Master of None

There are two things in life that I want to have but seem bleak as of now. One is a super fit body (notice that I used fit, not hot!) and an MA degree. The first one seems more palpable, since it requires less financial obligations and health hazards, while the other one is simply unattainable for now.

My boss have asked me the question countless of times. "When are you going to take your MA?". It's not even a question of whether I will or will not. She just conveniently assumed that I will.  And I do want to. But...it's not exactly simple. There are many (excuses) reasons as to why I can't get that MA degree. I know the pay off is good for me, but I think that the cons outweigh the pros. Or am I just overly rationalizing this?

1.  I don't have enough money for an MA education
While there may be many ways to work around this, such as student loans, scholarships, financial aids, or simple going to a more affordable university I think that I am a.) not qualified to get a student loan b.) not smart and hardworking enough to get and maintain a scholarship and c.) I'm too stubborn to go to a school that I'm not confident in. Many people have told me to just try out one of those three solutions, but I guess I have more buts, rather than guts.

2.  I don't know what degree to take
Geminis are known to be fickle-minded. I am a living testimony to that belief. I have too many options, and I'm too lazy to narrow them down. Choosing one among my options feels like Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, though I still don't have children, I could just imagine how hard it can be.

3.  I don't think I have the time and energy
A full-time job leaves not a lot of time for self-pampering and relaxation. Sure, there's the weekend to attend classes, but that's another major sacrifice. I hate the idea of waking up early for six days straight, then having to drag myself and face Metro Manila traffic, then sit on my butt for half a day. There's a gazillion of other fun things I could have done with that time. I could have slept for ten hours, have my nails done, eat a nice home-cooked meal, watch TV, surf the net, take a nap even if I just woke up, go out and watch a movie with Macmac, my boyfriend...and the list can go on and on and on...

And I have to teach and study? Teacher by day, student by night. I don't think I'm born for that kind of double life. For those who can, I salute you. But for those who can't (like me), I UNDERSTAND.

I once considered trying UP Open University and earn an MA degree in the comforts of my home and schedule. But I know there's a catch. It's either I won't learn anything, or there's too many work to be done. There are really no more shortcuts in this world.

4.  Monetary advancement is not that big
I work in a school. Schools are poor and teachers are more poor. Getting an MA won't necessarily make me a millionaire.

If there's a will there's a way. Kung ayaw may dahilan, kung gusto palaging merong paraan. I know someday, I would have to take up my MA. The ideal scenario really is to start now while I'm young and much more able to face the demands of graduate studies. But I simply don't want to take up MA just for the sake of it. Maybe someday, somehow, a beam of inspiration, dedication, and a pot of gold will get me there. But for now, I'm happy with what I have.

Last of the sem break week and my Youtube faves

Hey non-existent readers! Haha. It's a Friday, and I just realized that my last post was from the first day of sem break, and now it's already the last! How time flies. Before I went on break, I have a gazillion of to-do lists for work. Grades, lesson plans, handouts, vocabulary words (which I need for Monday, btw!) and a gazillion more things that a teacher needs to do. But instead, I literally, just bummed around the house the whole week.

Most of my week was consumed over youtube surfing and pinning on Pinterest. How productive! But hey, I'm on vacation, so I figured, why not do just that?!

I just want to share my most favorite people on Youtube. These people are my inspiration (meaning my girl crushes) when it comes to fashion, music, and fitness. Sometimes, all we need is a little bit of inspiration for motivation!

1. Cassey Ho of Blogilates.com

For great cardio (think HIIT workouts) and pilates, the go-to gal is definitely Cassey (wow, rhyming pa!). She also does some quick and easy healthy recipes, which is a bummer because most of the ingredients she uses are not available here in the Philippines. Though I don't do much of her Pop pilates moves because di ko pa keri ang pilates haha. What I get most of the time from Cassey are her Pop Kicks and her Pop Cardio  workouts, which can kill you afterwards! I guess my ultimate Cassey goal is to be able to do her pilates moves without seriously injuring myself!

2. Karena and Katrina of Toneitup.com

They workout in the beach, so doing the workout with them feels like I'm on the beach as well!

