1. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
These are the concepts I constantly adhere to. All of these
The PuRpLe Story
are reflected on the decisions I make, on the projects I initiate, on
the authentic activities I design for my students, on every
innovation I introduce in class, on my researches, on the seminars
and conventions I participate in, and even on the way I speak and
How to Paint your Career in the Academe the way I deal with people on a day-to-day basis.
by Virginia B. Bautista
Teachers don’t have to become walking dictionaries who
can give people the correct meaning and right pronunciation of
Life in the academe is like a canvas. When one enters the words. What they believe in is enough to make them a distinct
academe as a faculty member, the canvas is just a plain character in the academe.
surface waiting to be painted on. It is then up to the faculty to
paint on the canvas, to create a design, and to choose what A teacher who advocates nothing is not a teacher. A
color to use. Through the use of desired colors and design, teacher who seems to advocate everything is no good either.
the canvas comes alive, and in conquering the white space, colors
can do the trick. Teachers have responsibilities to educate not only their
students in a four-walled classroom at PS Building, but also all the
The color purple symbolizes royalty and good judgment. It is a people they come in contact with.
combination of red, the warmest color, and blue, the coolest color.
This is possible by explicitly advocating something.
My personal preference for the color purple is a statement that may
be effectively conveyed even in the absence of words. Our advocacy, as teachers, will show, and students can
easily pick it up.
Just like preference for a color, in my case purple, a teacher needs
to advocate something. This advocacy radiates and can eventually Even if some people around me frown at the sight of the
have impact on the people outside oneself. Ideally, the teacher’s color purple, I still proudly say, “I love purple.” No matter how
advocacy must be aligned with his or her expertise and experiences. much other people condemn what we advocate, we have to stick to
it until they become one of us. That’s the power of spillover effect.
Student empowerment. Freedom with responsibility.
Media Literacy. Originality.
1

2. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
The PURPLE story is about my advocacy as a member Welcome to the first chapter of the purple story.
I am from the College of Arts & Sciences. CAS offers three
of the academe, and how I paint my career throughout my academic programs, and caters to all the other colleges by providing
almost 11 years at AUF. competent faculty members to handle General Ed. subjects.
As a member of the faculty, I teach professional subjects in
AB Mass Communication (old curriculum) and AB in Communication
CHAPTER 1
program.
Being solution-oriented is the best solution One of the highlights of my contributions to AUF, I believe,
to our problems. would be the birth of the new curriculum which phased out the old
curriculum as per CHED order.
“Teachers who are leaders lead within and beyond the classroom,
identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and The revision of the ABMC curriculum in AUF actually
leaders, and influence others towards improved educational happened after I attended the National Public Hearing on the
practice.” Proposed Policies and Standards on BA Broadcasting and MA in
Broadcasting in Baguio City on March 22, 2007. The public hearing
– Katzenmeyer and Moller, 1994 was conducted by the Commission on Higher Education.
One officer from CHED-RO in Region 3 asked me what
Comm. program AUF offers. When I told her that we use ABMC
As a member of the faculty, I’ve always believed that
program, she immediately told me that the ABMC program has
teachers are also leaders in their own ways. As a teacher-leader, I
already been changed by CHED through CMO 44, Series of 1997.
don’t have to wait for the Dean to tell me what to do. I don’t have
The memo reiterated that the generalist course in Comm. program
to rely on our department Chair to tell me how to utilize the eight-
shall be called AB in Communication. I studied the old curriculum
hour working hours in school.
and reviewed Comm. curricula in established universities in the
A teacher-leader knows his/her duties and responsibilities. country, for benchmarking, and, with the support of our Dean and
other faculty members from the department, I was able to revise
A teacher-leader sees the problem and is highly capable of the curriculum. This is now being used by the students enrolled in
doing necessary actions to deal with the problem. the program.
2

3. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
------------------------------------------------------------------ With clear instructions and templates for the requirements
for the program, students would feel that they are more closely
As the program coordinator in 2005, I was also tasked to monitored and being fairly evaluated for the effort they exert for
serve as the Internship adviser of the graduating students. Being in
their internship outside the campus.
that post made me see a series of problems in the Internship
program for the Communication students. ------------------------------------------------------------------
Instead of simply complaining about the problems I
inherited from the former program coordinator, I devised some
ways on how to solve the problems. To make the Internship program more interesting and less
unpredictable for the incoming senior students who are expected to
I created a standard evaluation tool to be utilized by start with their internship, I organized an Internship Forum where
Internship supervisors in evaluating the performance of the interns the senior students could share their internship experiences with
from AUF. Prior to the creation of this tool, student-interns didn’t the incoming seniors.
know where to get evaluation forms to give to their Internship
supervisors. Some networks have their own tools, but some, The forum allowed the incoming seniors to ask about the
especially the local stations, do not have any. preparations necessary for an Intern, the expenses in having
internship in Manila, e.g. the boarding expenses, food allowance,
With this Internship Evaluation tool, our Interns get to be transportation allowance, etc. All the sharing could actually
evaluated by their Internship supervisors using the same criteria. contribute to the decision-making of the incoming seniors in
choosing a company for internship.
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
The tool I created didn’t solve all the problems in the
Internship program for Communication students. I noticed that As of now, the Internship program is still not perfect, but I
students always have questions regarding their internship and how intend to make it better, if not the best in the region, so that even if
to go about it. Instead of relying on the face-to-face meeting, which I cease being the program coordinator/vice chair, the students’ right
happened only before and after the Internship program (because to have a fulfilling and worry-free internship would be guarded.
students usually have Internship in Manila), I prepared the
Broadcast Internship Guidelines which students could refer to every ------------------------------------------------------------------
time they have questions regarding the Internship program. Aside from the administrative task in the college, the Dean
also assigned me as the PR and Marketing representative for the
3

4. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
college. As such, I visited high schools, at times with the staff of the excel in writing, some are at their best when acting onstage, some
Guidance and Counseling Center, to hold career orientation. I am can entertain viewers, some can play with the imagination of the
specifically tasked to market the three programs in the college: BS listeners, and some have the immense ability to influence their
Biology, BS Psychology and ABMC/AB Comm. fellow students.
Again, I was sent, at the beginning, without any weapon. I However, despite their given talent, most of them have the
had to create something so that I would not end up relying on my same problem: they just don’t know they’re good at something.
memory on what the college offers. And even if they are aware of how good they are, most have no way
of finding opportunities to express and nurture their talent.
To help me in presenting the course offerings in the CAS, I
designed an audio-video presentation, aside from the Power Point A teacher-leader can turn a student-next-door type into an
presentation, highlighting the need to choose a course offered in award-winning or remarkable type.
our college.
As a teacher-leader, I feel that I have a responsibility not
----------------------------------------------------------------- just to make my own dreams come true, but also to help my
students make their dreams turn into reality.
With all sincerity, I’d like to believe that this is what makes
CHAPTER 2 me different from other teachers. I don’t just dream for myself. I
also make effort to dream for my students, and to let them know I
Helping our students achieve their dreams could
have dreams for them. And through the years, I realized, “It pays to
lead to achievement of our own dreams. dream big for my students.”
Some students might still be wondering why they need to ------------------------------------------------------------------
attend formal school, or why there is a demand for a university
degree. They haven’t found the answer, but I just did. Last April, I receive an email opening an invitation to all Comm.
students who might be interested to join the cadetship at ABS-CBN
Opportunity to discover and nurture their talent – this, News and Current Affairs.
among others, is what schools provide for the students.
On the day I received this invitation, I immediately called
In my almost 11 years of teaching, I realized that my for an “emergency meeting” (because the deadline for application
Communication students are indeed talented, though of course,
they don’t have the same talent. Some are good in speaking, some
4

5. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
was just a week away) with the junior students. I told them about Booth 1: UP, Ateneo, DLSU, Miriam College
the invitation and encouraged them to join.
Booth 2: FEU, St. Paul, La Salle-Dasma
I had two or three students who intended to apply as
cadets. Booth 3: Others
Fortunately, one of them, Ms Cherry Anne M. Mungcal, I felt so uncomfortable waiting in line at Booth 3 with the
sent her application, and passed the screening. When she told me label “others.” While I was claiming the certificates, I told the
organizers to be careful about labeling of schools because it has a
she got accepted, and that she was the only cadet from outside
Metro Manila, it made me really glad. It made me really proud. discriminatory effect. I directly told them, “Bakit may school bang
Being one of the cadets made Cherry more confident and it, in a others? Three letters lang naman ang kailangan to write our
school’s name, bakit nasa others pa? How did you label schools?”
way, made AUF be known among the students from Manila, and
among the veteran broadcasters in the giant network in the country. The organizer said sorry, but I learned from that experience. I have
In fact, when I spoke to Cherry, she told me she was so proud when to make AUF stand out, so as not to be labeled as “others.”
she introduced herself as a student from AUF because she felt ------------------------------------------------------------------
fortunate for being among the cadets for the May 2010 election
coverage. Last year was a milestone in my career. It was the year I
was able to prove that I could actually produce a globally
The reality that some companies measure fresh graduates competitive student.
on the basis of where they studied in college is still true. Because of
this, I have made a commitment to myself to continue making AUF Jung, Dea-Woung’s (his English name is Charles, ABMC
Comm. students visible and active in seminars/workshops both in Batch 2009) thesis was accepted for a paper presentation in India.
the national and international level. It was a dream-come-true for me, honestly. Well, it didn’t happen
by accident. Making that dream come true was a dream that took
I guess, this has a story too. In 2006, I attended a research me a year to realize. I actually thought one year is too short to
conference in UP College of Mass Communication. After the make such dream come true.
conference, we were told to claim our certificates at the three
booths outside the UP-CMC auditorium. When I looked for the Let me tell you the story behind this dream-come-true tale.
booth where I could claim our certificates, the labels on the booths
In July 2008, I attended the AMIC (Asian Media Information
really annoyed me:
and Communication Centre) Annual Conference at the Manila Hotel.
The university funded my participation on this international
5

6. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
convention held here in the country. As a usual practice, I also Until Charles’ graduation day, and until he went back for
invited students to attend the conference with me. I had a few good to his home country, we didn’t get any notification of
students with me then: Jaimee Granados, Li, Feng, Mary Jane acceptance for the paper.
Olidan, Manuel Domingo Jr., and Jung, Dea-Woung. Ms. Cristina
The ‘good news’ came on the first week of June. I was very
Reyes, the Director of the Multi-Media Center was also with us.
thankful to AUF for funding my travel to India for the paper
Charles and I traveled for four days to and from Angeles presentation.
City just to participate on the international conference. While
listening to the paper presentations, I told Charles that we could While in New Delhi with Charles, and while I was looking at
also write research article for presentation, and so we literally the faces of the audience members who came from different
agreed to join the next year’s conference by sending a research universities in India, Malaysia, the Philippines, New Zealand,
output, which we agreed to be his thesis. But of course, he has to Singapore, Australia, etc., I couldn’t help thinking, “This dream just
make me his thesis adviser . With this agreement, we made sure happened so fast…”
that his topic was aligned with the topic covered by the next year’s Who would ever think that a thesis advisee could help me
conference. We chose Media and Youth, and later thought of achieve this dream? Of course, it was also a dream-come-true for
writing a research on online gaming. We were both online gamers, Charles. Being able to present a paper using English, when it is not
and coincidentally, we both played, at one point of our lives, the his second language, is one of his best experiences.
same MMORPG (massive multi-player online role-playing game),
called the World of Warcraft. Charles played with the Korean server, By the way, Charles was a shifter. I first became his
while I used to play with the UK server. teacher in English 2 when he was enrolled as an ECE student. He
shifted to AB Mass Communication the semester after .
We were literally in a hurry finishing his thesis. I would
sometimes go to his house and discussed the thesis with him. We ---------------------------------------------------------------
exchanged e-mails a lot of times in a week just to beat the deadline.
When I came back to the department after spending a
Then, the deadline just passed without us realizing it. I told myself if
week in New Delhi with Charles, I shared with my colleagues how
it would be extended, we could have another chance. A few days
helping students with their theses bring opportunities for us in a
after, Charles told me, “Ma’am, it’s extended.”
way that we don’t expect. Helping students achieve their dreams
We immediately worked on the abstract and sent it to the could, in turn, make us achieve our own dreams. There’s nothing
organizer, while keeping our fingers crossed. wrong with dreaming with students, especially if your dreams are
the same or aligned.
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7. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
resourcefulness is much more important than having the best
equipment.
This reminds me of what Mitch Albom said in his book HAVE
A LITTLE FAITH. He said: ------------------------------------------------------------------
“I thought I was being asked a favor,
when in fact, I was being given one.” I don’t know but seeing students achieve something
rewarding gives a sense of fulfillment on my part. In 2006, I made a
Helping students with their theses is not always a favor we decision to turn my thesis writing class into a special project class. I
do for them. Sometimes, it comes more as a favor being given to us. encouraged my students to produce a documentary film following
But of course, a blessing has a way of disguising itself as something the guidelines given on one invitation which invited students to
else. send their docu films for a chance to win cash prizes and plaque.
Collaborating with students is such a rewarding experience It wasn’t easy to produce docu films, especially following
because they the specifications given by the organizer. That time, I didn’t fully
trust myself in judging whether my students’ films were worth
------------------------------------------------------------------
sending to a national competition. I asked a couple of critics, both
In previous years, I was focused on encouraging my of them are media practitioners, to help my students improve on
students to join in Documentary Film Competitions. In 2008, I their craft. I saw how my students used their resourcefulness just
encouraged my students to on a filmmaking contest organized by to come up with a competitive film.
the UP College of Medicine.
Fortunately, my students were awarded as Champion and
st
We might have not made it as winners, but one of our 1 runner –up. I had two entries, and both entries won. I thought it
entries was chosen as finalists in the BEST DOCU category. When was unbelievable. We competed with docu filmmakers from other
we attended the awards night, the fulfillment I felt and my students schools in Manila and Luzon.
felt was no different from being winners. My students’ output was
------------------------------------------------------------------
judged by the finest filmmaking critics in the country. Being a
finalist is already synonymous to being winners. It is already part of my ritual every semester to send
students to seminars and conferences, even if it means I also have
Learning from these docu experiences, I thought not
having the finest equipment is not a limitation. My students’
7

8. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
to travel with them and endure the noise in the van/bus (just It’s the worst because I don’t really enjoy asking for a favor
kidding). from people who are also busy with their own lives. I understand
that if they devote some of their precious time for me, they would
My Communication students deserve the best
have to give up some time for themselves.
opportunities AUF can offer. Although I am the only full-time
communication instructor in school for many years now, I made it It’s also the best part because it gives me an opportunity to
sure that every semester, my students get to learn from the media know who really knows me and how much they know me.
practitioners themselves, through regular participation on
conferences and seminars. Most of the time when we attend It was an overwhelming experience for me to hear what
seminars in Manila, AUF is the only school outside Metro Manila my heads, peers and students have to say about me. The truth is,
their recommendations are enough reward for me in my over 10
which is represented.
years of teaching.
The largest delegation I had in one conference was in 2009
at the International Convention on Media Communication held at To earn my heads’ and students’ trust is enough to make
UP Film Theater. 101 AB Comm. students registered for the event. me do more than what is expected of me. I guess, nothing compares
to the feeling of having the dean say that I have “contributed
significantly to the successful operation of the college.”
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 3
Teachers, like students, need to be trusted
and recognized
For me, the best and worst part of joining a competition is
seeking for recommendation letters from heads, peers, and
students.
8

9. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
CHAPTER 4 On the kind of teacher I am in the classroom, I guess, only my
students can say.
Teachers need to give students good reason to
attend their classes.
In my case, I am not sure if I would still have students in
class if the subject I'm teaching is optional. All I am sure of is that for
over ten years, I've been branded by students as their "worst
Bimonte (2005) asks a question worth reflecting on: nightmare" (thanks to my BS Engineering student then) and
"ultimate guru" (Hi Aie!).
If Your Class Were Optional,
Would Anyone Attend? Reference:
Bimonte, R (2005). If your class were optional, would anyone attend? Momentum. 36 (4) pp 6-7. Retrieved July 20, 2008 from
I guess all teachers should think about this question so that http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb
no student would be confused and skeptic of the reason for them to
wake up early just to listen to a lecture they don't find engaging.
Bimonte (2005) says:
"Students must be actively engaged and emotionally involved in CHAPTER 5
their learning. If the classroom teacher is centered, only one
Innovation is an effective tool to break monotony in
person is really engaged. In a student-centered classroom, the
the four-walled classroom.
teachers facilitate student learning by providing opportunities for
students to do, think, discover, and find answers
to their questions themselves."
In one semester, I do teach four or five different
professional subjects. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have the same
students every semester. AB Comm. students are in my classes
9

10. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
from their second year till they write their theses on their final year.
At times, I enter the same class twice in a day.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Because of this, I can predict that if my teaching styles and
strategies are the same every semester, my students would be TEACHING/LEARNING WITH MEDIA, THROUGH MEDIA AND
bored to death. Imagine if I would just read Power Point ABOUT MEDIA
presentations every time I come to class. For sure, the students
My first attempt in innovation through the use of the
would just end up waiting for the last slide so that the class gets
Internet was bringing my students to the blogosphere, through
dismissed. I never want to make my classes with the same students
regular posting of entries on web logs. I started doing this in 2006
monotonous and predictable, because monotony bores students, so
with my E-newsroom class. I got an overwhelmingly positive
same teacher every semester is a sure way to leave the students
response from my students, so I realized web logs can indeed be
uninterested in the subject.
used as a teaching-learning tool. Back then, very few professors of
This is why it has been my habit to think of something new Communication, based on the survey conducted by a professor
to offer every semester for every subject. I make sure I do from UP –College of Mass Communication (UP-CMC), was using
something which I haven’t done in our previous classes. And to do blogs in teaching.
this, I acquaint myself with what the students find interesting which
It was then a turning point in the way I teach
could also make them maximize learning.
Communication subjects. I began to re-engineer the teaching-
The answer to monotony and boring classes and learning environment in my classes, by teaching/learning WITH
unmotivated students, I’ve realized, is INNOVATION every semester. MEDIA, THROUGH MEDIA, and ABOUT MEDIA.
Innovation, however, should be based on what could be interesting
Technology, primarily the Internet, is now part of my
or exciting for the students, not for the teacher.
students’ lives, so I have to keep pace with them, or be ahead of
I’ve observed that most, if not all, of my students are into them, so that we could both become engaged with the lessons
technology, particularly the Internet. Undoubtedly, almost all of through something common between us – THE USE OF
them are online most of their free time. MEDIA/INTERNET.
This is the reason many of my innovation is anchored on the To date, I’ve introduced the following to my students: (a)
idea of using the Internet to put a twist in the three-unit class. web log using www.blogger.com ; (b) using a community journalism
site, www.allvoices.com where my students can have global
10

11. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
readership from the Philippines, Australia, the US, the UK, or even fulfilled having creative and knowledgeable students who found
as far as Barbados or the Caribbean; (c) utilizing a site where fulfillment in sharing their knowledge with the young generation.
documents can be shared and downloaded for effective file-sharing,
www.scribd.com; and (d) by creating their own news web site A teacher, definitely, can affect not only the students he or
where they could encourage comments for feedback. she deals with, but also those whom they get to deal with. It’s the
domino effect of teachers. And it’s very much alive among the
A teacher may just be facing the Internet, a single students.
technology created to enhance teaching-learning, but a creative
teacher sees multiple innovation that the Internet can offer. It’s A real teacher recognizes the fact that the classroom is not
handy and really interesting for the students from the present the only place, and will never be the only place to learn. The
generation. classroom is just the starting point where basic knowledge can be
shared, but the real experience which is equally significant is found
------------------------------------------------------------------ outside the air-conditioned PS 212 and beyond class hours.
Of course, I also make some effort not to forget that being in the ------------------------------------------------------------------
real world still matters a lot, so aside from conquering the
cyberspace, I also brought my students outside AUF, for a when innovation meets authenticity in
Indeed,
community service. I didn’t ask them to distribute relief goods, teaching/learning, nothing else can be more
which they do a lot in their NSTP classes. Instead, I asked my
interesting and significant.
students to become teachers for a day.
CHAPTER 6
To let them conduct seminar-workshop for high school
students in public school, of course, they must have learned from
my input in class first. The workshop we conducted for the HS
A teacher is more than a teacher.
students also became a test on how well my students understood
the lesson, how far they can remember the significant concepts, and
how effectively they can share the knowledge they gained from our A real teacher cares not only about what’s happening in the
classes. classroom. A real teacher goes beyond the eight-hour job
requirement to extend assistance, and to show concern for the
During the seminar-workshop at Angeles City National High
department and for the university.
School and at Bonifacio Romero National HS in EPZA, I felt so
11

12. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
Purple
Story
These can be manifested through taking other A real teacher finds fulfillment in solving problems in the
responsibilities, e. g. serving as advisers for organizations, society through his research skills. Research is a noble and
representing the college in university affairs, and in welcoming academic way to contribute to the body of knowledge, so a teacher
committee tasks. is not just a teacher, but a researcher as well. As a researcher and
teacher at the same time, a real teacher gets to be acknowledged as
Despite the really busy schedule teaching four to five an ‘expert.’ So how can a professor be cited as expert if the only
different subjects in a week to complete the 18-unit loads, I still research he has done is his dissertation, which is obviously done
made time to serve as advisers of the CAS Ideas, the official primarily to fulfill the requirements toward earning a degree?
students publication of our college, and to serve as adviser of
SAMASKOM, the non-mandated organization of Communication ------------------------------------------------------------------
students in the university.
CHAPTER 7
Then, just last academic year, I was given an opportunity to
work with the Faculty-Library Committee (FLC). I got to work with A teacher finds wisdom in delegation
the University Director and her staff.
and trust.
There’s no doubt that working with them made me grow as
a member of the faculty. Conceptualizing, coordinating and making As a teacher who also functions as class adviser, committee
the National Book Week celebration a successful endeavor wasn’t a chair, thesis adviser, researcher, and is expected to revise syllabi,
joke. It made the whole library staff’s hands full, but when I saw check papers, introduce innovation, compute for grades, ensure
them work, I realized how fortunate AUF is for having dedicated quality of instruction, etc., etc., I have to find a way to make myself
employees in and outside the academic sphere. efficient. I do this by delegating.
------------------------------------------------------------------ A real teacher does not have to literally do everything.
An real teacher is also a researcher. I often remember what I believe in the wisdom of delegating tasks among my
Dr. Archie David, my professor in Philosophy classes, said --- that students. When I do this, I get to give them a sense of being
the teacher’s dissertation should not be the last research a faculty important and reliable, and at the same time, it frees me some time
should engage himself with. which I may use to attend to other matters.
This is definitely true.
12

13. Virginia B. Bautista, CAS The
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Story
For example, for the research I’m working on at the
moment, I asked who among my junior Communication students
were willing to help me administer a survey. When I announced it
in class, I was surprised because all of the students willingly raised
their hands and said they wanted to do it.
So, why not?
students are indeed
A real teacher knows that
worth working with and AUF worth
working for. 
------------------------------------------------------------------
To paint purple on my career in AUF means dealing
effectively with my students, with my colleagues, and with myself,
using the best AUF has to offer.
If resources are limited, our resourcefulness, dedication,
concern and creativity can supply what’s missing.
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