Posted by Teacher Ria in Teacher's Corner | 1 Comment

My Dog Ate Your Homework

Remember that old cliché of an excuse that goes, “Teacher, I’m sorry but my dog ate my homework”? Um…what is one to do when she’s the teacher and she needs to use this excuse???

Egaaad.

Sometime ago I brought home my students projects so I could grade them at home and to my dismay, when I woke up I found that my little rascal Joe had, yes, eaten their homework. Har.  It’s a good thing most my other assignments and projects are technology based, such as the video projects for my clinical psych students and electronic books and manuals/guides for my psych measurement students.

I guess as evidence shows dogs do eat homework hehe. Now…the question is what do you think my students will say when I come to class on Wednesday and say, Kids, I’m sorry but my dog ate your homework???

I'm sorry, Mommy, I didn't mean to eat the homework....

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2012 Holidays Declared: Long Weekends Ahead!

A few days ago news on the proclamation of the 2012 holidays were all over Facebook and Twitter. In a way, I’m glad that President Aquino has done away with the whole “holiday economics” thing President Arroyo had because let’s face it: while long weekends are great and we all enjoy it, it does affect the school calendar greatly. And as a teacher, this can be somewhat of a hassle. And let’s not forget that we also miss out on days from sudden suspensions due to bad weather.

Anyway, here are the declared holidays for 2012. I am only listing those that will affect school days. For a complete list you can check out http://www.gov.ph/2011/11/24/proclamation-no-295-s-2011/

January 23 (Monday) – Chinese New Year
February 25 (Saturday) – EDSA Revolution Anniversary
June 12 (Tuesday) – Independence Day
August 21 (Tuesday) – Ninoy Aquino Day
August 27 (Last Monday of August) – National Heroes Day
November 1 (Thursday) – All Saints Day
November 2 (Friday) – Additional special (non-working) day
November 30 (Friday) – Bonifacio Day

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Teacher Says Thank You…

To all the teachers who have come my way, both inside and outside of the four walls of the classroom.

To all the teachers who, at one point or another, picked me up by my boots and helped me get back on my feet

To all the teachers who patiently waited until I got it right, and those who, when the need arose, pushed me to the limit just to prove I can do it after all

To all the teachers who taught me what life is all about

Thank you.

Thank you for teaching me more than just my ABC’s

Thank you for showing me that what really counts goes beyond just 123

Thank you for being patient with me when I make mistakes

Thank you for not just bearing with but also accepting the difficulties and flaws I came with

Thank you for loving your job even when it was unlovable,

more so thank you for loving the things that came with the job, even when it was hard

Thank you too, for loving students like me, who may not always be easy to love, nor deserve it for that matter

Thank you for inspiring me to also teach

and not just that, thank you for inspiring me to teach with heart and not just mind.

And yes, like I said last year, I teach because you taught me well

For all you’ve done, I will always be thankful.

Happy, happy teachers day

Posted by Teacher Ria in Reflections | 0 Comments

Something to Look Forward To!

Yesterday I was just saying that I miss being a preschool teacher…

Today I saw a post on Facebook from a friend of mine asking if anyone had an early childhood education background and I so I said I did and asked why…maybe this is the project I was praying for Let’s see

Then I checked my email and I was reminded of an invitation I received from a local foundation to be their plenary speaker for a preschool teacher training this coming October. It dawned on me that’s just about a month away Apparently I still have my toes in the preschool waters, so to speak! That realization suddenly brought so much lightness in my heart and I was reminded that I may have changed classrooms, but yes, Teacher Ria is still in there somewhere

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Reflections | 0 Comments

Teacher, Teacher…

These past few weeks have been, to say the least, quite rough and rocky. It’s hard being all grown up after all. Haha. Seriously though, last week a friend and I were talking and I said that since I gave up the preschool, I suddenly feel like I’m a million years older. Yes, I kinda feel like since March, it’s been a million years and so I feel tired and all worn out.