Don't they look amazing?! They have tons of workouts for every body part and every season in their website, and they even have a nutrition plan to help everyone lose weight. (You have to buy the nutrition plan, though) I love the fact that they seem so relatable to real women. Katrina (the blonde one) has lost 23 pounds in four months, thanks to working out and eating healthy. And they continue to inspire women everyday. They are living proofs that beach babes have all the fun.

Love those beachy hair waves.

3. Janice and Sonia of jayesslee

Nope, they're not fitness gurus. They're singers, really really good singers. I'm a big fan of these girls from down under (love their accent) because a.) I love their songs, b.) I love what they're wearing in all of their vids, c.) they have amazing hair. Talent, fashion sense, and hair. Three things that I wish I could have! Haha. my most favorite jayesslee cover would have to be Dare You to Move by Switchfoot. Runner up would be all their other covers!

All women in my list share one thing in common: They run their own empire. They are empowered, dedicated, talented. Beauty and brains. I wish I could be just a fraction on them in the very near future!

xo,
KC

Sem Break Day One

You have no idea how liberating it feels when I can strut around the house in the morning and see people get ready for work while I sit around and do nothing. Haha. The perks of sem break.

So, first official day of sem break was spent watching a local movie - A Secret Affair. And I swear, almost everyone who was in the cinema when we watched were senior citizens. Seriously haha. 

If I would be asked to describe the movie in word, it would be CONFUSED. A whole lot of the movie was confused. I was confused. It was very confusing! Why the hell did Anne's character ran away the night before her wedding? Why the hell did Derek and Andi's character did it in a construction site (seriously, eeww yun ha.)? Why the hell are they so damn rich? Why is Tim Yap there? Why do they keep on talking in English?! Di ba sila marunong mag-tagalog?? Pang-Oscars ba to? WHY IS JACKLYN JOSE'S LIPSTICK FUCHSIA PINK?!?

To watch a movie and have multitude of questions unanswered is not very satisfying. Mahirap mag-concentrate. I guess the biggest, and most confusing part of the movie was, trying to decide whether it's a drama or comedy. Sadly, the movie failed in both genres. It tried to pull off a No Other Woman with the plot and the script, but it also did things that I would see in a Nickelodeon teen series. Talking Facebook and Twitter pages? Uh, ICarly lang?

The movie had some good and redeeming qualities in fairness. I liked the caladryl part. "Para sa kati mo!" 

And bakit parang hindi ako sanay makita si  Jacklyn Jose na mayaman ang role? Para sakin siya pa rin si Nay Magda hahaha.

I also liked the glass symbolism. I just don't know if the writers explicitly put it or ako lang ang naka-isip nun ('cause I'm literary like that. Lol). Anton (Derek) and Sam (Andi) had a mahalay scene in Anton's condo, on top of the glass dining table. And their romp left a small crack on the corner. Rafi (Anne) noticed it, and said something to this effect "Dapat mapalitan na 'to. Malas ang basag na glass sa bahay." (she said it in conyo talk, of course). Then, in that very awkward confrontation scene, Sam told Rafi why the glass has basag on it. And in very dramatic sloooow mooow, Rafi made sira the glass with this metal fruit bowl. 

See, the glass represents the relationship between Anton and Rafi. Then Sam symbolizes the basag on the glass. So no matter how Anton and Rafi fix their relationship, there will always be basag on it. So she made sira na lang the glass to free herself from the basag. 

I know. I should be a movie critic or something. Hahaha. I guess this is the effect of taking up literary criticism classes before. I-analyze ba?!

xo,

KC

I wonder when will the next movie come out?! (I did not make this!)

That Elusive Red Lipstick and Other Beauty Woes

I love browsing through beauty and fashion blogs as much as I love reading teacher stuff blogs. Hence, I feel so inspired to RANT about my beauty woes haha!

I'm not much of a make-up person and most of the make-up that I have are given for free, so I end up having no choice but to use them kasi sayang naman. Though I must admit that my make-up skills have improved over the years, thanks to countless hours of reading magazines and beauty and fashion blogs (for pleasure and inspiration haha!). But I'm no make-up enthusiast as well...how I wish haha!

