The Substitute Teacher

Teaching is a profession you  just can't belittle. 

I did not have a class with my Philosophy teacher today, thank heavens. I had a chat with him just moments ago, and his reason for not coming in to class was that he was tired. Wow. What a teacher! Tired?! Really? But now, I think I can relate to what he is feeling. I know now how tiring it could really be. 

This morning, I was awakened by the husky voice of my father. "Jen, mata nah. Ikaw tudlo sa akong mga bata karun kay wala koy tingog." (Jen wake up. You substitute me today for I don't have a voice.) He was suffering from a throat infection for a couple of days now. He wasn't even able to preach well yesterday. 

Anyway, so there I was, preparing for my half-day class with Tatay's pupils. I taught them reading today, specifically two-letter blends (sm, sl, and sc). It was fun, but tiring. I have to be honest. Not everyone is attentive, and kids have short attention span. If you are not the patient type, never ever pursue teaching. You'll be in jail in no time. haha.

Today, I have dealt with kids that seem to have no respect with their teacher. I have dealt with kids that no matter how I motivate them, they will still not heed to what I tell them. I have dealt with kids that are hyperactive. Indeed, teaching demonstrations inside the classroom are far different from the actual situation. 

For half a day, I was a teacher; and it was incredibly tiring. How much more those teachers who murmur everyday, trying to drive their students into learning. I take my hat off and salute for them. I am pursuing Teaching, and hopefully soon, I will be an effective one. And more patient, too. haha.

Pork Belly and the Great Butter Scotch

Mag sosorry na ako in advance. Far-out ang title ko sa ipopost ko. haha. Di ko pa kasi feel mag "Random Thoughts Part ___" ngayon. So please bear with the title. Anyway, share na ako sa inyo ha.  Three days din akong di nakapag-post ng kahit ano. ^_^

Guess who's glad? Oh ako na nga. :))) Two days ago, crushie crush arrived from his SOLAS char in Bacolod. And dahil makulit ako, I kept on reminding him about my pasalubong. Ayun tuloy, napilitang bumili ng something nice for me. haha. Yey! Effective din naman pala ang pagiging makulit. And these are what he brought for me. 

Chedeng! I am not good at taking photos. Pasensya na ha. Basta nakain ko na 'to lahat, of course, shared with my friends na ang kulit rin. Mas excited pa silang buksan 'to kesa sa 'kin. 'Di naabutan ng 5 hours ang mga itech. Disgrasya galore kasi gutom lahat ng mga kasama ko. haha. Sabi naman ni crushie crush ito na lang muna kasi he gave the rest to his mother. Baka daw kasi magtampo. Ayyyyyy! Ang zwwweeet ^_^ 

Okay. Enough of that. Move on na tayo. So we had our first special Editorial Staff Meeting last night. It was not my first time to preside a meeting pero iba pa rin yung feeling na ikaw nah ang EIC, lalo na pag marami kang gustong baguhin sa pub but there are still those who go against you. haha. Lito me much. Alam naman ni Lord ang pinagdadaanan ko (emote), so ok lang. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Ito ang pinanghuhugutan kong verse from Philippians 4:13. 

This photo was taken minutes before the meeting started. At dahil close na ang Picnik.com ko'ng suki sa editing ng mga pictures, may nadiscover akong bago. It's BeFunky.com. I don't know Photoshop eh, so I am only dependent to websites that offer basic photo edits. Naaliw na rin ako sa kaka-explore ng mga effects kaya yan tuloy, colorful na naman ang picture ko. haha. 

Yan na muna sa ngayon. Ingat kayo. ^_^

Random Thoughts Part 22

It's just so evident that summer has begun. Many have went to their hometowns to have a feel of nature, and their home sweet home. But as for me and the rest of the summer students, there's never gonna be a summer this year. 

The Verbal Tussle in Philosophy. Oh yes. April 18 was supposed to be a normal Wednesday if not for that Philosophy class. I have been posting events about that subject and my dear teacher a.k.a Monster, and I expected for the taunts to cease on the third day. 'Twas the day for us to start our debate. And unfortunately, I was asked by the teacher to pick the group to present their debate for that day. I carefully chose one roll of paper from the five laid on the table. When I opened it, chedeng! Group 3! That's our group. What a day! 

And to make the long story short, we started the Oxford Debate, I was the Necessity speaker of the Government side on Divorce, and at the end of the session, seasoned with laughs and verbose mouths, our team won by 25-13 votes!! I, naturally, am Anti-Divorce and most of my teammates, but at that time, we were assigned to defend the Pro-Divorce side. It was a bit difficult, especially when you defend something that's against your principles. But we have to. It's part of our grade. 

