Category Archives: Teaching

back to work

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We’re back to the grueling everyday life of teachers. After midterms week where students only take the exam and then go home at lunch time, and the no classes announcement yesterday, I had extremely difficulty getting my groove back. I had difficulty waking up this morning because there was still this cold, rainy atmosphere and it felt too good to cuddle with my two boys. Even Mateo woke up later than usual. I was even sad that my double periods had to be on a tuesday. Oh well, I don’t think I’m up and running already. Hopefully before the week ends I readjust to my daily schedule.

no kids = bliss

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There are no classes tomorrow!!! Yipee!!! I don’t think any number of exclamation marks can accurately express my giddy happiness upon learning of this great piece of news. Although teachers are still required to report for work, our official time tomorrow is from 8am to 2pm which is still so much better than a regular class day.

There are currently three teachers in our house: me, Ramil, and my sister. All three of us were working by checking test papers and doing lesson plans when we found out about the no classes announcement. We dropped everything that we were doing like a hot pancake and proceeded to do other things like watch tv, read a book, surf the net, and blog! :D

breeding athletes

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The school where I teach is very popular for its football program. Everyone plays football in that school, even preschoolers. We have students who are really great football players and as early as now, I can foresee their very bright future in this sport. Some of our grade 3 students can kick a ball really hard that it can knock a person off his or her feet. I’m not exaggerating and no, they’re not taking any legal steroids either. That’s why as early as now, Mateo knows the words ‘kick’, ‘goal’, ‘soccer’, and ‘football’. He watches little kids playing soccer in the field and he’d cry out ‘kick’ or ‘goal’, while scrambling to get out of his yaya’s reach so he can go out in the field too. Ramil and I don’t have definite dreams of bringing him up to be an excellent athlete. It would still be great if he does grow up to be one. Right now, we’re just happy he enjoys it even though all he can do is kick the ball and he doesn’t know exactly yet how to play the game. We know he’ll get to choose his own interests and we’ll just be there to support him.

crunch time

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This week is crunch time for my students because it’s midterm week in our school. Ramil and I had our own crunch time last week when we were rushing to finish the midterm exams for our respective classes. For two weeks, we had to stay up late. I’ve had to use my acne cream once again because I started breaking out from lack of sleep and too much coffee. This week, it’s the students turn to be stressed. I love exams week, all we have to do is to proctor the exams and check the papers afterwards. I just have to be better prepared as the trimestral week approaches so that I can hopefully limit rushing my exams and sleeping late.

in defense of myself

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Just a few weeks ago, I made one of the biggest decision I’ve ever made as a mother. It was a decision that I’m sure many mothers out there had to make. It was a decision that made my heart break into a million pieces. Looking back, it was a decision that was necessary and I hope the decision I made was what God wanted me to do.

I’ve officially left the ranks of stay-at-home-moms (SAHMs). Not that I was a 100% SAHM in the first place but I barely considered my 10-month stint as a part-time teacher a job. Nevertheless, I’m a 100% hands-on mom. Even Ramil, despite having a regular, full-time job, was a hands-on dad. Even before I gave birth, I knew I wanted to be the one taking care of my baby. When I gave birth last January 2007, it was natural for me not to go back to teaching anymore. It was just Mateo and me for five months. No yaya. No grandparents. No relatives.

The next schoolyear brought me out of being a full-time SAHM. I decided to try teaching part-time, not really for the money (though we need money too) but because I felt that I needed to go out of the house from time to time. So for 10 months, Mateo will be left with the yaya for three hours from Mondays to Thursdays. It was perfect for us. I get to do everything for him as a mama and yet I still get to enjoy what I like doing, teaching.

This year I was bent on teaching part-time again. However, a lot of math teachers from last year left and I was given a load that’s appropriate for a full-time teacher. Unlike last time when I would just be asked to report to school during times when I have classes, this year the principal asked five hours a day from me and was actually trying to persuade me to go full-time. Since five hours is a considerably long time, Ramil stepped in and told me to just choose between going full-time or staying at home altogether. Rather than a five-hour part-time work, might as well stay an additional three hours everyday and get the benefits of a full-time teacher if I decide to keep working. So we worked something out with the school. We’re allowed to bring Mateo and the yaya. Ramil and I have ‘shifting’ schedules – he starts real early and goes home early too while I start a bit late and goes home late too. That way, we get to limit Mateo’s time in school.

