I'm in Love...

Move over, Literato! This is my new love... Psikolohiyo. Teehee ;-)

Love, love, love... How can you not fall in love with Psikolohiyo when you have no choice but to make sure that you meet him every night?

back to back

I’m finally back in the classroom as a real teacher. I’m the one handling the classes these days. I’m the one doing the checking and preparation of lessons. It’s like being back in my old private school where I used to toil as a slave teacher day in day out. The only difference is that my boss now is kind and lenient enough to understand my shortcomings as a teacher.

I won’t be enrolling for graduate school subjects as I want to focus on being a classroom teacher this semester.

I can’t wait for December. I’m going to Hong Kong for a two-week vacation with my mother and aunt. I’ll also seize the opportunity to give a talk to these OFW mothers. I don’t know what topic to give yet but I’m sure it’s going to be on the psychological aspect. And a bit of communication, perhaps. How to communicate with your children is a good title. I have enough time to think and prepare as I’ll move my flight to the 24th instead of the 21st. I just hope my reservation’s still standing. I’m saving like mad these days. I even bought a piggy bank just so I can save for the trip.

I just regret that I wasn’t able to make online reservations a few months back. They’re way, way cheaper. I’d like to get a credit card so I can make reservations online and travel anytime I want. I’d like to go to Singapore and make a research about the Filipina domestic helpers there. I’d also like to try Taiwan, Japan, and China. It’ll be a good start for me as I my interest in research was kindled because of that National Seminar on Teaching Innovatives.

I hope soon I’ll be promoted as Instructor II. Making researches and doing extension work will help me reach this goal.

I realize that being in a university does not make you limit your work to instruction alone. You have to accomplish a lot. I have to do work in Research, Extension, and Production, otherwise I’ll just fade away as another lousy teacher. Sometimes I wonder whether I really have to do these “works” because really the only reason why I’m there is because I want to teach. That’s my job first and foremost. I’m purely for Instruction. Hey, but no choice so here we go…

RACO

I became the newly appointed RACO one day before my birthday. The next day (my birthday) was my first assignment ever! Haha, I don't even know what the acronym stands for.

There's an exhibit of all Coco Fiber products in Tubungan, Iloilo as part of their Cooperative month activity so it was my responsibility to document the whole thing.

A Commercialized Birthday

You only turn twenty-seven once so you might as well make the most of it. Victoria Beckham celebrated her 30th birthday thrice! I'd rather talk about what happened on the day I turned 27 (yesterday) than what happened today (many more of my students greeted me still but it wasn't such a productive day).

After that Tubungan trip I went back to school and my students surprised me with a cake and a birthday poster. Though none of my travelling companions knew that I turned a year older, I was still grateful that a few strangers greeted me yesterday.

At around 4 PM I attended mass at St. Clement's and bought some groceries in Gaisano City. When the cashier swiped my valuecard she immediately greeted me a happy birthday! For dinner I treated my friend in Green Mango. Always an exuberant and loud person (she's a kindergarten teacher) she requested the waiter and staff to put a candle on my dessert which was actually just a slice of Heaven's Torte. Four people then proceeded to sing me a "too" loud rendition of "Happy Birthday." I was embarrassed yet pleased. After dinner, we checked out some DVDs in Video City. While rummaging through some movies, a Happy Birthday song was played in the store. I shyly looked at the two staff and they gave me a knowing smile. Talk about strangers making you smile.

If turning 27 is as delightful as this I won't mind turning 27 everyday.

A Year Older

The road to Tubungan, Iloilo isn't rough as I thought. I spent my birthday in this quaint little town without my travelling companions knowing that I turned a year older which actually suits me just fine.

I'm supposed to have a class today but I was requested by the University VP (only yesterday) for Extension and Research to do a bit of extension work in this town; thus, I'll be absent for the whole day.

I was appointed as a RACO (I'll get back to what it stands for later) and my responsibility is to document extension projects in the university and to turn them into pamphlets and fliers.

The appointment came as a surprise. The teacher I replaced was pirated by UP Visayas so it's more like a shotgun appointment; nevertheless, I'm thrilled.

I've been wanting to do some extra work aside from teaching in the classroom and I know that my job as a RACO will bring me places (one thing I've been wanting to experience). I know it's going to be another work for me but as what the VP said I know this will make me grow as a person.

Rough roads or not I can't ask for a better birthday gift this year.

Where's the Power in Powerpoint?

With the constant power blackouts, how do I maximize my classroom lecture with the aid of technology?

It's just so annoying that before your class there's a sudden blackout and you'll have no choice but to come up with a Plan B (which almost always will be an impromptu lecture). Couple this with restless and cranky students and it's worse than Hades's lair.

So much for trying to be such a techie teacher.

Stranger in My Classroom

I'm not sure if I can call myself a teacher these days. I haven't been doing any of my job specifications. I don't handle my classes because of my role as a critic teacher. But really, I'm just using that as an excuse. Most of the time I stay at the back of the classroom and observe the class of STs under my supervision. It's not a challenging job. It has also made me very lazy since my tendency is just to rely on my STs. I also haven't done my role as a disciplinarian and adviser. I so suck at teaching.

Next semester I intend to be the one to really handle my classes even if I'll have more than 5 STs. I also won't enroll in grad school so I can just focus on my work. Perhaps, I won't completely stop schooling so I intend to just enroll in 1 subject (Abnormal Psychology).

I promise myself that next semester I'll be the one to really teach in my own class. That way, I won't be a stranger in my own classroom anymore.