Friday, July 31, 2009

At Gecko Cafe

Scene 1: mam, para sa spaghetti meatballs lang po ang apple juice
pero sabi naman dito, all kids meals
ok mam

Scene 2: grilled whole lapu-lapu in mango sauce
ano po ang drinks nyo mam?
coke
coke sero po ba?
ung regular lang
wet lang mam

Scene 3: mam, wala na daw pong lapu-lapu
grilled lemon chicken na lang ading
ok mam, grelled lemon checken

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

My teaching encounter

At last, I'm done checking! I promptly returned the papers today for my TThS class and yesterday for my MWF class.

I discussed the answers after I gave the papers and told them to approach me if there is/are error/s and/or they feel or think that they deserve a higher score for their essay/s.

One student approached me in my TThS class. "Ma'am, pakicheck naman po ung number two. Parang ung sagot ko, andun po lahat ung diniscuss ninyo kanina." So I read his paper again. True enough, instead of writing 8, I wrote 3. So I said, I'm sorry, then recorded his score. I explained that I could not give him a 10 because he was not able to really relate his answer with opportunity cost. Then again, he asked me to look at number three. Another essay.

For question number three, I gave a table on the population of the Cordillera Administrative Region for the years 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000, and asked them to relate it to scarcity, economic activity and decision making.

So I read again. Then I told him, "you really got 4." "Ma'am, can't you reconsider? I was in a hurry and I was thinking about the space I will need so I wrote there ...allocate population." So I patiently told him, "we don't allocate population but we allocate resources!" This time, he was more insistent. "Nagkamali lang po kasi ako ng naisulat ma'am. Alam ko pong mali. Pero tingnan naman po ninyo ang discussion ko, I talked about goods." Then I told him, "yes, that's why you got four. And you did not only mention it once but twice." Then he won't stop insisting he knows and that he just made a mistake. In my mind I really wanted to tell him, "what part of no, can't you understand?!?!?!" So I just told him, I really can't consider it because I check based on what he wrote, not on what he thinks. So he stopped.

Then the bell rang, all students went out already. The boy stayed. "Ma'am, sayang naman, sana pwedeng maconsider na." Hay! Ok fine, I told them, they should exert some effort, but not this kind, ok? So I just smiled and told him, "Kaya nga e, sayang. So you'd better be careful next time."

Teaching is difficult but very rewarding. It is a very fulfilling profession. Much more than research. Much more than marketing and advocacy. It is something I enjoy doing no matter how many encounters I have with the "boisterous generation".


Sunday, July 26, 2009

The greatest enemy of wisdom is the voice of discontent...

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Rhyss, exams will be on the 22nd already. I still have plenty of papers to check!

See mama, being a teacher is not so easy right? It's also hard, you have plenty of things to do.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

If you want the rainbow, you must put up with the rain

Friday, July 03, 2009

It's been five days since I started teaching in my old University. Boy, I am really having a blast! Carlo said I look more contented, happier and blooming every time I go home; in contrast to looking harassed and haggard every time I come home from regular work. My ever observant Rhyss said, "Ma, you're coming home earlier when you had two jobs!"

Yes, teaching gives me a sense of high. It's different. A very good and fulfilling respite from my 8-5 job that ends until almost 9 in the evening.

It's so refreshing to be surrounded by students who listen to you and students who look forward to what you will say even if they are not studying. But having 50 students in my class also scares me....am I imparting the right things? do they understand? are they learning from me? Is there one hour with me worthwhile?

Becoming a teacher is really one thing that I never expect to be so fulfilling despite the odds.