ariellalisan.org – Homeward Bound

I HAVE no right to complain.

In many schools in the country today, teachers have to teach inside classrooms with more than 80 students for more than seven hours a day. They spend their own money for their visual aids and other instructional materials. Their classrooms are neither well ventilated nor sound proofed. Moreover, they teach low success learners.

In my case, my students are fast learners–the cream of the crop of SOCSARGEN, in fact. Our classrooms are good and our facilities quite better than what regular schools have. The only problem I have is that I’m teaching for seven hours a day. The only break I have is the 20-minute recess and the 60-minute lunch break. You see, the number of hours we spend in school is more than eight hours. Another thing is the pressure from our heads. They are expecting us to perform well–to maintain our school’s reputation.

I admit it’s very difficult. But then again, I have no right to complain. And there’s no use complaining. Thousands of teachers in the country have raised their voices since long ago about the wretched situation of teachers (so wretched that many of us are buried in loans or payday loans) and Philippine public schools, in general. Anything happened so far?

I WAS surprised that clicks are coming in from Google search results for the keywords “system loss charge.” That’s just a little number of visitors. Very little, in fact. But I am glad that I have helped explain to one or two people who wanted to know what the system loss charge really is.

It’s for my post, Meralco System Loss Charge as Explained in Physics, where, like actress Judy Ann Santos, I conveyed the idea that system loss is just normal. I didn’t say though that Meralco has been doing good all along.

I WATCHED the Sunday morning show on ABS-CBN Davao this morning and glad to see that the white sand beach resorts of Gumasa in Glan, Sarangani Province were featured and the place was actually compared to Boracay.

Photo from http://www.sarangani.gov.ph

However, the shots taken did not show the beach in its best shape. Driftwoods were very prominent against the bright white of sand that one would think that the beach is dirty. In private beach resorts and hotels, though, the shore is clean.

The feature appeared to me like a wake up call to the tourism authorities in Sarangani–that they have a great load to do about promoting Gumasa as one of the county’s top destinations.

IT WAS certainly a blast.

Until now I am suffering from the effect of the tension I felt on the first day of class. I tried to be at ease with my students but I couldn’t help it. It must be my adrenaline glands that made me feel like there was much energy inside me that was ready to explode anytime.

Unfortunately, the energy seemed to have been completely dissipated at the end of the day. Last year, the third year and fourth year students were easy to handle. This year, I have freshmen who are so spirited and  frivolous that sometimes annoy me.

On the first day, I asked them to look back at how they behave when they were still gradeschoolers. I told them to list down, as many as they can,  behaviors, which had not been helpful to them as students. After a while, a students asked me, “How many will we write, sir?”

SCHOOL YEAR 2008-2009 will officially begin tomorrow. And I’m nervous about it.

What makes me nervous is the fact that I will be observed by DepEd supervisors from the regional office. Now, I am busy preparing myself for tomorrow, my lesson, my uniform, and my self.

It will be my first time to teach first year science. As introduction, I will be performing some magic tricks