One of my most favorite look is the pale face and red lips look. The one Anne Curtis can pull of very effortlessly. I'm no Anne Curtis, but I often see the look on other girls. Therefore, my hunt for that perfect shade of red began. Since I am very kuripot, and not used to buying lipstick, I searched for that perfect shade of red in my...mom's make-up stash! There I found VMV Lipstick in Feather Boa. It has a matte finish has that old Hollywood red to it.I immediately fell in love and stole it from the drawer, which by the way she has not noticed ever since. My only problem with this is that due to my limited make-up skills, I just can't seem to put it on smoothly and evenly. I always end up looking like a clown :( And it has a FLAT edge. Most of the lipsticks that I use have that curved end, but this has a very flat edge that makes it 1000x hard for me to pull off.

I feel so inggit whenever I read through these blogs when I see them all made up and wearing nice clothes. Sadly, most teachers have very limited options fashion and beauty-wise. One, we have to wear uniforms. Lucky for you if you go to work in your casual clothes, so don't ever complain about the dress code! I keep on asking myself "Bakit yung nagtatrabaho sa bangko, kahit naka-uniform, and ganda?" because it's true. For me, however, I look, well, like a plain teacher. So, for my next SY's resolution -- NO MORE UNIFORM! Two, we barely have time to put on decent make-up. And when I say decent make-up, I mean, from foundation, down to mascara. In my case, I have to wake-up waaay early, then eat breakfast, then off to class! No time for anything kikay. But I guess the attempt will be futile anyways. We are kinda EXPECTED to look like that.

So to end this post, keep in mind that behind a plain and simple teacher, is a girl who just wants to have time to put on that red lipstick and some mascara.




xo,
KC

Bookworm Post

So far I've been blogging about teaching, but not so much on the reading aspect. It's a shame, really, since the name of this blog is READ, teach, blog. That's why, this is my long overdue -- Bookworm Post!

I'm currently reading Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterso. I stumbled upon this book during one of my many library getaways (whenever I'm feeling sleepy in the faculty room, I go to my happy place hihi). I was supposed to borrow Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen after watching the last parts of the movie version on HBO. But apparently, someone beat me to it. So, for my library sojourn not to be wasted, I decided to look around and see what I can borrow. And then I saw Jacob... I looked at the cover (which is great, in a vague and thought-provoking way), read the summary, and was convinced that it will be good read. And besides, no one else had borrowed it. I get some sort of satisfaction when my name is the first one on the borrower's card.

Jacob Have I Loved is the story of Sara Louise and her hatred and anguish against her seemingly perfect twin sister, Caroline. Set in the Pre-WWII and many years after it in a tiny island off of Chesapeake Bay (which I never heard of, so I have to Google it), it shows how Sara Louise or 'Wheeze' as her sister nicknamed her, dealt with having a perfect sister. Caroline is delicate and charming, while Wheeze is the exact opposite, crabbing and catching oysters with the men in the island.

I like most parts of the book, especially when Wheeze had to deal with her feelings with the Captain, an elderly recluse of the island. But what I like the most is how Paterson made you feel exactly how Wheeze felt as you read her thoughts. It's like you're going through the events with her as it is happening.

It's a great book -- BUT! I haven't finished reading it yet haha. I'm already on the last chapters and I am determined to finish it tonight...because I borrowed a new book :))

I've been wanting to read The Royal Diaries ever since I saw the girls reading it. I know, it's a little teeny-bopper but I think it's really cool to read historical fiction. Yes, I am a geek. Why didn't they publish this when I was ten years old?! Anyway, I borrowed the one about Queen Victoria. It seems interesting. It has pictures and facts at the end of the novel. I'll probably read it over the sem break (happy dance...).

xo,

KC

A Teachers' Day Post

To all my former teachers, to my friends from college who eventually went on to pursue this career, to my co-teachers, to my relatives who are also teachers,  and to all the teachers everywhere, happy teachers' day :)

Back in college, people would get surprised when I tell them that I'm taking up Education. And I secretly felt a little happy about the shocked expression on their faces. Why? Because I was able to break a stereotype. That not all teachers are old and boring. That not all teachers are horrible, strict, and uptight. I was able to win a tiny battle for teachers all over the world. One notion proved wrong, one mind became enlightened.