Maybe I need to figure out how to work with kids again, yes? There’s really something magical that happens around them. I guess it’s their wide-eyed innocence. Or perhaps their ability to just be. And I guess it’s also because with them, what you see is what you get, no complications and whatnot.

I do know, however, I cannot go back to the preschool classroom. I feel to old for the routine of it all. Perhaps I should explore projects that allow me to work with kids instead…hmmmm….let’s see where this takes me.

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Outside the Classroom | 0 Comments

A Night at the Symphony

Over the past few months I have come to discover that there’s nothing like a night of good music to soothe the tired and weary (or perhaps happy and giddy!) soul. There’s really something magical with music that just makes things so much better, yes? No matter what genre, no matter what style, it always speaks deeply to me and just at the right time.

Anyway, I’m digressing from the purpose of this post (haha). I actually thought of that whole magical musical thing because of two points: first I’m kinda hoping I get to see the Seussical the Musical by Repertory Philippine next week and second, because  a friend of mine tagged me in this post  about an upcoming concert to be held at the Philam Life Theater in Manila on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011. Sounds like an interesting way to spend the weekend, yes? Check out more of it here: http://symphonicpassion.org/about.html

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What’s in A Name?

Yesterday over lunch, I was chatting via text messages with a dear friend of mine and we had a somewhat interesting and funny exchange about names because there was a birthday party going on in the resto I was in and the celebrant had, well, a kinda funny name. So I told my friend about it and she goes, I have a cousin with that name (toink…foot in mouth!) haha. Then again , it was indeed a sorta funny sounding name then I go, if for some crazy reason I decide to name my kids funny in the future, please toink me. Then again, when the time came I’d like to name my kids Nicholas or Chloe. Those sound nice, right? Haha.

Seriously though, as a preschool teacher I’ve heard all sorts of weird, strange and downright “what-the-heck-were-your-parents-thinking” names. Yes, granted they’re not my kids and that it’s one’s prerogative to name their kids, but sometimes I want to tell parents to be more mindful about their choices. I mean, how would you feel if you were named after a pair of womens boots for example? Or a strange sounding concept? More importantly, what if your first and last names kinda had a double meaning to it? I remember reading not too long ago about how a woman’s nickname translated to the woman’s reproductive organ in a foreign language.

So what’s in a name, after all? Well, studies suggest that it can contribute to one’s personality. On a more pragmatic reason I say be careful what you name your kids is that this can become an avenue for teasing in the future, right? But yeah, as many would say, it’s just a name. If I were a mom, though, I’d think twice

Random thoughts from this teacher who has had too many a weird name to contend with

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Tips on Choosing A College Course – Part 2

In one of my last posts, I shared about how I simply fell into my college course. Lucky for me, I did not just earn a college degree from that, but it was actually the right one for me. Over the past few days it struck me that even my graduate school program was such a random choice as well…it wasn’t something I had planned from the beginning nor had wanted to do, but, well, it happened. And I am forever grateful.

Like I said, though, when it comes to choosing a college choice, it should not be a random decision. Maybe you can get lucky like I did, but planning ahead and making logical choices wouldn’t hurt, right? So how does one go about choosing what’s best anyway? Like Conan O’Brien said in a recent speech he gave in the Dartmouth commencement exercises, your life goals change over time, so maybe what you want to do at the start of your college career may not be what you want at the end. Some, however, are very clear on their decisions and I guess that makes the whole choosing a college course dilemma less of a dilemma for them.

I guess the most important thing to choosing a college course would include thinking about the various opportunities that go hand in hand with the degree you aim to obtain. For example, if you’re unsure whether you want to go into business, education or medicine in the beginning of your college career, maybe choosing a course such as Humanities or Psychology can be an option, rather than Biology, as there are more diverse avenues in the first two courses rather than the latter.

Other things one can do prior to choosing a course can include attending university open houses or joining campus tours. Not too long ago, for example, I saw a tarpaulin ad in an aviation school near the clinic I work in inviting interested students to attend an open house. If I’m not mistaken, he tours being offered also allowed them to see various equipment, machinery, flight gear and scopes/radars first hand. This allows one to try out, so to speak, the course to see if they actually like it.

