Early Education in Calamba and Bian

At the age of 3, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother. At the age of 5, while learning to read and write, Rizal already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age of 8, Rizal wrote a Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of ones language.

Sa Aking Mga Kabata

Kapagka ang baya'y sadyang umiibig Sa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit, Sanglang kalayaan nasa ring masapit Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid. Pagka't ang salita'y isang kahatulan Sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian, At ang isang tao'y katulad, kabagay Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan. Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda, Kaya ang marapat pagyamaning kusa Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala. Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin Sa Ingles, Kastila at salitang anghel, Sapagka't ang Poong maalam tumingin Ang siyang naggawad, nagbigay sa atin. Ang salita nati'y huwad din sa iba Na may alfabeto at sariling letra, Na kaya nawala'y dinatnan ng sigwa Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

Early Education in Calamba and Bian

Rizals parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home. The first was Maestro Celestino and the second, Maestro Lucas Padua. Later, an old man named Leon Monroy, a former classmate of Rizals father became his tutor. This teacher lived at the Rizal home and instructed Rizal in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did not live long. He died five months later. After Monroys death, Rizals parents decided to send their gifted son to a private school in Bian.

First Day in Bian School

Paciano enrolled Rizal to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. Rizal met the bully, Pedro. Rizal, who was angry at this bully for making fun of him during his conversation with the teacher, challenged Pedro to a fight. Rizal having learned the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. After class, a classmate named Andres Salandanan challenged him to an arm-wrestling match. Rizal having the weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk.

Best Student in School

In academic studies, Rizal beat all Bian boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects. They were all jealous of his intellectual superiority that they wickedly squealed to the teacher whenever Rizal had a fight outside the school, and even told lies to discredit him before the teachers eyes. Consequently the teacher had to punish Rizal. He received many whippings and strokes from the ferule. Rare was the day when he was not stretched on the bench for a whipping or punished with five or six blows on the open palm.

Education in Manila
Ateneo Municipal de Manila Bachelor of Arts degree in 1877 at the age of 16

Graduated as one of the nine students declared sobresaliente

Continued his education to obtain a degree in land surveying and assessor

Ateneo Municipal De Manila

Rizal was a member of the academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Sciences. Wrote his first poem Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) which was dedicated to his mother on her birthday. He also wrote Through Education Our Motherland Receives Light and The Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education which showed the importance of religion in education.

Mi Primera Inspiracion
Why falls so rich a spray of fragrance from the bowers of the balmy flowers upon this festive day? Why from woods and vales do we hear sweet measures ringing that seem to be the singing of a choir of nightingales? Why in the grass below do birds start at the wind's noises, unleashing their honeyed voices as they hop from bough to bough? Why should the spring that glows its crystalline murmur be tuning to the zephyr's mellow crooning as among the flowers it flows? Why seems to me more endearing, more fair than on other days, the dawn's enchanting face among red clouds appearing? The reason, dear mother, is they feast your day of bloom: the rose with its perfume, the bird with its harmonies. And the spring that rings with laughter upon this joyful day with its murmur seems to say: "Live happily ever after!

And from that spring in the grove now turn to hear the first note that from my lute I emote to the impulse of my love!

Education in Manila
University of Santo Tomas Studied Philosophy and Letters during his first year Shifted to Medicine specializing in Ophthalmology when he found out that his mother was going blind

University of Santo Tomas

Rizal was unhappy at this Dominican Institution of higher learning because: 1. the Dominican professors were hostile to him 2.the Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the Spaniards 3. the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive After finishing the fourth year of his medical course, Rizal decided to study in Spain . He could no longer endure the rampant bigotry, discrimination, and the hostility in the University of Santo Tomas.

Education in Europe
Traveled alone to Rome Madrid in May 1882 Continued his studies in Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid Degree of Licentiate in Medicine in 1884 Degree of Philosophy and Letters in 1885

Spain as a Realization
It was a venue for realizing Rizals dreams. He finished his studies in Madrid and this to him was the realization of the bigger part of his ambition.