When I was working for a BPO company, people would always ask me why I wanted to be a teacher. There's no money in teaching. Teachers become matandang dalaga. Teachers have zero social life. I would just smile and say, "Teachers are almost never unemployed. What about you?". Again, another small victory for me. Yes, it's true. There's never a teacher millionaire. Or a teacher CEO. And yes, there are many teachers who end up old maids, probably because they really don't have much of a wild social life. But why is that? Because teachers are dedicated. No matter how many times they have thrown the towel and waved the white flag, they never seem to just quit. We can't just go AWOL. Even resigning is hard to do.

Now that I have been a teacher for three years (accomplishment!), I realized that there must be some truth to  those stereotypes. Maybe because teachers are simple human beings. We don't crave for fancy things everyday. Fashion is sacrificed for the sake of comfort (If you have seen our uniforms, you would understand). We get sweaty, tired, haggard-looking, and yet we are the happy. We share our triumphs, our inis, our stress, our kapalpakan. We celebrate small things. A student with dyslexia finished her spelling words. Nobody cried in class today. The students were quiet during the test. That one girl who never eats finally ate pizza. The shy one now has a buddy to eat lunch with. And the bully finally learned to make at least one friend. 

Once someone asked me, "Do you think you are in the right profession?". Before I answered, I asked myself, "Where would I be if I'm not a teacher?". But I couldn't come up with an answer. It's not that my head went blank. I just couldn't decide. That's when I realized that I may just be on the right track simply because I'm not looking for anything else. Then I smiled at her, and said yes.

Hello October!

I can't believe it's October! One -ber month down hihi. It's been awhile since I last posted, I've been very busy with work (since when are teachers not busy with work?).

Anyway, what greeted me this morning was...a letter from a mom. Not the good kind of letter. More of a I'm-complaining-you-suck kind of letter.

First I told myself that I won't rant about it here. So I won't. Instead of ranting, I'll just smile and say...Nobody cares. There's really nothing that I can do about it. If that's her opinion, then so be it. Though she had a lot of nerve to tell me her two cents worth, I just wished she looked at her own child first. I wish she would have reflected on her "problem" first before writing me letter and cc'd my boss. I really feel that she has a problem with me personally. But then again, Nobody cares. 

So here's a word of advice to parents. Before you text, call, write, or set an appointment with your child's teacher, think first. Is it really a problem or is it just a problem that you're having because of a number of circumstances? Teachers nowadays don't just give homeworks or projects for no reason at all. And, don't expect us to respond to your call ASAP. You're not the only parent and your child is not the only student in the school. 

I hate to start my October this way. But sh*t happens. Deal with it. And remember...Nobody cares. Chill. It's not the end of the world, mother!

xo,

KC

We're cray-cray for Anchor Charts!

I love anchor charts so much that I got my students to do it also hehe.

They made their anchor charts last week when we talked about parts of a newspaper. I grouped them into 8 groups, with 4 members each and asked to them to make a poster-type of chart that will show the parts of the newspaper. For the activity, they have to cut samples of headline, local news article and foreign news article (titles only) and describe each part.

Here are some of the anchor charts that they made.

They drew characters with speech bubbles. The characters describe each part of the newspaper. Clever!

I don't know why there's a dinosaur reading the newspaper. The headline in their made-up newspaper is actually 'Baha! Marami patay!' and the one who wrote it was actually was a Korean girl. Lol.

I think they got a little carried away with the decorations...

...and they made a pie chart showing the importance of each part.Awesomeness!

I wish I could make anchor charts as neat as this! And if ever you're wondering, yes, they drew cupcakes. For what reason? I have no idea!

Cute block letters!

Since our reading skill focus this week is comparing and contrasting, we'll discuss how to write a compare and contrast essay. So I made a (fugly..) anchor chart on how to write a compare and contrast essay.  I know it's simple but this is my first real anchor chart so you (and my students) have to bear with it..for now hehe.

Please don't mind that small boo-boo beside Paragraph 1 - I'll erase it tomorrow. :)












In case you're wondering, yes, that's a hanger haha. I'm thinking of how I can mount the cartolina other than using the masking tape. I might use magnets tomorrow.

That's it for today!

xo,
KC

Powerpoint Presentations Can Make You Dumb?

One of my never-ending resolutions is to minimize the use Powerpoint presentations in the classroom. Which for me is something very achievable because I only use them during the unlocking of difficult words part at the beginning of the lesson. My boss had suggested in the past to limit our PPT use because students can sometimes get used to flashy and animated words on a screen since most of the other subject teachers use them as well.

