I Will Stay Up Late Tonight!

Done with my Learning Plans

...with my Visual Aids and PowerPoint Presentations

...with my Assessment Tools

I'm prepared physically and emotionally for tomorrow's class..

Then, City Mayor Rex Gatchalian announced that there will be NO CLASSES tomorrow, August 19, 2013.

Should I be sad?

Of course not! Actually, I could never be happier... 

More time to rest...

More time to play my mobile games...

More time to watch movies...

[then my daydream bubble popped]

Oops! I remember I have a lot of structured readings for my graduate class! Yeah, right! Time to catch up... Will spend the whole day tomorrow for those! 

[sigh]

But if there is really something that I could really enjoy about this suspension...staying up late tonight and watching Gandang Gabi Vice (GGV)...Yes! I will laugh hard tonight - bet on it! 

What?! DORIS BIGORNIA is one of the guests! OMG! I am a fan of this very comical news presenter of ABS-CBN!

I am gonna die laughing tonight! :D

A Manic and Stormy Monday

It's raining cats and dogs outside! Typhoon Labuyo is giving his last blow before he leaves the country.

Our local government declared no classes to those flood-prone areas only. Guess what? Our barangay is very fortunate not to be included on the list (hehe). When I came to school, I could tell with the students' gloomy facial expressions that most of them were disappointed (even some of the teachers are quite frustrated as well... and that includes me.. hehe). I thought we could have an extension for our long weekend last week. It seemed that everyone was really expecting for a class suspension today. 

But gone with those wishful thinking, we proceeded with our normal routines. 

It's so hard for me to continue discussing with somehow displeased bunch of students. So, to lighten up their moods, I gave some incentives for those who were present. I gave them plus ten chips for their class performance - the perks of coming to class in the midst of typhoon. 

Wow! What a manic and stormy Monday for all of us! :D

A Teacher's Prayer

Before I start teaching, it has become my habit to recite this prayer silently. It makes me feel more confident that I can help each of my students to achieve not only our learning goals but also those lessons in life that they need to become better persons who know the proper path for their own brighter future.

Here is "A Teacher's Prayer" written by James J. Metcalfe:

I want to teach my students how
To live this life on earth,
To face its struggles and its strife
And to improve their worth.
Not just the lesson in a book,
Or how the rivers flow,
But to choose the proper path,
Wherever they may go.
And know right from wrong,
And gather all the beauty of
A flower and a song,
In wisdom and grace,
Then I feel that I have won
And I have filled my place.
That I may do my part,
For character and confidence
And happiness of heart.

I even have my copy of it posted in my Daily Lesson Log cover. Here it is, if you like it as well, feel free to download this image:

2013 DepEd-NCR Uniform Designs

The following uniform designs and descriptions are prescribed by the Department of Education-National Capital Region for teaching personnel. These are to be worn every Wednesday.

The teachers are free to purchase and obtain the prescribed uniform materials from any retailers as long as they comply with the standards of National Uniform Committee. 

I have bought mine from 999 mall in Divisoria.

Multimedia in Teaching

Multimedia through Computer Technology

Multimedia is the integration of different media content like text, graphic/still images, audio, video, animation, and even interactivity. As an advocate of 21st Century Learning, I highly recommend this approach to all the teachers, who would like to redefine pedagogic scheme in view of the omnipresent technology.

Let me cite some of its advantages first:

• It engages learners in accomplishing certain tasks that involve computer and multimedia applications
• It empowers them to create and design their own presentation and flow of thought through multimedia
• It becomes a medium for the students to represent and express their prior and captured knowledge
• In the study conducted by Carver, Lehrer, Connell, and Ericksen (1992), they list some of the major thinking skills that learners learn and use as multimedia designers:
• Project management skill
• Research skill
• Organization and representation skill
• Presentation skill
• Reflection skill

About the disadvantages, I can say that the cost of developing a sophisticated multimedia application is one of its major limitations. Considering some high end hardware and software supports is also one. Sometimes, overuse of multimedia contents could distract the learner from your real learning objectives.