His vision broadened to the point of awakening in him an understanding of human nature, sparking in him the realization that his people needed him.
It must have been this sentiment that prompted him to pursue, during the reorganizational meeting of the Circulo-Hispano-Filipino, to be one of its activities, the publication of a book to which all the members would contribute papers on the various aspects and conditions of Philippines life

Spain as a Realization
The proposal for the book was unanimously approved. But afterwards, difficulties and objections were raised, and a number of gentlemen stood up and refused to discuss the matter any further in 1884.

Rizal decided not to press the issue any longer.

Although the book was never written, the next year, Pedro Paterno published his Ninay, a novel sub-titled Costumbres filipinas (Philippines Customs), thus partly fulfilling the original purpose of Rizals plan.

Noli Me Tangere
The idea of writing a novel grew on him, and later he decided to write and worked hard for Noli Me Tangere He never told anyone about it until it was finished, though some of his companions knew what he was doing

He wrote half of the novel in Madrid, a quarter of it in Paris and the rest in Germany

Education in Europe
University of Paris (France) University (Germany) of Heidelberg

Earned a second doctorate

Inducted as a member of the Berlin Ethnological Society and the Berlin Anthropological Society under the patronage of the famous pathologist Rudolf Virchow

University of Heidelberg
25-year-old Rizal completed in 1887 his eye specialization under the renowned Prof. Otto Becker in Heidelberg Left Heidelberg a poem, A las flores del Heidelberg; both an evocation and a prayer for the welfare of his native land and the unification of common values between East and West

DR. OTTO BECKER 1858 1890 HEIDELBERG

A Las Flores del Heidelberg

Go to my country, go foreign flowers, Planted by the traveler on his way, And there beneath that sky of blue That over my beloved towers, Speak for this traveler to say What faith in his homeland he breathes to you. Go and say.... Say that when the dawn First brew your calyx open there Beside the River Necker chill, You saw him standing by you, very still, Reflecting on the primrose flush you wear. Say that when the morning light Her toll of perfume from you wrung, While playfully she whispered, "How I love you! He too murmured here above you Tender love songs in his native tongue. That when the rising sun the height Of Koenigsthul in early morn first spies, And with its tepid light Is pouring life in valley, wood, and grove, He greets the sun as it begins to rise, Which in his native land is blazing straight above. And tell them of that day he staid And plucked you from the border of the path, Amid the ruins of the feudal castle, By the River Neckar, and in the sylvan shade. Tell them what he told you As tenderly he took Your pliant leaves and pressed them in a book, Where now its well-worn pages close enfold you. Carry, carry, flowers of Rhine, Love to every love of mine, Peace to my country and her fertile loam, Virtue to her women, courage to her men, Salute those darling ones again, Who formed the sacred circle of our home. And when you reach that shore, Each kiss I press upon you now, Deposit on the pinions of the wind, And those I love and honor and adore Will feel my kisses carried to their brow. Ah, flowers, you may fare through, Conserving still, perhaps, your native hue; Yet, far from Fatherland, heroic loam To which you owe your life, The perfume will be gone from you; For aroma is your soul; it cannot roam Beyond the skies which saw it born, nor ever forget.

Rizals Life in Europe

Jose Rizal lived in Europe for 10 years. He could converse in more than 10 different tongues.

Excelled at martial arts, fencing, sculpture, painting, teaching, anthropology, and journalism, among other things.
During his European sojourn, he also began to write novels. Rizal finished his first book, Noli Me Tangere, while living in Wilhemsfeld with the Reverend Karl Ullmer.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal http://www.scribd.com/doc/8424021/Dr-Jose-Rizal-at-the-University-of-Santo-Tomas http://www.scribd.com/doc/21694647/Life-and-Works-of-Rizal http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~fasawwu/resources/rizal/biography.htm http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleaders/p/joserizalbio.htm http://www.joserizal.ph/ed02.html http://joserizal.info/Biography/man_and_martyr/chapter04.htm