Posted by Teacher Ria in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Campus on the Green

I’m looking forward to starting out a new teaching position soon…pending of course the finalization of a few details but for the most part, I’m super excited for things to come. It’s gonna be on a greener campus (well, I’m not sure if that’s the right word for it). What I mean is that this will be in a campus that’s more rustic and not as surrounded by steel buildings. Excited much. I guess that’s really why I also decided to teach rather than work in an office building. I don’t think I’ll do very well in office buildings all day long. I need space to move around and lots of air to breathe in. Anyway, when things fall into place, I shall post pictures of my new workplace

If you found this post interesting, informative and educational, feel free to take home my notes by subscribing here.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

We’re All A Little Different…

If there’s one important thing I learned to appreciate through because of writing my thesis, it’s the fact that we’re all a little different. I was reminded of this a lot because I struggled greatly with writing that darned paper. It was so frustrating because I am a good writer. At least I think I am. Seriously though, I would like to think that I am a good creative writer. However, technical writing is really not my thing.

I began to appreciate the fact that we’re all a little different because of that. One of my colleagues, for example, is really good at the technical stuff, but not at the creative stuff. I guess that’s also true for kids who can be very good at math but sucky in sports. I remember one time I had a student who could memorize the entire atlas, name all the different species of dinosaurs, identify every possible power tool and construction equipment, and even differentiate between nail bits and end mills, but when I’d ask him to answer reading comprehension questions, he could never do it.

And so like I was saying, through my thesis I learned to appreciate that we all are indeed different learners. As such, while I may have completed my research, I can’t help but feel that I gave too much of a literary tone to it. Oh well. Haha.

If you found this post interesting, informative and educational, feel free to take home my notes by subscribing here.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Schoolyard Picking

I’ve been watching re-runs of the show Survivor China and I couldn’t help but think about how I hate the practice of schoolyard picking. Schoolyard picking refers to the practice of having two or more team leaders pick out their team members from a line of their peers. No matter what you say, there will always be one who will be picked last.  All too often, the one who gets picked last. Many times, the one who gets picked last are those who are overweight, less competent in the activity, or simply put, less socially acceptable because of whatever reason. It isn’t a nice feeling. I prefer using techniques such as counting off or random selections for groupings. I feel it’s more fair. What do you think???

Posted by Teacher Ria in Teacher's Corner | 7 Comments

Keeping Your Mind Active Over Summer Vacation

Keeping Your Mind Active Over Summer Vacation

Summer vacation is almost upon teachers and students alike, and it is such a relief with it finally comes around. While I love to be in the classroom, enjoying a month to myself and family is always nice too. However, summer time doesn’t mean that our brains should go to mush.

Both teachers and students alike benefit from keeping their minds active, and they don’t necessarily need to enroll in seminars or sign up for summer classes to do so. Simply by getting online – something most of us enjoy on a regular basis anyway – both teachers and students can learn something new by doing one of the following:

Posted by Teacher Ria in Teacher's Corner | 0 Comments

Dear APA…

Well, this is me, finally making my way through the last of my thesis. Yay. I must say, however, this whole APA style formatting is driving me crazy!!! I know it’s not THAT hard to do, but following all the rules, working on this and that, and making sure I am citing things correctly is kinda nakakapraning. I know I’m referencing my sources, but I can’t help but worry that I might do something wrong. Har.

Thank God for the OWL….no, not Harry Potter’s owl, but the Purdue OWL

Posted by Teacher Ria in Arts and Crafts, Teaching Resources | 0 Comments

Parent’s Day :)

I can’t believe it’s May already tomorrow. Eeep. Time has gone by soooo fast. I swear I don’t know where the days have gone. I can barely believe a third of 2012 has already gone by, can you? Anyway, the next two months ushers in two important days for the family: Mother’s and Father’s day. I remember back when I was a preschool teacher, we would be planning out events for these special days and trying to think up of presents to give for the parents.