I prayed hard for it and tried to consider a lot of things. I ended up saying yes to a full-time teaching job. The day Ramil and I gave our answer was a day I think I will remember for a long time. I cried buckets that night and for many nights after. I wanted to go back and take back what I said. I cried for my time with Mateo that will be lost. I cried for all the things that I will not be able to do for him. I cried for all the things that I will not be able to teach him. It was a total guilt-trip, not to mention a not-so-mild case of separation anxiety. I kept asking Ramil whether we made the right decision or not. I asked him whether Mateo will be able to understand in his own way why everything has to change. Why I will not be able to spend time with him like I used to. Why he has to stay with somebody he doesn’t really know yet. Why we won’t get to do things like we used to.

If I was able to find somebody to handle my teaching load, I would have swallowed my pride and decency and quit as fast as I could. But I think it God wanted me to stay put because no replacement appeared no matter how hard I prayed. The whole thing from the dilemma to the way I felt about it might be too melodramatic for some people but if you’re a mother like me, you’d know what I mean.

There were only three things that will make me feel that we didn’t make a mistake with our decision. These are Mateo’s health, development, and behavior. Unfortunately, after a week of going to school with us, his amoebiasis recurred. It was good that Ramil and I were able to act quickly so he only had diarrhea for two days. He’s still undergoing medication right now but he’s on his way to total recovery. We only hope that this time, we totally eliminate the amoeba. One thing that I think won’t suffer is his development. He still gets to interact with a lot of people so his mind is also continually stimulated. He’s also been given permission to sit-in with the toddler class so he’d surely learn a lot of things. I’m also particularly concerned with his behavior. Mateo has a tendency to be strongheaded and I’m afraid that if I lessen my presence then I lessen my authority too. So far, I haven’t seen anything that would indicate that he’s negatively affected with the arrangements we’ve made. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Right now, I’m just letting go and letting God. I’m a believer of karma too and I believe that taking good care of my other kids (my students) and loving them would make sure that Mateo gets the same from his yaya and from other people around him. I know he understands. I actually tried explaining it to him even before I committed to a full-time job. Everything is going great right now, we’re very lucky to find a yaya who’s good with him. I still get that guilty feeling every now and then though, I just need to remember that Ramil and I are doing as much as we can right now.

So is this post in defense of myself? To myself, yes. I just have to read this again when guilt strikes.

off to a good start, hopefully

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We’re now entering the second week of school and already, we missed a day because of typhoon Frank. I would have expected myself to be ecstatic about it. Even though I was grateful for the extra day that Ramil and I get to stay home and spend more time with Mateo, I was surprisingly a little bit pissed off because it would delay my schedule. I would lose precious meetings with my classes which means my lessons would be delayed by at least a day. Since I’m still pretty much on time with my preparations (read:a week ahead), the OC in me got frustrated over not being able to keep up with the academic budget I’ve set.

I’m off to a good start this school year. Still not as great as I would want it to be but good enough especially since we’ve got a spanking, newly-constructed, air-conditioned teachers’ lounge. My little pleasures as a teacher are my own personal space and an air-conditioned place I could stay in during breaks. Certainly puts me in a good disposition. Everything looks nice now in our lounge, everyone has their own cubicle and despite some CAT6 cables scattered here and there, the place is pretty much organized.

On another note, it’s such a relief that Mateo and the new yaya are getting along great. Sometimes too great, much to my dismay. I guess it’s just the jealous mama in me, which I’m trying to squish by the way. Mateo would definitely be better off if they fall in love with each other. They’re now certified playmates and sometimes, Mateo would call out her name as if asking to be saved whenever Ramil and I are berating him for some naughty deed. He’s also adjusting well to being in school everyday. It’s good that out of his 5-6 hours stay in school, 2 hours is spent on nap time. Also, his social skills are now superb. He’d willingly say hi even to students he doesn’t even know. It’s also great for him to always be surrounded by teachers. I am so grateful for our co-teachers, they also make it a point to converse with him and check on him whenever they see him around school. I’d even often catch some of them teaching him things and some tricks.