Lastly, one can try to talk to people who have graduated from the course they are considering and to get insights from those who went through it already. That can help them gain perspective and assess the direction in which they can go.

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Benefits of Becoming A Teacher

Earning one of many online teaching degrees is a respectable and intelligent way to become a teacher, and the caliber of instruction is the same as that of attending traditional classroom settings. There are several benefits to becoming a teacher.

Prestige and Respect

In their communities, teachers are looked up to as highly influential and educated professionals. They’re given much the same respect as physicians, attorneys and bankers. People realize the enormous impact that a teacher has in molding the lives of his many students, no matter what grade level he teaches. It’s this intangible feeling or pride and professionalism in his work that a teacher derives much of his satisfaction.

Excellent Benefits

Teachers receive some of the most impressive array of working benefits as compared to any other profession. They receive major medical coverage, full dental and vision coverage for their families, and superb retirement benefits such as a 401k. They also receive paid vacations, paid sick days and at some educational institutions even paid holidays. These benefits greatly help them with their living expenses. Some teachers even receive annual bonuses depending on what level they’re teaching at.

Tenure Potential

At the collegiate and university levels, the most successful academicians will be considered for tenure. This basically means that they will be able to keep their jobs for as long as they want to. This provides them with a strong sense of career and financial security. These tenure track professors can have much less pressure and strain on themselves due to the knowledge of knowing that their jobs will be permanently reserved for them. This gives them an added incentive to become the best teachers they can be by helping their students out as much as they can.

Emotional Rewards

Teaching students new subjects is very psychologically satisfying to teachers. It’s one of the greatest intangible benefits of the profession. Watching their pupils expand their minds and absorb new amounts of knowledge each day, week and month allows teachers to feel good about themselves that they’re doing a huge, positive service in the eyes of their students. They also know they’re greatly satisfying the parents of their students by doing the best job they can at making them smarter individuals. No amount of money can replace these emotional rewards that teachers derive from their profession.

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

Rainy Days and School Days are Oh So NOT Fun!

Today marked the first school suspension due to rains. Well, at least in the elementary and high school levels. In college, as to be expected, classes went on as usual. I’m glad, though, that it didn’t rain too hard and that the streets weren’t too flooded, although there was some build up of water on the ground. Sure it was not enough to stall cars and stuff, but when you have to park in the street or in those  steel garages like in the malls that get so very slippery when wet, it’s such a hassle.

For me, I really, really hate rainy days when there are classes because one, I hate being cold and wet (errr….and as many know I so hate the rain to begin with!). Also, when it’s rainy, the kids often come in late. It’s so frustrating. Lastly, on rainy days, it’s just so hard to motivate everyone to work. Sigh.

Anyway, on the way home I was listening to an AM station on the radio where the show’s hosts were discussing the idea of moving the opening of classes to August instead of June. As can be expected, it was a conversation that went round and round teeeheeehee. It did get me to thinking however about what the best solution for rainy days and school days should be.I couldn’t think of one though…haha. I just wish that there was a better mechanism for the cancellation of classes in the college level when it’s rainy because at present, even when it’s super rainy and floody, there’s still classes unless it is declared as Signal Number 3. But by the time that happens, students and teachers are usually in school already. What to do…what to do….

and just like that radio conversation, this blog post is going around in circles. haha. Seriously though…any suggestions?

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Read to Help Others Read

A few years back I joined in on the call to say no to the Philippine Book Blockade because I believed very much in the value of reading, whether this be in the classroom setting or in the comforts of our own rooms, curled up with a good book on cold rainy days. It’s sad, however, that books so often are not accessible to many of our fellow countrymen, especially those who cannot afford it. It isn’t surprising that majority of public schools (and students) do not meet a 1:1 ratio of students to books.

Recently I came across this book sale/fund raiser via Facebook for the benefit of the AGAPP Foundation. Proceeds of the sale will be used to purchase new children’s books to be placed in the different schools that AGAPP has built all over the Philippines.