Not so surprisingly, I found out from this article that Powerpoint presentations can indeed make us dumber. The article is backed up by research and I have to say seems legit. However, I used one very simple  Powerpoint today in the same way I have used it in the past. It seems to me that we can't simply stop using the available technology we have. Technology is there for a reason - to simplify our lives and ultimately to improve the quality of it. 

It would be a challenge to stop using (and abusing) this technology, but it's not necessarily impossible. I guess this would be a call for me to be more creative in thinking out of box, and using more tangible objects inside the classroom. Which reminds of...anchor charts...and the lack thereof :(

Good news, though! The girls worked on their very first anchor chart for reading! I'll post them tomorrow, I have to check them first.

xo,
KC

P.S.
I like how blogging at this time can help me relax! Should do this more often hihi.

Teachers have a good memory

Yesterday was a very interesting day for me.

I went to a seminar on Reading Remediation in Ateneo, together with two co-teachers. Prior to the seminar, I didn't bother to go over the brochure my boss showed me. I just fill out the seminar form and had her sign it.

Our way to Ateneo was smooth-sailing. I was kinda sleepy and hungry, since I wasn't able to eat breakfast at home. At around 8am, we arrived at the venue. I ate a proper breakfast and had coffee. By 9am, our speaker arrived. And to my surprise, it was Mrs. Faicol, my NURSERY teacher in San Beda Alabang (back when it was still Benedictine Abbey School). Needless to say, I was shocked. 

She didn't recognize my face immediately, but when I introduced myself, she was utterly shocked too! She was at a loss for words and I couldn't stop smiling. I was so excited to meet her again after so many years. I suddenly remembered my nursery days. Back when nap time was part of the schedule haha!What amazed me even more is that she still knows pretty much everyone of my classmates back in nursery, which was almost 20 years ago. She even remembers my mom!

I should have read the seminar brochure so I could show her my class picture back in nursery, which I still keep in a safe place in my room. She would probably be even more speechless! My biggest regret though is not having our picture taken, for old time's sake. Oh well, maybe next time. 'Til I see you again, Mrs. Faicol!

xo,
KC

P.S.
I'll scan the nursery class picture on Monday hihi :)

Silent Bullying

With all the attention schools and media placed into bullying, it has now became a catch phrase, almost viral. Like memes and infographics. Nowadays, kids are being outspoken  about bullying incidents that it had become a challenge how to manage bullying complaints because there's just too many. 

It's even harder in our school since it's an exclusive school for girls. While boys are known to be very vocal and outspoken when it comes to this matter, girls keep silent and it's hard for teachers to detect bullying among them. With boys, walang personalan. But with girls, it's harder to end their petty quarrels because it gets too personal. Some even span for years.

"She looked at me in a mean way."

"She ignored me when I say hi."

"She doesn't want to be friends with us."

These are just some of the bullying complaints I get to hear every single day. And as much as I would like to address them all, unfortunately, there's only so much I can do. Do I really need to process everything? Or do i just get to focus on the more valid cases? 

What's even harder for the teachers is that the parents in our school are so involved. They're so sensitive to these things and it's hard for them to accept that their daughter is a bully too. To quote one parent, "My daughter is an angel."  --An angel? As in someone who is perfect and sinless? Uh, last time I checked, no mere mortal is perfect!

There will always be bullies. We can even be bullies to our friends without us knowing it. I talked to my girls about this last week and I told them to toughen up. The only way not to be bullied is not to become an easy target. And most importantly, to not be the bully, because bullies creates more bullies.

Adults (and I mean the Baby Boomers) think that bullying is a part of childhood. Children who are bullied become stronger and tougher individuals as they grow up. There might be some truth to it. I was bullied before but I never let it affect me. I also bullied others (oopss...) and I learned from it as well. Experiences like these can either form us or break us apart, it depends on how you deal with it.

First PTC

My first Parent-Teacher Conference as a Class Adviser was better than I expected. I was actually expecting bickering, taunting, and probably some hair-pulling. Hehe.

