I’m not in the habit of uploading my presentations for the simple reason that, well, they’re mine. But in the spirit of the fast approaching midterms week, I’ll make an exception.

Here are the presentations you might use for review:

For my grade 6 students, if all goes well, you can just click on these links for rocks, rock breakdown, soil, earthquakes, and plate tectonics presentations. I’ve even thrown in some SWF animations on earthquakes as well. They’re all in PowerPoint format and in Kidprint font except for the animations. So if, you haven’t installed the font in your computer yet, then just click on this.

As for my junior students, you can review your topics in magnetism here or go straight to wiki or even howstuffworks sites for more thorough discussions.

Take note: even though I’m the one who constructed the presentations, most, if not all, of the materials inside, including the information and illustrations, came from other internet sources as well. Also, my presentations do not contain complete details because I use them mainly as visual AIDS. The meat of the info, we took up in class. So if in case you desire more thorough discussions, you may consult other sources like wiki. I found wiki sources already sufficient.

There’s no substitute for the real thing. That’s an important lesson I’ve learned through my years of teaching children. No matter how creative you think you are, or how eloquent you hope to be, mere words can not replace the learning brought about by experiencing the lesson itself.

Take for example, the concept of aerodynamics, drag and lift,  and Bernoulli’s principle. These are very complicated lessons especially if they were approached mathematically. But if you let the students experiment with making aircraft designs and with manipulating wing shapes of their planes, they’d at least get a practical sense of what’s happening. It may not be as profound or as detailed as the algebraic approach, but it’s a more basic and grounded learning - the type that you’d remember because there’s deeper understanding.

Then again, not all lessons could be experienced first hand. There are just some topics that we could only approximate in the classroom - lessons that are just too abstract or too difficult to gain access to, no matter how many used tape drives, or magnets, or old and broken computer parts we ask the children to bring (for hands on activities). For these difficult times, the teacher just has to become the living visual aid himself/herself - a puppet, a clown, a storyteller, a playwright, whatever it takes to drive a lesson home.

It is for this reason, that I got a new-found respect for the profession and for the people who engage in it. If I hadn’t experienced it for myself, I would not have known how hard it is to actually make studenst listen, laugh, participate and learn. I feel so lucky that I’ve had lots of good teachers that taught me well

I can’t remember exactly when I started wearing shades. All I know is that ever since I was young, I was always fascinated with them. I liked the sporty types, the formal navigator-type of shades, Wayfarer sunglasses, and even the shiny fully reflective ones (although andrea doesn’t approve of the last type very much). Maybe it was because I was already insecure about the way my eyes looked even when I was still young that’s why I subconsciously wanted something to cover them up. I don’t know.

One thing I’m sure of is that I like them and I always make sure I have a pair in my bag wherever I go.

Unfortunately, however, putting them in the bag was the very reason I broke my favorite pair last week. You see, I forgot to tell andrea where the shades were and when I saw her leaning against my bag, I just knew I’ve seen the last of my favorite shades. When I took them out of the bag, I already had a feeling that they were destroyed. It turned out, the damage was beyond repair so andrea just promised to replace the shades with any pair of my choice. Oh well, I guess I just have to go looking for a new pair!

When I accepted the responsibilities of being a coordinator, I never realized I that I was saying yes to a whole lot of headaches. Yup, that’s right - a great load of headaches.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about nor regretting the decision. What I’m trying to say is that I wasn’t aware of how much responsibilities I was actually saying yes to when I accepted the position. It wasn’t until last week that I got a good taste of the actual extent of work I’m supposed to handle.

You see, our principal has now shared with me the task of going through the exams, the activity sheets and even the lesson plans. And upon going through the admission tests, delegated me the role of revising the said tests to come up with more reliable and up to date admission exams. On top of these I had to make and finish my own set of exams for my 4 classes. And if this is not enough, I had to study for my finals on that Saturday - three final examinations (for the extra units I’m taking up this semester in UP)! It’s insane.

Heck with all the things that I have to do, I don’t think I don’t think there’s no need for me to look for the best diet pills out there. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be lean and mean in no time. Hahaha! Cheers!

I have most of my work in my laptop - my visual aids, my lessons, exams, and plans. But I still manage to squeeze in loads of pictures of andrea and mateo inside it. This is what makes it such an essential accessory for me. And as much as possible, I’d like to bring it with me everywhere I go.

This is why I’ve been thinking seriously about replacing it with a significantly smaller, handier model. In fact, there are several models out in the market right now which I’m currently considering. There’s the MSI Wind U100, the Acer Aspire One, and now even a Lenovo contender by the name of Ideapad S10. All three are sporting 10″ LCDs, 160 Gb of hard disk storage, and of course, the new Intel wonder processor - the Atom. All models are also at least 3 times lighter than my present notebook and cost at least twice as much now (after 4 years of depreciation).