Developing a multimedia application would require us to meet some hardware and software considerations. The more sophisticated multimedia application we are eyeing to develop would mean more high-end hardware and software requirements.

Basically, for some hardware considerations, we need to have some of the essential computer components like:

• Monitor screen – as much as possible with wider screen for better view of image editing
• Scanners – flatbed or portable, nowadays we have the scanner integrated to our printer device
• Microphone and speakers – for sound/audio recording
• Computer pen and pad – for graphic creations
• Computer processors and memory – as much as possible the computer unit must be high-end to meet the latest version of multimedia authoring programs

      For some software considerations:

•        Audio editing software like Audacity
•        Video editing software like Windows Movie Maker
•        Animation authoring tool like Adobe Flash or Macromedia Director 

Amazing Human Statue Artist

While looking for some files on my  laptop,  I came across with this photo that I captured during my photography class. This mime statue artist amazed us with his statue-like makeup, posing as if he were really a living statue. According to those bystanders, they were the usual performers at Seaside Boulevard of SM Mall of Asia. 

M.O.A. Seaside Human Statue Artist

Breaking Free from Stress

My daily planner is full of dates to remember, deadlines to beat, appointments, tasks and of course reminders for things to accomplish within the day, weeks and months. I never thought that my school year will start like this. SO HECTIC! Well I know that stress is part of our daily life; we can never hide from it, especially if you are a teacher. Perhaps, even the best teachers in town, if inundated by tons and loads of paper works, will also feel a nerve-racked. Graduate schooling also adds pressures, class reporting and research works overwhelm me every weekend.

Wait! I am not complaining about the complexities of my profession… it is just that, I feel the need to break free from stress), learn how to enjoy while working and live a more satisfying life.  There are so many techniques on how we can live a stress free life, self-help books, websites and stress management programs are prevalent nowadays (it just shows that many are in need of help on how to beat stress). In this post I want to share some of my personal strategies in beating stress, perhaps some of them may also work for you.

1. Set priorities
• Setting priorities in work is one of the sure-fire ways to avoid stress. Always remind yourself of the old adage that time is gold. Have a clear short-term and long-term plans. Be sure that you are spending your time with what you considers significant for your personal or professional growth. If a paper work will be due by tomorrow, will you still consider watching your favorite movie overnight?
2. Make the most of your breaks
• I consider my breaks or vacant time as equally important as my working time. It is a time for me to temporarily detach myself from my work routines and enjoy a casual conversation with my co-teachers. Also, I will never miss to take my "power lunch" and to indulge myself with some snacks. 
3. Enjoy a mental vacation 
• Because my schedule is always compromised, it is seldom that I travel for pleasure. But, through visualization, we can enjoy the power of mental vacation. There are so many ways to do this: 
• Read your favorite book in bed. I suggest that you should read books aside from the subject matter you teach. Try reading novels, it will divert your attention and help you refocus your thoughts.
• Listen to relaxing music. Put on your earphones and indulge yourself with relaxing music, while visualizing a green field or a beautiful beach scene during a calm morning.
• Take a walk. We are all aware that walking is a form of cardiovascular exercise. Find a quite place in your school or a peaceful park in your community and savor this relaxing moment.
4. Enough sleep, balance diet and exercise
• One of the most crucial factors for a staying power of an in-service teacher is her health. Have a healthy lifestyle. Eat to beat stress. It also pays off to take multivitamins. 
• Exercise is really a challenge for most teachers. Honestly, at first, I really find it hard to include this in my daily routine. But discipline is the key to achieve a healthy physique. 
• For adults like us, 7-9 hours of sleep is considered healthy. 
5. Create a happy environment
• This is my favorite best practice in beating stress. My school head always tells us that we should create our own good weather to feel good. This becomes my credo. I usually surround myself with things that will remind me that I am happy with my job and confident with my self. Place a picture frame of your loved ones in your table. Post your favorite moving quotations in your message board. Most importantly, surround yourself with colleagues that are full of positive energies.