But kidding aside, I felt that it went well. But I still get stumped when parents ask me "How is she in your class?" Do I say, "She's very talkative" or "She's got a lot of potential to be a news reporter because she loves talking too much". I know that parents would like to get a picture of how their daughter is in class. But how do I say it without sounding too negative, or like I don't know their daughter well.

Either way, whatever answer I give will always reflect how I teach and how I motivate the students. If  a girl is too talkative, probably she's bored. Or if she's not participative in class, then she might be too shy or maybe even be bullied. There are so many interpretations of a single answer to one simple question. And what's even more scary is I have to think on the spot. I have to recall some funny anecdote about their daughter, and at the same time think about her strengths (if there were any...haha!).

Talking to parents will always be part of my job. It's a reality that I have to accept. Hopefully I came off as professional and friendly, but not as someone parents can push around. I hope I established a positive image to the parents. And I hope this will be last PTC haha! I wish :))

xo,
KC

A Bad Case of Tamaditis

There are so many things that I want to do, but I just can't seem to make myself do it. Nakakatamad. I feel so drained at work that I usually find myself dozing off in the sofa in less than five minutes from the time I arrived home.

This is what I'm talking about. I couldn't even find the energy to change to my pambahay clothes. I sleep in my uniform, wake up after an hour, eat dinner, then go online, then sleep. I hate this cycle. Since I take naps in the afternoon, I don't get sleepy until very late at night. Thus, the next day, I'll be napping again. And the cycle continues. I'm happy it's weekend already so I can break off this very lazy-ass routine.

Because of my tamaditis, I even neglect exercising. I used to exercise three times a week. Mostly just cardio for about an hour. But even getting on the stepper machine is too much of an effort for me lately. More weight gain...here I come!

I thought of paying for a gym membership to somehow force me to exercise. But, alas, I'm not only lazy, I'm also stingy (broke) haha!

Maybe I'll just wake up early tomorrow and jog with my dog...or maybe I can just sleep some more :))

Happy weekend! xo,

KC

Resolutions

Wow. Who would have thought I'd survive the first quarter? One down, three more to go! Based on the lack of blog posts here for the past (ehem) three months, it's easy to say that I am BUSY, and whatever time I have left I spend for myself. 

So, let's start anew, shall we? :)

I came up with a list of resolutions that I am to achieve this quarter. These are the things that I would have wanted to have in the beginning of the school year, but wasn't able to due to many reasons (numerous class suspensions is one).

2nd Quarter Resolutions:

Anchor charts
I love, love, LOVE anchor charts. My only problem is that I don't think I can do them. I'm really not creative enough for these things.    Whenever I would write something on a chart paper, my OC-ness would always kick in, and I always end up redoing everything because the lines are crooked or my handwriting sucks.  I'm also thinking of a way how I can mount the charts. Since I teach three sections, I don't want to waste time and energy in doing three similar anchor charts. I also don't want to keep on using tape to post them on the board, since it will take too much time mounting them. I remember my elementary teachers would use big bulldog clips and a string to hang the chart on the board. Problem is, my classrooms don't have those little hooks for hanging. I could probably use some big magnets so I can post them easily. i want to be known as Ms. Anchor Charts haha!

I could probably do something like these.

But these would be too complicated for me!

More Independent work
I already did one center last quarter, and another one this week. Those days were a breeze for me! I also want to come up with enrichment activities that I could give my early finishers. Almost half of my girls are for enrichment, so most of them finish ahead of time and usually just chats afterwards. I want them to use their time wisely and invest in something they can learn from. I usually bring my girls to the library for independent seat works so that the girls who finish first may read a book. But I can't always bring them to the library, as much as I would like to. So I probably need to come up with early finishers activities, something related to vocabulary development so I can hit two birds with one stone.

This is from Fabulous Fourth Grade. I would have loved to see all task cards hehe. Someday I'll come up with my own. Dream big! :)

Intervention Group
I must admit that I kind of neglected the groupings by the end of the quarter. Though I closely monitor my Intervention Group every meeting, I would have wanted to make it more deliberate to see deliberate results. I will be starting with my after-school remedial classes next week and I'm hoping for the best :)

Attention Getters

My girls love to chat. A lot. They're girls, so what do you expect? Whenever the class gets noisy I just pause and wait for them to settle down. This worked well with my previous students, but the batch of girls that I have now are less sensitive to this (unfortunately). So I tried the whisper trick, which worked for a while. Then I also did the "Clap your hands once if you can hear me" trick, which also worked, though some would deliberately clap their hands repeatedly just to attract attention (mga KSP!). I need to think of more ways to grab their attentions to keep them on their toes. 

