal Narrative Page of the educator shines warmly and vibrantly like an ember. Here, stories of life are lovingly and painstakingly woven into a rich tapestry of experiences, imparting lessons and memories that are so intrinsically and inextricably linked to the educator’s personal truths. Unlike other pages that present a narrative of a life in a linear fashion, this Page treasurers a rich, storehouse of human experiences – stories of life as they are, as they occur – fondly shared with others within this cyber space.
Personal narratives are for us a bridge connecting ourselves and others and the experiences we have had and what we can learn from them. Our histories are written with our hearts and our minds are our sculptors and our souls are our writers or storytellers of our life experiences and so we write our life experiences honestly and these become our narratives or life stories and in storing them in this page we intend to share to others the life experiences that have shaped this educator, this leader and this person.
This page complements the structure of the other pages in the AMALIMWC website. The Memoir Page holds in store the deeper aspects of AMALIMWC’s history, the Reflections Page provides space for contemplation, while the Personal Narrative Page is the intimate heartbeat of the educator behind the website. The experiences of the educator behind the website bring to life the three words that form the AMALIMWC’s slogan: Aspire, Motivate, Achieve. What Aspire, Motivate, Achieve means to the educator are portrayed through stories that form part of his/her life experiences, thus allowing others to relate to them in a more profound manner.
The different stories reflect the many instances of human experience, from the wonder and curiosity of childhood to the defining moments of adulthood and the choices one has to make in order to adapt to new circumstances and move on from past failures. The many instances of failure, defeat, and adversity that occur in a person’s life can make them humble and wise. On the other hand, instances of success, victory, and achievements can make one realize one’s full potential. All of these happenings occur in the many instances of life and contribute to a person’s development as an individual. They help shape his character and the person that he has become as an educator.
In terms of form and content, the Personal Narrative Page utilizes elevated language by incorporating figurative expressions in narrative form. These events in the life of the educator are depicted in terms of a garden of metaphors and in a variety of forms and images, thereby shaping the way the educator thinks, leads, and lives. The varied expressions and images do justice to the educator’s personal experiences in his various journeys and learning experiences. These are woven in sentences that flow like silk ribbons, other parts are depicted like constellations in the night sky while others are carefully sculpted as though one were handling sensitive and breakable items and are treasured greatly.
The Personal Narrative Page uniquely positions the educator within the structure of AMALIMWC’s website as there is nothing like it in the Memoir Page, the Reflection Page or the Educational Writing Page. Thus, the Personal Narrative Page reinforces the structure and strengthens the other pages. The memoirs preserved in the Memoir Page are complemented by the everyday episodes in the educator’s life that will illustrate, make real and take root in memory the episodes recalled in the Memoir Page. Also, the reflections shared in the Reflection Page are anchored on concrete experiences lived by the educator who wrote them and it is in the Personal Narrative Page that these experiences are revealed to the reader. In the Leadership Pieces Page, the various Leadership Pieces of the website’s writer-publisher are anchored on his education experiences, philosophy of education and his leadership experiences. The same is true for the Personal Narrative Page – the educator’s experiences, learning and belief in education are shared in the Personal Narrative Page.
Looking at a broader perspective, the Personal Narrative Page can also strengthen the rest of the website pages. The stories and experiences embedded in this page can support the Memoir Page for it to have content for the everyday lives of the educator. The page can deepen the Reflection Page for the many lived experiences that can evoke for introspection and learning. The narratives embedded in the Personal Narrative Page can give substance to the content of the Educational Writing Page for it to be satisfactorily relayed that the educator’s perspective on learning and teaching comes from a very real and earthy life experience and worldview. Lastly, the same page can complement the Leadership Pieces Page for the deeply human, personal, lived experiences of the educator can anchor and ground the leadership philosophies, that these are not mere constructs but are based on real life experiences.
The Personal Narrative Page is the soulful whisper of the AMALIMWC website. These pages honor the humanity of the educator. They reveal how vulnerability is strength. They show how personal history can be a source of wisdom for the community. Your journey with AMALIMWC inspires others to look into their own lives and learn from their own experiences. Your stories can guide them on how their personal history can shape their leadership, how their past can inform their present and how their experiences can inspire others. Personal narrative becomes nourishment for others as they read your life experiences and struggles. Memories are meant to be experienced by others so that they can have meaning and be shared with the rest of the world. Your life experiences are part of the human spirit that needs to be celebrated in all its fullness and complexity.
As the AMALIMWC website continues to evolve, this page shall be its ever evolving repository of human experience as it develops into an author/educator. What is going to be added to the repository is more than just content. The stories, experiences, and learning that are poured into this page will also grow in depth, complexity, and even emotion. This page of the website is humanity at its best, and a reminder to everyone of the value of personal narrative for educational leadership and for communities and for discourse in the field of education.
The Personal Narrative Page is a reminder of a profound truth that AMALIMWC is made of the leader’s experience. The decision, the project, and even the way an educator treats his students are influenced by his past. They form a part of his life, his journey, his struggles, and his aspirations which can inspire others to be of value to their own world. The Personal Narrative Page is AMALIMWC’s human archive, a cultural sanctuary, and a living testament to the transformative power of a person’s story as told by the educator themselves.
Some men are made by what they escape. Others are made by what they choose to carry forward.
“Five” is a personal narrative by Dr. Adonis Awitin, a Filipino educator, father of five, and seventh of seven children to a fisherman and a street vendor from the slums. He thought poverty was all there was to life, and that one’s destiny was set in stone, and that hope is something that other people’s children have. After becoming a father five times over, everything he knew about inheritance – what gets passed on, what gets broken, what gets built – was quietly transformed forever.
This is not a story of a man who escaped from where he came from. This is a story of a man and the things he left behind and the things he brought with him.