So yes, after weeks of terrible adjustment, we’re all okay now (I think). I’m optismistic about the next few weeks and months ahead. I just need to remember to keep my thoughts and actions positive.

still here

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Classes has officially started last Friday. Tomorrow will mark the end of the first week of classes and I am still alive, thank you. Mateo, on the other hand, had cough for more than a week. He’s been very choosy with his food lately. He’d prefer to socialize with the many people around him. I’m really hoping that things get easier the next few weeks, once we get used to our school routine. In two weeks, teh preschool department will also be starting their classes and I think Mateo will be more than happy with that since he’s been granted permission to sit-in on classes from time to time. I still have a ton of paperwork to do for submission tomorrow, it feels like a gold chain is slowly tightening around my neck. I can’t afford to be lax in my work since my time with Mateo si what’s going to suffer. I think I’m going to need a lot of energy in the next ten months.

updates

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I haven’t updated my blog in quite awhile. Blame it on my decision to go back to teaching full-time! Hehe! I’ve been so busy the past week trying to prepare for the opening of classes tomorrow. Mateo has had two yayas in a span of a week. Ramil and I have resorted to getting one from an agency since we really couldn’t find anyone. The first yaya we got from the agency was okay but still really young. We were willing to let her stay but after a few days with us, she got a call from her mom in Zamboanga informing her that her younger sister died. So we had to let her go and the agency gave us another one. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the new one is better so far. She’s only been with us for three days so we’re still keeping our fingers crossed that we finally found someone for keeps.

Ever since I’ve been reporting for work full-time, Mateo has been a regular schoolgoer too. Ramil’s work hours are from 7am to 3pm while mine is 9am to 5pm. Mateo and the yaya goes to school with me at 9am while they go home with Ramil at 3pm. Since our house is just a mere 5-minute drive from school, he’s adjusting well to the set-up. Although I cried for several nights over our time together that will be lost, I’m lucky that I still get to see him at least every 30 minutes whenever we’re in school. My little boy is growing up so fast, it’s so easy to get sentimental lately. I even fixed a lot of his baby clothes last weekend so I can keep them in the cabinet because they don’t fit him anymore. He’s such a talker now and would sometimes easily say phrases. He also likes to sing with me even though he’d only end up singing the last words of each line of a song. I still worry that we might be ‘sending’ him to school early, though we’ve noticed a big improvement on his social skills. Here’s a picture of my boy from two weeks ago, definitely not a baby anymore.

not so baby anymore

To Do List tag

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Litzie tagged me with a to-do-list. I used to have a post-it on my desktop for my to-do-list. I’m one of those who likes to be organized by listing down things I need to do. It brings me great pleasure to be able to cross out items on my list. So before lounging around this weekend, here’s my to-do-list for next week:

  1. Finish the academic budget for trigonometry, which I’m going to be teaching this coming schoolyear.
  2. Finish a total of 6 SMOs (subject matter outlines): 1 for Grade 6 Math, 2 for Year 2 Algebra, and 3 for Trigo (and I’m supposed to be a part-time teacher :D ).
  3. Finish at least 2 pages of Mateo’s first year book. I’ve only finished layouting the first 10 pages, wah!
  4. Upload new themes on this blog.
  5. Fix my photoblog.
  6. Clean the bathrooms.
  7. Change the bedsheets.
  8. Get a list of drug rehab center that neighbor’s son could get into.

There are several more I can think of but I don’t want to risk getting overwhelmed and not doing anything at all. Haha!

Show me your list… Kathy, Jeng, Jenn. If you’d like to do this too, feel free to snag it.

BUSY PEOPLE: 1.) my chopsuey 2.) mind bubbles 3.) vanity kit 4.) somethingpurple 5.) a detour 5.) Confessions of a Supermodel Wannabe 6.) Mommy Talks. 7.) Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps 8.) Winding Creek Circle 9.) Pink and Brown Diaries. 10.) My BIG Picture. 11.) crazy mama

on growing

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I’m so amazed with how fast children grow. Before I experienced this with Mateo, I witnessed this with my students. On my first year of teaching, I was the math teacher for the grade four class. They were a bunch of boisterous, gregarious kids. Some of them were so small, they look like first graders. This coming June, the same class will be in first year high school and I am amazed at how fast and how big they’ve grown. Some are experiencing growth spurts. The girls are starting to look like young ladies. Some of them might be needing an acne treatment soon. I sometimes feel like they are my own kids already! Soon, they will not be kids anymore. I dread the day when I’d see them graduate from high school. Of course, I’d be happy for them and I’d be hoping they turn out to be fine young people.