I believe that as teachers, we should encourage our students to create gifts for their parents that will make the day even more meaningful. Often times it’s easier to plan for the mommies because it’s easy to make presents for the girls but guy gifts tend to be a little bit harder. My favorite father’s day gift project, however, are pencil holders made of paper mached toilet paper rolls or tie-dyed neckties One day when I’m not so busy and am back to my create-a-resource-for-preschool-teachers mode, I shall write a better post about it.

In the meantime, are there any gift projects you’d like to learn about? Please post them here and I’ll try to help out

If you found this post interesting, informative and educational, feel free to take home my notes by subscribing here.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

News Bit: Homeschooling Conference

Sharing with you guys some information that was sent to me

I don’t really know much about how homeschooling is really done and monitored here in the Philippines, but I do have a lot of friends who have embraced the philosophy of homeschooling. As such, I cannot really say much about the practice but for those looking for alternatives for the education of their children, I strongly encourage you to check out this conference

Details of the press release are as follows:

This year’s Homeschooling Conference is themed “Laying a Strong Foundation.” It will feature lectures from esteemed homeschooling authorities both here and abroad including: noted inspirational speaker, best-selling author and homeschool parent, Bo Sanchez; and former high school and college educator and best-selling author of award-winning books like “Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling,” “Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens,” and “Ultimate Planners for Moms, Teens and Students,” Debra Bell.

The event is supported by the 3,000-strong force of Filipino families, who are currently homeschooling by choice and discovering its priceless benefits.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Channeling Mary Poppins

This thesis writing thing is leaving me defeated and uber challenged. I’m THIS close to throwing in the towel. Seriously. I kinda feel all this emotional and mental turmoil is not worth it. I wanna just channel Mary Poppins and be a nanny abroad, hanging on to a gutter brush on one hand and an umbrella on the other, while singing cutesy little songs. Sigh.

HOWEVER, I love teaching all too much to give up on it. Why oh why does writing this paper have to be so difficult??? Gaaaah.

If you found this post interesting, informative and educational, feel free to take home my notes by subscribing here.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Classroom Escapades, College, Reflections | 0 Comments

Multiple Intelligences

Yesterday was grade consultation day and for the first time ever, I had more than 3 students come to me for consultation. The funny thing is for most of them, it wasn’t about their performance in their class that they came to talk to me about, but about other things they were feeling and going through. Some of them were struggling in their courses (and mind you, not in my subject!) and so they were asking what they should do next. They were feeling conflicted about whether they should stay in their current programs or whether they should shift to another. I told them I did not have an answer for them, and that only they can make that decision, but that they really have to think about a few things before making a choice. First off, what are they interested in? What are their strengths and weaknesses? After that I said they have to take into consideration their resources. Lastly, I asked them to think about what they want and what is holding them back from achieving this.

If you found this post interesting, informative and educational, feel free to take home my notes by subscribing here.

Posted by Teacher Ria in Classroom Escapades, College | 0 Comments

Stereotyping

This term I learned one important thing about myself as a teacher…I often am guilty of stereotyping

What I mean by this is that whenever I teach a class, I base my activities, behaviors, attitudes, and the like all too much on my preconceived notions of the group I am handling. I guess on one hand, there is some value to this practice, because it allows me to tap into the strengths and interests of the group. For example, when I handle business sections, I try to teach of social entrepreneurship and the like. So when I teach about ethics, I used the business setting as the base of my lecture.  Makes sense, right?

However, there is also a danger to this. Because of preconceived notions, I may miss out on giving them opportunities that go beyond those ideas. Also, it leaves me defensive because I feel like I cannot connect with the students who like things I don’t understand or have a different wavelength. For example, I have no idea what cree xm-l LED’s are but I have students who talk about that and other electronics like it was nothing. As such, I cannot connect.

This term, I had to overcome that again. And because I did not hesitate to say I didn’t know what they meant, I was able to learn more and in the same way, I realized that they are also interested in other things outside of what I think they do. Lesson learned

If you found this post interesting, informative and educational, feel free to take home my notes by subscribing here.