Demo Teaching this Week!

What?! Time is flying so fast and I just realized that this week is my schedule for teaching demonstration. I don't know what gets in me... why I did not prepare for it last week, or yesterday... ah.. perhaps deep within me, I was hoping for a reschedule, a thing that will never happen. The department doesn't have any special event this week, and even if our head teacher will need to attend a meeting with the principal or outside the school, we have two master teachers that will be in-charge for the observation. 

So.... it leaves me no options but to really prepare for my teaching demonstration. This kind of performance assessment for teachers is something I am not really afraid of.. actually this event excites me because it gives me opportunity to showcase and share my best practices in teaching. However, since I was flooded with other paper works, reading assignments for GURO21 class last week, I failed to allot a time for developing my lesson plan and instructional materials to be used for my demo. But it's not too late, most probably I will be scheduled this Wednesday or Friday, I can still work it out... I have a wonderful lesson plan in mind and I am very eager put it into action. As for my best practice, I would like to showcase the power of our new Net Support for School, a network application which is specially designed for computer laboratories. 

I have decided to choose HTML Images as my topic, since I personally love discussing it every time I teach our web designing course. 

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By the way, yesterday, when I went to National Bookstore to buy some school stuff... I came across with a very fancy 2014 organizer/planner. The cover is black and red with stripes of "very gay" color combinations and four columns of silver cats arranged in the front page LOL ... although the outside cover and paper colors are really awkward, I still bought it...why? Because it will really guide you to live a happy life... it's like a mini-scrap book of things that you ought to do for the month, like music to listen, sports/activities to try, movies to watch, places to travel, and many more.

TECHNOLYMPICS 2013

This week was indeed tiring but satisfying. Our department joined the annual TECHNOLYMPICS, as part of Department of Education's Festival of Talents that showcased the skills and talents of our students in different fields of Technology and Livelihood Education.

The following are the different categories of events that were held last November 13 to 15:

Information and Communications Technology

• Tarpaulin Designing
• Web Page Designing
• PC Assembly 

Home Economics 

• Nail Art with Hand Massage
• Children's Wear Construction (casual for girls, 5-6 years old)
• Hair Style with Make-Up

Agri-Fishery Arts

• Experimental Fish Dish
• Chicken Experimental Cookery

Industrial Arts

• Photo Silkscreen Printing and Designing
• Creative Steel Baluster Making
• Mini Cabinet Organizer
• Landscaping

We joined only five events and fortunately bagged 2 fourth places for Web Designing and Tarpaulin Designing, and one first place for Landscaping. I trained the two contestants for the two ICT contests. Although, we really aimed for first place, it seemed that there were still more deserving students that were also competitive to represent our division. Nevertheless, I am still very proud of my students, who did their very best to win it. 

There is still one event that we are preparing for.. the ICT Festival, which is most probably to be held this coming December. We are very positive that for that coming event, we will take home the championship! 

I, together with Ms. Lerine, was assigned to host the opening and closing ceremonies of this event. Also, my head teacher asked me to design the official banner for our Division Level TECHNOLYMPICS 2013:

TECHNOLYMPICS 2013

Rise Up Again Filipinos!

I feel really sad about what happened last week to the victims of the super typhoon Yolanda. I never expected that the death toll was feared to be at 10,000 (what happened to the pre-emptied evacuation?). There's no use blaming who should be accountable for this. Calamities are unavoidable, we could only do precautionary measures to be at least safe from its rage. 

Many were shocked about how devastating the "storm surge" was. Despite President Aquino's plead to all Filipinos to be serious in preparation for this typhoon, grabbing another TV prime time air slot, it seemed that some still stayed in their homes near the coastal area. But I've heard that there was an evacuation area that was also affected by the flood caused by storm surge. Now I start to wonder if the people there in Leyte and other affected areas were really informed what storm surge really is, that it is a flood caused by the brushing of strong and high-speed winds by the typhoon, piling up the water above the normal sea level. Perhaps, if they were really informed properly, they could have chosen safer  evacuation areas, so lesser casualties and victims could be expected. Also, I wonder if there were really force evacuation done a day before the typhoon land to the province. [sigh] 

Again, it useless to blame anyone here. What we should do is to think of a way on how we can be of help to all our "kababayan" who became victims of this catastrophe. A small deed of participating in a donation campaign in our school can be a great way to express our compassion to those who were affected. Or if there is not yet any campaign for it, please by all means initiate this project. It could help a lot. 