Lately I’ve been thinking of the idea so much that I can’t help but browse the latest promotional products out there every once and a while just to check if any of these models would be on sale. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these cute little netbooks.

Although the rain brings a welcome relief from the heat, it brings its own set of woes too. For one, because the classrooms in our school are not found in a single building, teachers and students have to go walk some distance to get to other function rooms like the laboratory, music room, canteen, etc. And with the rain constantly wetting the floor and the walkways, the whole transferring from one room to the next has become an elaborate obstacle course. Second, because acoustic was not the most significant consideration during the creation of the classrooms. the classrooms suffer from instant background rumbles and noises from the rain especially when it is pouring down really hard. Teachers valiantly fight but often end up losing their voices, during these times. Third, because teachers still have to constantly instruct, demonstrate, and transfer from one room to another every 45 minutes, we can’t help but sweat (sometimes even profusely) despite the cold brought about by the rain. The oil, which stays because of the low temperature, traps dirt, chalk, and other things in the skin from the air, thereby promoting acne and other skin infections related to oil accumulation.

I know the rainy days have their ups (coldness, no classes, etc.), but rainy days sure have their downs too.

Oh I can’t wait for Christmas! Hehehe!

It’s really amazing how fast babies grow up. One day they’re helpless, frail and unable to stand up. The next, they’re running all over the place.

Mateo’s exactly in that stage right now. He’s become quite capable of handling himself while running. In fact, with the exception of those occasional trips and fumbles, he now deliberately runs and chases after his playmates really well. Gone are the days when andrea and I would dream about getting him a Bob stroller just so we could continue jogging while he tags along with us. There’s no need for those fast-swiveling front wheels because Mateo’s outgrown the need for a stroller already.

Yes, our little babsy has become quite a handful in just 20 months. He’s now all over the place, running everywhere inside the house, and at every opportunity he could. He’s grown so much in such a short time that there’s only last thing we fear right now. We’re worried that at the rate he’s going, he might just outgrow us in no time too. Huhuhu!

While getting thin because of stress is true for some people, it is quite the opposite for me. Because you see, when I’m stressed, I eat. That’s how I cope with conflicts. The problem is with the level of stress I’m feeling right now, I think I just might need to purchase some fat burners before it’s too late. Well, either that or I start regularly engaging in sports again to get back in shape.

With the card-giving day, final exams, and a wedding to attend to all on the same day (this Saturday), who wouldn’t feel stressed? Juggling several things simultaneously is stressful enough, but the PCTC and a final exam, with a wedding on the side, isn’t this just a bit too crazy?

Of course I would prefer the second option. It’s cheaper, healthier, and actually more fun but the problem is finding the time for it. And right now, that’s one thing I’m kinda short in (amongst other things).

Anyway, I’m just hoping that things will smoothen themselves out before Saturday. I’m so looking forward to the end of Saturday!

I’ve been teaching children for almost 5 years already. I know it doesn’t seem that long. But I was just reminded of how long that really is when I realized how different things are now from before when I was still a student.

You see, this Saturday, as part of the requirement for the extra education units I’m currently taking, I’m scheduled to take an exam (as in actually answer one instead of proctoring one), but it’s been excruciatingly difficult to prepare for it. I’ve been reading and reading these past few days (after UP called to inform me about the test schedule) but I can’t seem to perfectly recall everything I read. It’s like my brain is refusing to remember too many details (or more correctly, trivial information).

It’s so different from when I was back in college. I mean coming from a BS. course that heavily relies on memorization (Biology), my battering average lately in retention is squat. That’s how different things are right now for me. That’s why I realized it’s been quite a while… a real long while since I knew how it felt to cram for an exam, since I last panicked for a test, since I last forced myself to concentrate this much, since I last felt what it feels like to be a student. Five years!

In these past five years my brain has switched preference to memorizing other details such as car specifications, laptop configurations, best vacation spots, Caribbean villa rentals, infant apparels, infant milk formula brands, etc. Jogging it to remember how to remember the way it used to is frustratingly very difficult. And with only a day more to go before the test, the pressure mounts even more. Huhu! I hope my brain remembers how to think like a student again before Saturday or I’m really screwed.

One of the things that made me stay and fall in love with teaching is the feeling I get (a mixture of pride, wonder, appreciation and accomplishment) whenever I see my students appreciate a topic that I just taught them.

It’s a very uplifting and addicting feeling – one that I actually depended on for the past 5 years. But it’s not something that is easy to come by. Continue reading »