Professor A (a.k.a. Miss A., that's me!)

A few months ago my high school buddy (and 4-years laboratory partner) asked me if I wanted to teach. I said yes not knowing that I would actually start teaching a graduating class by September.

I did not know what I had gotten myself into. 

And I must say I have new-found respect to the teaching profession. It's not easy and very challenging. I found myself STUDYING and doing research. It would take me at least 3 hours to prepare for a 90 minute class. 

Because of my work I do a number of speaking engagement, so I stupidly thought that teaching a class would be as easy. I was wrong. Teaching a class is very different from going through a preso to an audience you will just see for an hour. When you teach a class there is a deeper commitment to engage the audience, because at the end of the term you will ask yourself, "Did they honestly learn something from me?"

I was out for three weeks because of my sickness and I realized after going back to teach that I missed my students. They were not as kulit as I expected. There was a good balance between brilliant kids and the lazy ones. And well from my desk in front I think I kinda know who's going to be ahead (well more or less).

I just hope though I won't be as sorely disappointed with myself since I feel I would've been able to give more to my students, but sometimes ya-know things just get really crazy. 

To my students, we have one class day left! Woohoo! or Awww? Hope you picked up something from me and good luck with your thesis!

Aliens and Teaching

I was at the Enterprise Center waiting for a friend and was quite bored so I took a snap of the Makati skyline and was surprised with the result, check this out:

Photo taken with a Nokia N70.

See the three glowing lights beside the buildings. Aliens! I thought.

Aliens huh? The glowing thingies are just actually the reflection of the ceiling lights and NOT aliens. Will they even bother visiting the Philippines? Hmmm… I don’t even want to think about it coz aliens kinda freak me out.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

So I had my fourth class session today and I had my students do group work that involved bond paper and crayons. I thought that they should have a little fun while learning.

I actually almost joined the academe right after graduation, but I was lured to join the corporate world and I had to make a choice a week before classes started. So here I am today.

I always wanted to teach. I remember when I was a kid I would teach my yaya how to read (with matching blackboard!) and I’d get mad whenever she was lazy to do her writing homework (LOL). I eventually taught catechism in our parish and then backstopped for Miguel’s nursery teacher whenever she couldn’t make it to class (the kids called me Teacher Mommy back then).

It’s in my blood. My Dad taught in Ateneo de Naga while he was waiting for the results of the board exam. My Kuya taught in DLSU too and my Ate now teaches too in the US. My Mom sometimes teaches crafts to kids and as an outreach for livelihood projects in the parish. I have a grandmother who used to be a high school principal in Davao. So, you get the picture.

And I guess no matter where you go and no matter how busy you get when you say you want to teach… just DO IT. I do hope tough that my students would eventually pick up something from me that they’d manage to use when they graduate.