Check out their Facebook Page to see how you can help

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

Learning from Outside the Classroom

If there is one thing I wish I had the chance to do when I was younger, it was to have had the opportunity to become an exchange student…in Paris preferably. My eldest cousin was able to join a foreign exchange program at one point during his high school education and he was able to spend a year in a school in the United States and it was not just a fun opportunity, it really opened up a lot of doors for him. Obviously I never got to do it, but if I could, I really would have Although I would have wanted to do an exchange program to be immersed in a different culture in a school setting, other foreign exchange programs can either focus on touring/cultural exposure or on community service.

If I were a parent of a teenager, I would definitely encourage my son or daughter to try join one of those summer volunteer programs offered by various institutions and organizations. Some church groups, for example, even do teen summer community service activities which allows participants to truly engage in volunteer work. Not only do these programs allow let a teen volunteer abroad, this also allows the participant to explore his or her leadership abilities, as well as maximize their potentials.

Exchange programs, whether local or abroad, are definitely something worth investing in. Whether it is academic based, sports oriented or for socio-civic causes, the learning a teenager gets from this is truly priceless. This is really what learning is actually all about, in my opinion. It’s going beyond theory, it’s not just practice, but it’s actually living and breathing through what it is you try to learn, all done outside the four walls of a classroom.

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Reflections | 0 Comments

Oh, Teacher, You Look Different!

warning: this is going to be an all about me post so be prepared for some random self-affirmation and vanity. teeeheeehee.

You won’t believe how many times I heard that on my first day back in school:

“Misss…you’re so blooming!!!”

“Miss Ria, you’ve lost weight!”

“Wow, Teacher, you look so different now…in a good way ”

Teeeheeeheee. Random moments of flattery, I tell ya. One of my friends even said, “parang tumangkad ka ha, kahit mababa heels mo ngayon”  (you even look taller, even though your heels are not as high as usual). Mwihihi. I guess it must be all the yoga I did over the break that really made my skin so much clearer, my posture so much better (after all, the stretching, the ‘ creating spaces’ and strengthening the spine to hold myself up better must be much like getting an hgh shot or popping a few growth enhancers, right?? hehe), and for the most part, made my aura so much brighter because I am much more relaxed, calm and balanced even if I get stressed from time to time. Oh, and of course, the hair cut and color did add a little change to my physical appearance but the weight loss I guess and the more tone physique is what really makes a difference.

It was nice to know that the changes I have made in my life are starting to reflect on my entirely. After all, as I teach in class, well-being is really a holistic thing.Another thing I realized, however, is that I respond better to these comments and complements now….before I’d get all flustered and stuff…now, I just smile and say thank you Yep…teacher is different now.

She grew up. Bow. Teeheehee.

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Random Snappies | 0 Comments

Random Snappies: Goodbye Friendster!

Recently I (and I guess the rest of the Friendster social networking community haha) got the notice that the old site was being closed down and revamped to a new platform. Like many other users, I decided to log on and check what was still there.

Oh it was like a trip down memory lane! I came across photos and testimonials, friends I haven’t heard from in, like forever, and so on and so forth. One of the photos I found there was this one:

It was that of a trip two of my best college friends and I took way back in 2007 to Bangkok. Despite that being a difficult period of my life, that was one of the most fun trips I had ever taken in my life. We capped of the trip with an evening at the 360 bar of the Hilton hotel where we probably spent more for the evening than we did for all other meals combined haha. When I shared the photo on Facebook, my friend said, do you remember how we messed with that cab driver that brought us home from the Hilton? haha. It was soooo funny because the cab driver was trying to hit on us and was asking our names and stuff. We said we were, errr…Lindsay, Christina and Britney. Yes, named after the pop singers haha. At that time they were all the rage (well, before they kinda went off course and got in trouble with the law and had to be confined into california treatment centers and in jail, etcetera etcetera). In any case, it was fun pretending that evening!

Have you logged on to your Friendster account? What memories did you find there???

