Last Day of Classes - 19th Term

Another term has gone by so fast! Now looking forward to two-day weekends... sleeping until lunchtime, malling the whole afternoon, watching movies:-)

First Day of Classes: Term 19

First meeting with Accounting 1:Introductory Accounting students:

Me: So, why are you taking Saturday classes?

Students: We like the teacher!

Me: Huh??? How do you know? We've never met!

Students: Our friends told us about you!

Me: Oh... so, do you trust your friends???

Students: Yes!

Marunong na mambola!

Term 18

Today's the first day of the new term, my 18th! Just when I was starting to relax teaching the same subjects for the past five terms, the school decided to take me out of my comfort zone once again by giving me a new subject to teach. Still Accounting, but another module. Now I have to prepare a new set of teaching materials...sigh...

End of Term 17

This term went really fast. Is it because "time flies when you're having fun"? Could be:-)

I will be having a two-week break in between terms. Well, that is if I will be re-hired for the next term. Along with the unexpected holidays in September, I'm hoping September will be a less stressful month for me.

School Bags

I'm a certified bag addict, but now that I teach in addition to working full-time, my choices are limited to huge bags that would accommodate, among others: a calculator, a small notebook, 2 books, 2 ballpens (one black and one red), bulldog clips, white board markers, stapler (!!!) a toiletry bag, a folder that would contain paperwork, eyeglasses, shades...

Yesterday in class, I had to bring two bags:

Midterms, Term 17

So far so good. I'm so glad and relieved that all my students improved their performance significantly in the midterm exam. It is such a wonderful feeling for teachers to see their students trying their best. It means that they value what they are learning from your classes. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to do this.

Term 17

My 17th Term of teaching just started. I look at every new term as an opportunity to find new ways to make everything much more interesting, and much less boring. Any advice?

Can I Do 9 Hours of Teaching?

This is the question I am now asking myself after talking to the School's Dean. It seems that my classes are "in-demand" and since I only teach on Saturdays, they are asking if I can pack in three 3-hour classes on Saturdays. That will be from 8AM-11AM, 11AM-2PM and 2PM-5PM with a 15 min. break for each of the classes. Iniisip ko pa lang, napapagod na ako:-)

End of My 16th Term

Last Saturday was the last day of classes for this term, my 16th as a teacher!

Why I Am A Teacher - Part 2

It has been 8 weeks since we started this school term, and I’ve never felt happier about teaching. In my “25 Random Things About Me” in Facebook, this is my number 2:

“ I think that being a teacher is the best job in the world and is the most underrated. It is a lot of HARD WORK, but nothing beats the feeling when you know that your students do their best…”

In my two classes this term, I have students who scored poorly in the first quiz, but got 90 and above in the succeeding exams. That only means that they were challenged by the subject at the start, but that didn’t stop them from doing their best. I’m glad I am their teacher this term, it gave me so much inspiration and fulfillment.

15 Terms!... And Counting

Another school term has gone, my 15th! Let's see, that would be equivalent to 5 years of teaching. And yet, there's still so much to learn...

Halfway

I just gave the Midterm exams to my students today. That means we're halfway through the term. I can't wait to check the exams and see how my students performed. Of course how my students performed is also a reflection of how effective I was as a teacher. Hmmm, I hope I won't be disappointed...

First Day of My 15th Term of Teaching

I almost forgot to write about last Saturday, my first day for this new term . I never felt so tired after my classes. Six hours of lecture is really no joke, how do full-time teachers do it??? I still have to learn how to manage my energy so that I can last the day.

This term, I started my classes full of warnings to students (hehe) of how they can fail my class... Just so everyone knows what they're getting into. So I narrated how students managed to fail my class last term. But truth be told, I'm usually very "kind". I just didn't want them to think that, lest they take advantage of my kindness.

So, when three students came in 45 minutes after class started, I didn't let them get away with it: "Excuse me, are you in this class? Didn't you know that the class is supposed to start at 9? Well, when I've already checked attendance and you are not here (I check attendance 20 minutes after the start time, but I don't tell them that), you are considered absent. Today, you are considered absent. Bear in mind that there is a maximum number of allowed absences before you are dropped from the subject." Let's see what's going to happen this Saturday.