What is Wrong with Twitter and My Memory? The people here in the office have somehow surprisingly got addicted to Twitter. I tried to reopen my Twitter account and clean some webs but alas, I cannot open it anymore. Now, I have to make another one, and you know it's very difficult to start from number one. I actually forgot some of the steps, and I have to invite friends again. Oh it's fine. I hope I can be into Twitter soon. ♥

The Thought that Alarmed Me. During our Special Topics class this morning, my teacher talked about pregnancy and scoliosis, among others. You see, I am scoliotic, and one of my long-term plans is to have a family of my own soon. I have been praying for that. But how will I be able to have a family of my own if I can't be pregnant? hahahah. So funny right? I am too inclined with the future. 

My teacher said that people with scoliosis will have a hard time during their pregnancy years. :( As of now, I won't comment further. This is insane. haha. :D

He's Saying "Babye!" My crushie crush is in the neighboring region right now for their SOLAS. I forgot  what that means. haha. Anyhow, he said goodbye this morning. Ayyyyy! I just hope he won't forget to buy me a pasalubong. Now, I am missing him. KORNIX! hahaha

Thank You Kuya Kiko. And for the best part, lemme thank Kuya Kiko of Kaepalan Ni Kiko for this header. He has been efforting on making headers as a sign of thank you to his new followers. I am just happy I was included. Thank you again kuya. :)))) 

Daghang Salamat! Maraming Salamat! Many Thanks! :)) ♥

Teacher vs. Student -- The Ultimate Questioning Day

So I'm back, and definitely still intact. Luckily, the monster did not eat me alive in his Philosophy class. Oh! My bad. He's not a monster, but today, I think he did transform into one. huhu. If you have read my post yesterday about how I got to face the fury of the dragon via Facebook, then this is the continuation.

I was anticipating for a more serious Mr. _______ today in his Philosophy class. Before entering into his 10 a.m. class, I scurried to the nearest internet cafe to have our arguments for our debate printed. I had to run for I do not want to be late in his class this time. 

So there I finally was, slowly walking into the classroom. I could already hear his turtle-paced voice in the alley.  My heart started to race, but I still wanted to act like nothing happened yesterday. I have to act like I wasn't intimidated with what he had said. Ang kapal na ng mukha ko! I entered in, greeted him good morning and got no response (he was musing on his laptop during that time), went to my seat, and smiled at my course mates who also knew of the story. 

As if nothing really happened. The classroom atmosphere sounded like a noisy fish market -- the typical scenario. My heartbeat went back to normal, even until the moment that one of my friends came to me and whispered that my surname was used as an example and was written on the board. 

Mrs. Catanus was having an affair. 

Mrs. Catanus was having an affair.

He really wrote it twice. I don't why it was there, but I acted like I did not see it. So the class has already actually started. He was talking again, but this time his voice commanded authority. Wow! He really meant what he said yesterday. 

First question for the day was thrown to the class, but he pinpointed one student to answer. Guess who that student was? Yes. Who else, but me. I answered it but it was all wrong. haha. 

Mr. Monster: What are the important parts of an argument Ms. Catanus? 

Me: ...claims, evidence, reasons, and conclusion.

MM: No! 

**

MM: What do you mean by premise and conclusion Ms. Catanus? 

Me: I don't have any idea sir.

MM: Why do you have no idea? 

Me: Because I did not read.

MM: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF? And you are not reading? You should read because you are the editor-in-chief. How will you be able to deliver good reports when you do not read?

Me: I don't read because I don't like your subject. (good thing I was able to control and this statement just remained in my head.)

**

MM: What do you mean by statement Ms. Catanus?

Me: A statement is a...it contains words that makes up an idea.

MM: Ok.

**

MM: Okay Ms. Catanus. You are laughing there. What do you mean by subject and predicate? 

Me: The subject is the one...uhm...is the word that is being talked about in the sentence. Predicate, on the other hand, modifies or supports the subject.

MM: *astounded* Ok. Very good. 

**

MM: Okay Ms. Catanus. Do you have any idea what a conditional statement is? 

Me: It is a statement sir that might be true in one situation but might not be true to another situation.

MM: *agape* Exactly! So class...blah! blah!

**

etc. etc. etc. (many questions were asked on that 2-hour class. I forgot most of it already. But I am certain that I answered most of it correctly. Hoo!)

This is the day that I ate almost all of his questions and humiliated me in front of the class. Ouch! He was really testing me. But I did not slouch when I stood up to answer his questions -- whether I knew the answers or not. I talked as if I was confident of my answers. haha. (no shrilling of voice or whatsoever). I even raised my eyebrows every time my name is called, with a matching sarcastic smile and sharp stare. I know I am good at that. 

But the fact remains. He still is my teacher and I am his student. I have to give him the respect duly intended for him. He's not that bad naman. He is even one of the very few whom I know that has a very open mind. Hand salute! ^_^

*****

Oh. It does not end there. Just this noon, he chatted me again. And these are the highlights of our chat. haha. I felt okay again. ^_^

That is all for today. Another day tomorrow. Another blog entry. And perhaps, another chat moment. ngek. hahaha ^_^

Teacher vs. Student -- The Ultimate Word Tussle

I am not the type who speaks out openly in the class if I don't like a teacher. This is not like in Western countries where students can freely tell the teacher that his/her class is boring. There are other means, however, on how you can express your boredom. Social networking sites might do. There's Facebooking via mobile and etc. Just make sure your teacher cannot read what you have posted on your wall against him, or else, you are absolutely a dead meat. 