I also thought of doing time out cards. But I still need to read up on how I can actually execute this on a positive way.

I have to admit that the First Quarter was a blur to me. It went by too quickly but it seemed to me that it dragged on for months! Hoping for a better a Second Quarter and achieve my goals. I'll keep you posted! (I'll try...haha)

xo,

KC

The Little Library on the Street

Here is something very inspiring that I like to share to everyone. The picture below shows a little library on the street simply known as the Reading Club. The rules in this club are pretty simple. You come, read, borrow, and come back to read some more. No library cards (you don't even need to return the books!) and entrance fees whatsoever. Don't you think this is genius? Not to mention a very kind and humanitarian community service. I'm thinking of showing this to the kids one of these days. 

For the inspiring story behind the little library on the street, click here.

This really made my day :)

                                                                                       

Congratumalations?!

I received news earlier today. No, it's not salary increase. And no, it's not about getting fired (whew). It's about me, being a class adviser for the following year. It's should be no big deal by now because I have been an assistant class adviser for the past two years BUT - people somehow think that it is, so all day long I have been getting congratulatory smiles and greetings over it. Not sure though whether it's heartfelt or sarcastic haha.

I'd really, really, REALLY rather be an assistant class adviser. I don't think I can deal with the girls' petty quarrels and issues along with checking attendance and just making sure each one is okay and at least, breathing!I have no idea what happened and they decided to put me as a class adviser. Maybe they made a mistake or something? HOW I WISH! They said that nothing's final yet, so here's to hoping!!

Anong section ka?

It's the start of a new school year once again, and just like any old traditions, we tackled the most debate-worthy task ever - Resectioning.

What is resectioning? It's a process wherein all teachers in the grade level would sit down and jumble up the students to create new sections. Sounds simple right? Well, not exactly.

There are many things to consider when resectioning. First, we had to distribute the achievers evenly among the three sections. Then we have to equally divide the low performers in the batch. Also, we have to break up cliques, hypothesize who will blend well with whom, identify the students with strong leadership qualities, ensure that each section will have an active group, we even have to look into the dancing and singing talents of the girls! The hard part about this whole thing is we have to sit and wait for months and months just to know if we are actually successful or not.

So how to go about resectioning? Easy. All you need is a whiteboard, class lists, and pairs of keen eyes. You will also need a lot of time for this process cannot be hurried, for this requires a lot of double-triple-quadruple checking, as well as many debatable issues.

I'm so happy we only did 3 sections. Some schools could even go up to 9 sections per level. @_@

PS.
I just found out now that resectioning  is not even a word. The red broken line kept on appearing throughout this post. You're probably laughing at me right now :)

Today I am back to work

Today is back to work day! I'm trying to be as enthusiastic as possible, since of my co-teachers here are not as cheery as a summer day. Hence, the effort on my part.

Today I found out that I will still be teaching the same subject, on the same grade level which makes me very happy. I am not surprised though. I am confident like that. They actually have a new name for me - The Untouchable haha. Because I haven't changed levels and subjects for the past 3 years.

Today I found out that I am (still) not a class adviser (woohooo!).

Today I met my fellow grade 4 teachers. There are quite a few new faces on the level.

Today I met our new Science teacher.

Today I will attend 2 meetings. This makes me sad because my meeting limit in a day is ONE.

Tomorrow will be team building day. I have no idea what's gonna happen, which makes me jittery 'cos I hate surprises.

Mental Prep

In three days, I will be back to work. No more lounging around at home, no more taking mid-day naps, and hello whole-year lesson plan making! WOOOHOOO. (Insert sarcastic stare here).

Just before I started my vacation, the higher ups in the level broke the news - one week to make one year's worth of lesson plan when we return to school. And I don't know how to start. Being a novice teacher and all, this task is so daunting that it has been on my mind throughout the break. It haunted me during the moments I least expected it. Like when I  was on the beach, or when I met Snow White in Disneyland, or when I was enjoying a good laugh over something funny. Laugh now, because when you make your year's worth of lesson plans, you wouldn't even know how to spell laugh. HAHAHA.