Last Day of Classes

I've just ended my 14th term of teaching!

Yup, those writings on the board are journal entries!

Another Day in UP

At Chocolate Kiss, after the intense workout (photo stolen from Doc Faye's multiply site)

Our tired but happy faces after the ride.

Yesterday I spent the whole day in UP. I started the day with a lecture in a seminar for financial analysts. It' the same seminar where I was a speaker a year ago (read about last year's seminar here), and this year's talk was very stimulating. There were a lot of questions and interaction among the participants, and for that alone I think I did a good job of bringing up the most relevant issues. I'm just glad that I was able to impart helpful inputs for them to do their job well.

After the lecture, The Bike Club (PZ, JZ, SC with kids An and Ai, E and I), with two new members, Doc Faye and her husband AC met up for biking. Doc Faye and AC were far more experienced bikers than we were and so they were able to share some tips to me, the amateur biker. Doc Faye, being a doctor was very helpful, especially by telling us when the cardio exercise is sufficient. Just learned that I would have to at least double my usual routine, and was able to do that yesterday, thanks to my new drill sergeant, Doc Faye :-).

After biking, Doc Faye suggested snacks at Chocolate Kiss, and everyone agreed! I was a good girl and had the chopped vegetable salad, while the rest had mostly main entrees and also dessert!

Midterms Na?!?

Again, am already halfway through another term. I'm slightly panicked because I think I'm progressing much slower than before. Maybe it's because of the size of the class ( I have 50 students), and maybe it's the subject, Introductory Accounting isn't really what most Accounting and Finance teachers would be fighting over. Or maybe it's a combination of both. I just hate to leave a topic which I feel my students have not grasped well enough. If their quizzes are low, I've been willing to take it step by step with them again, until I get satisfactory scores. I suppose my responsibility really is to make sure that they understand the concepts perfectly, and I'll make sure they do!

Looking Forward to the Weekend!

Yup, it's only Tuesday and I'm already thinking about the weekend:-) Well, there are several reasons why this is so:
- My college barkada will be having a get-together on Friday evening to welcome our friend DW who is based in the US and now home for a visit. It's also the birthday of one of ours, our dear friend JV. Two reasons to celebrate! We're trying out this new restaurant, Choi Garden which we have heard raves about.
-It's my first day of teaching for the new school term on Saturday! My class starts at 9AM and ends at 12NN. This will be every Saturday until the 1st week of September.
- E and I are spending the long weekend with his family in Subic! We leave Manila right after my class. First on my To Do List is to buy my stock of mint chocolates:-)

End of Summer Term

Wow,it's the end of another term for me. I just completed my first term in New School and I must say, I've adjusted pretty well, with the students, new systems, a new subject and new colleagues. Teaching Introductory Accounting meant having new teaching skills. Imagine introducing the concept of debits and credits to students. I was extra patient and had to oversimplify things just so everyone got it. I never thought I would be able to do that, but I did, and I'm glad I had this opportunity. The new school term starts on June 2, meanwhile, I need to check quizzes, final exams, papers and prepare final grades...

Back to Teaching

After more than three months of not teaching , I'll be starting at another school on Saturday. It's a big leap for me, after teaching for 4 years in the same college, I've decided to to try something new. This new school is very near my office and my home, just about 20 minutes from either. The only hitch is Saturday classes since I work full-time. This new school doesn't have classes after 6PM, so I'm forced to take the Saturday classes. I teach from 9AM-4:30 PM (gaah!). Besides being in a new school, I will also be teaching a new subject. Being the new kid on the block, they gave me a subject that is "least desirable" for a teacher. I teach Introductory Accounting this summer. I can just imagine it... introducing Accounting to students who would rather be enjoying their days in the beach, mountains, or wherever other than a classroom...Oh well...

And to add to all that, I now have to prepare new teaching materials. I can just see myself cramming presentation materials, exercises, quizzes, exams, etc...

Oh, wait a minute, why again am I doing this???