The subject is Philosophy. The name of the teacher? Well, secret. hahah. So 'twas the second day of classes for this summer, and I anticipated for a boring discussion. I opened my Facebook via my mobile, and posted this.

And just this morning, he added me on Facebook. I was flattered as well as surprised upon seeing his name. Of course, I accepted his friend request, thinking nothing but to continue Facebooking and read some blogs. But a few moments later, he started chatting me.

Wow! More surprises for one day. I asked him to clarify what he meant by what he said with all due respect. I think I did not do any wrong. But then, he continued and this...

Alas! He was able to read my post the other week. I totally forgot that I posted that on my wall, and now, I am in great trouble. SUPER great trouble. Justifying myself won't do any good, so I immediately asked for pardon. 

You want more? 

He was hurt, and he honestly told me that. Oh my gums!!! I just can't imagine what I looked like when reading this. I seemingly forgot how to blink my eyes and move my lips and fingers. I know I am guilty of hurting his feelings. I am so rude, so mean. But I know how to accept my fault. There's no need for me to deny anything. May ebidensya na oh!! 

I asked for sorry again and again. Good thing he did not take it seriously, or maybe he did. I don't know. His messages were filled with smileys. How would I know if he was sincere with what he has been telling me? 

Yeah! He still managed to tell me that he was just kidding and that he just scared me. But I now it hit him hard and low for knowing that one of his students criticized him on Facebook. I admit it was my bad. His class was truly boring. Good thing he was open-minded, or at least, a positive thinker, ready to accept criticisms. I am so sorry sir. Truly I am. Tsk. 

And for the finale, he said........

On what's going to happen tomorrow when we meet again in his Philosophy class, good luck to me (cross-fingerssss!!)

CROSS FINGERS! Now he knows me. -_-

Super Despicable Me :))

For the past few days, I have been constantly visiting Youtube and hitting the video stats. Who wouldn't miss these little people who look like bananas, love bananas, and sing bananas. Let us just hide them in the name of Minions, the sneaky little accomplices of the great Dr. Gru. I don't have any other adjectives to describe them but "CUTE". haha. Lame right? Anyhow, just see these videos and get ready to laugh out loud and have tears edging your eyes. ^_^

What You Missed 'Bout Me

It's been so long since I have not touched this page. Well, how are you doing? (I honestly am short of words right now. I hope photos can suffice the absence of lexicons.)

March 31-April 1. The publication bid an official farewell to our oldies. They have graduated, and they are leaving the publication to a new set of Editorial Board. We spent overnight at the Escosas Beach Resort and had fun all the way through. 

From Mommy Crystal's house to the venue was a couple of kilometers away, we arrived at roughly 6:30 in the evening. It was exciting albeit tiring. 

We enjoyed the rooms, (and oh by the way, I love the background paint of this one room), watched TV, slept 'til 10 in the evening or so until our dinner was prepared, and got more photos.

We all looked magical, or at least we felt like one on that splendid night. Ball gowns, neck ties, high heels, make-up, suits, and gel. It just seemed like my promenade years ago, when I was still in high school. haha. Btw, the Farewell Party started at 1 a.m. already. (I am not exaggerating!) Though tired and sleepy, we managed to give these smiles. 

The new Editorial Board took their oaths and were taken a photo (absent are our Features Editor and Arts and Graphics Unit Head because they are in Baguio 'til May for their OJT). The next four people are our oldies, including our former Editor-in-Chief, former News Editor, former Circulation Manager, and former Senior Writer. The program lasted until 7 in the morning the next day. Sleepless night, ceaseless talks. Just see the transition of the lights from the upper photos down to the last one. Epic! haha. 

And finally, a swim in the pool. Unfortunately, I wasn't in any of these pictures. haha. Too long to explain. 

April 9. 'Twas my birthday. I just turned nineteen but I don't seem like a nineteen-year-old, something I am both thankful and worried for. My colleagues in the publication planned a surprise but it did not work out the way it should be. It was spoiled, so I knew ahead of time. haha. 

They gate-crashed, we had fun, took a lot of photos, talked and talked, went to the seashore, ate ice cream, laughed, and before dark, they went home. It was a great birthday celebration indeed. Thanks to these folks. 

I thought the surprise was for a day only. But heck no! With all smiles on, this is one of the best birthdays I had. Hooo. Thank you Lord. This video is made by my crushie crush for me. Oh yeah! (parang "in loving memory of Rolyn Jane" lang naman ang vid na to. haha. Pero oh my gosh!! Kilig to the BONES!)

Oh yeah! Summer is here. I am super ready! Super! NINETEEN. wahahaha