So, during my many hours of free time, in between beating my brother's top score in Temple Run, or doing laps on the stepper machine, I have been mentally preparing myself all summer long. Yes, I know the task is difficult. And yes, I know it will probably drive me insane. That why I have called some reinforcements. Here comes--The Teaching Blog Addict!

Oh my, I love this website.You could lock me up in a room with nothing but a laptop and an internet connection and I am all set. I love browsing through the website, and clicking them URLs that link to the bloggers' main site. And more clicking, and more reading. Haay, I could go on forever.

But since I am such a scatterbrain, I cannot simply rely on my good ol' faulty memory. So here enters PearlTrees and Pinterest. More teaching ideas. More creative ways of doing so-and-so. And I can simply use them whenever I needed them. Ah, the joys of modern day technology.

Wish me luck my dear imaginary readers because as early as now, I can hear Gangsta Paradise in my head.

As I walk to the valley of the shadow of death...


PS.
Just 'cos I don't want to end my post on such a morbid note.

Here's something that I saw on Pinterest a couple of days back

I loved the whole idea of it and I would like to do this as well, but the only problem is, my handwriting sucks. Oh well, there's always my ever-reliable skill set on Microsoft Paint.

I gotta (Temple) run now! Byez.

It's vay-cay time!

When I was still a student, I  often wonder what my teachers do when we don't have classes. Do they still go to school? And if they do, who do they teach?

Now that I am a teacher, I can say that teachers definitely could use some summer vacation too, just to keep us sane for the next ten months of grueling work ahead. Whether it's traveling, going to different beaches, or simply bumming at home, we truly savor each moment of our precious vacation.

My vacation has been great so far! This is the first summer break wherein I traveled so much. Okay not really like a jet setter or anything like that. But I traveled both within the country and outside the country, with the people I love the most.

I still have exactly 2 weeks before I report back to work. That means more bumming around at home haha!

Here's to summer 2012!

Who Farted?

Once upon a time, in the middle of a class discussion...

**FART**

The whole class fell silent. I could tell my girls are trying hard not to laugh. Until someone can't hold it any longer and decided to speak her mind.

Student: Eeeeeew somebody farted!
Me: Okay, I think we should be considerate to whoever that person is. She might not be feeling very good right now.
Student: It's so yuuuuckyyy!
Me: That's enough. Every single one of here farts. What about you, don't you fart?
Student: At least not in public.
Me: -_-

She has a point.

The Pains of Making a Rubric

If there's one thing that I wish never existed in the teaching world, it would have to be the rubrics. Back in my elementary years, I never saw my teachers use a rubric when they grade our projects.Which now makes me wonder, how in the world did they grade my projects back then??

But of course, I know that we can never get rid of rubrics for a plethora of reasons. And this fact makes me sad even more.

I know that there are many sites out there that offer free rubrics for just about anything. But never in my short teaching career have I completely lifted off a rubric from the internet. There are always some modifications and tweakings  here and there to suit the activities. Most of the time, I get ideas from many sources from the the net which leads to more confusion as to what criteria I want to include because there's just so many and that eventually leads to brain malfunction and to hysteria. Now I envy my elementary school teachers. They're probably saner than me.

Oh rubric fairy, please sprinkle me with some of your magical rubric dust.

P.S.
Is it rubric or rubrics  if it's singular? What I know is it's rubric for singular, then rubrics for plural. But there are teachers in our school that use rubrics for singular (ex. Rubrics for Book Report) Now I'm more confused. Ahhhh it will never end!

Completions

Completion week is a double-edged sword. On one side, there are no classes so therefore we can work continuously. On the other side, since there are no classes, we have all day to procrastinate haha. Okay, not really procrastinate but somehow we are free and there's no schedule to follow. And for me it's freedooom :)))

Taking the Plunge

Hooray! Finally after being an observer and a fan of teacher blogs for quite sometime now, I finally had the guts to start my own. I'm by no means as good as them, but the point of sharing and learning from a community of teachers like me inspires me a lot. So here I am, with my humble blogging skills, I begin ReadTeachBlog.