God please help our fellow countrymen to stand up again after this tragedy. We are strong. But with You... we are STRONGER. 

Super Typhoon "Yolanda"

Oh-my! This is not really a nice sight to see.

Super Typhoon Yolanda

A screenshot of the Super Typhoon "Yolanda" from PAG-ASA-DOST website. It has a maximum sustained winds of 215 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 250 kph. It is forecast to move West Northwest at 33 kph. US meteorologists labeled this typhoon as the 'most powerful typhoon for 2013.'

Although it will not directly affect the National Capital Region, I am still praying earnestly for the safety of our fellow countrymen in the Visayas region. I hope that they will do all the precautionary measures (like pre-emptied evacuation) to be safe during the rage of this typhoon.  

Keep safe everyone.

GURO21 (Gearing Up Responsible and Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia for the 21st Century)

Today, I attended the orientation for GURO21 (Gearing Up Responsible and Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia for the 21st Century) at DepEd NCR conference room. The orientation was facilitated by the specialists from SEAMEO-INNOTECH. 

I was somehow awestruck at first because what I saw inside the conference room were pack of school heads. I thought I went to the wrong venue, but I knew I really heard it right from the office personnel. Oh-my! The current orientation was really for school heads for their ICeXCEL course. I was just relieved when I learned that our orientation was just a make-up, since I wasn't able to attend the actual orientation yesterday. I became more comfortable when I met some fellow teachers from different divisions that were also attending the make-up orientation with the INNOTECH tutors. 

We all listened attentively to the presentations of Mr. Pierre Alejo, discussing about the background of SEAMEO-INNOTECH and features of the GURO21 courses. Ms. Joan Atienza gave her comprehensive orientation on how to use the iFlex interface, as the platform for our online learning. 

We all received our copies of this Interactive CD, which included the 2 modules:

• Module 1: Equipping Teachers with Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Values for the 21st Century; and
• Module 2: Facilitating 21st Century Learning

Guro21 Interactive CD

I am really looking forward that this six-week professional development and learning experience will bring me to greater heights when it comes to my advocacy for 21st century student learning. 

Welcome Sweet Second Semester!

I am just full of positive vibes now and I feel like the universe is not picking on me this time hehe.. I don't know but I just woke up in the mood, have a hearty breakfast, exercise for ten minutes and I went to school brimming with confidence and hope for a "happy back to school day" after the semestral break. 

Flashback: I had an awful lot of bad days before the first semester ended, and it seemed that the world was closing in on me... But I just let those things happen... Recognize them as process that everyone would undergo in this journey called life. OK, so you're wondering what is this I am talking about... I'm not going to discuss it here further as part of my moving on process. I want to forget it, bury it in a deep blue sea. It's not because I'm trying to hide from it, but it's just that I don't want to complicate it more... I would really like to forget it BUT I am keeping those lessons I've learned. As the old adage goes: "It is through rough waters that one will become a more skillful sailor." I get to know myself and the people around me better after what happened and it seems that this adds up to my golden treasure of experience. 

---[transition with bright light and whoosh sound effects]---

So let us go back to this wonderful day (and hopefully days ahead).

One great news I learned from my head teacher was that I was chosen to participate the SEAMEO INNOTECH GURO21 (Gearing Up Responsible and Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia for the 21st Century)! Four high schools in our division were invited to participate for this batch. For sure this will be another enlightening and challenging experience. The course covers the following modules:

• Module 1: Equipping Teachers with Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Values for the 21st Century; and
• Module 2: Facilitating 21st Century Learning

Another good thing that happens today was the Day 1 training of my students for the upcoming TECHNOLYMPICS. I was surprised by the visit of Genesis, one of my best students ever, who already won a web designing contest. I was glad to know that he was more than willing to support us in preparing Elton for the web designing contest.

When our head teacher posted the result of the last quarter examination, I was also amazed with the mastery level of my students. Very remarkable!

My fourth year class (out of 24 sections)

Top 1 - St. Peter (expected, they are the pilot section)

Top 3 - St. Timothy  

Top 8 - St. Patrick 

Top 11 - St. Joseph

Top 1 - Grade 8-Sampaguita (also expected, pilot section)

I can feel it.. there are a lot that is in store for me and my students this second semester! 

Life is really a roller coaster ride. I may experience some bumps and rough waters, but it doesn't mean that I should stop or quit in pursuing my dreams. I am keeping my faith. I know that there is someone up there that loves me. He knows what my heart desires. 

A prayer that says it all:

Lord,

You know all things,

You can do all things,

and You love me very much.