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Reflections | 0 Comments

More Things I’ll Miss this Coming School Year

The other day I started dusting off my old syllabi and materials for class (no, I’m not working yet, but getting ready to do so haha! I am still enjoying the last few days of my I-refuse-to-work vacation, after all!) and came across a pile of old preschool books that I realized I will not be using anymore. Sigh. It got me to thinking of the things I’ll be missing as the school year opens….

I will surely miss….

• little girls in pigtails and big giant headbands
• the sound of pure laughter coming from the belly
• the sight of little boys with eyes as wide as a deer caught in headlights (or more like a bear caught in one of those off-road ATV Lights) as teacher catches them doing something they shouldn’t be doing
• singing off-key and dancing with two left feet (errr…maybe I won’t miss this much!)
• hugs, hugs, huuuuugs…..

sigh…there’s really so much I’m going to be missing come June.

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Classroom Escapades, College, Life Lessons, Teacher's Corner | 0 Comments

Goodbye Academic Year 2010-2011 and THANK YOU

The time has come once again for me to bid farewell to another group of students and classes that I have grown to know and love.  It’s funny but this school year has, by far, been the most life changing one for me in so many ways and in so many facets of my life.

On a professional level, I have finally found a good balance between distance and closeness to my students, and I have the kids to thank for that. They have allowed me to see a side of me that I have tried hard not to get to know. As I posted on my “Teacher Ria” facebook page, these past few months have made me realize that there’s so much to teacher ria then i have allowed myself to know and that there is a whole wider world out there for me to learn from, if only i let it happen On a personal level, because I have embraced that openness and allowing-ness, I have become a much better person, I’d like to think.

As I end the term, I am exceptionally grateful for the students in both my developmental and clinical psychology classes for allowing me to learn from them as I tried to teach them more than just psychology, but about life in general.

To my Devpsyc students, thank you for the sweetest note ever I am glad you got to enjoy our “child-like” activities from time to time. Thank you too for always having such a lively discussion with me.  It still makes me laugh when I remember how our classroom discussions would often go all sorts of directions because you guys were always so open to giving your ideas, opinions and all. You also made me think a lot. It has definitely been one of the most enjoyable developmental psychology classes EVER.

From your essays, I take with me very important lessons. Yes, I know I give too many essays and just yesterday, two of you were teasing me about how I loooooove reading essays and my answer to you was: reading essays? toink. no. learning from my kids, yes

This term I had so many great essays to read, and while there were those that made me want to pull my hair out, there were some that simply took my breath away and made me say, wow.  These are but a few very important life lessons I will take with me from what I’ve learned from you. And if I helped you learn this, then I am blessed.

• “this realization has taught me to live in the present and not worry about the mistakes I’ve done in the past because there’s no use stressing over something that cannot be undone. Instead, I should learn from [these] mistakes and make sure not to repeat it; and not to over think the future because it will eventually come, there’s no use planning every single detail of tomorrow when many uncontrollable things can always get in the way”
• “[Life] is like playing Tetris where you have to find out how to win every level to be able to go on to the next; every one of them a different challenge”
• “I learned that throughout our life span, we develop because it is our nature to develop…to adapt to our surroundings and to try to survive the world. [As we pass through different stages] we arrive at the pit-stops of our lives. [Conflicts that exist] may possibly shake or weaken us, [but] we must learn to surpass them in order to…move on to the next stage”
• “They say that the most valuable lessons are not learned in school. Well, I beg to differ. The things you learn in school are just as valuable as the outside”
• “[Life can be difficult] but I always put in mind that there are no challenges that are meant not to be surpassed because that is the way it is [and that] is what life is all about: learning to breathe and take a step forward”
• “All in all an equally significant ideology I have grasped from this term in developmental psychology is the acceptance that change is the only permanent thing we have. No matter how much you want certain things to be preserved and remain the same, we must not struggle to hold on to them when the right time has come. All these things we must shed are part of growing up and are a part of life. Overstaying the welcome of things will hurt no one but the one who persists on keeping it and at times the object itself. This is how the world works whether we like it or not. But this does not mean we don’t have a hand in how these changes are made; in fact, I believe the most important changes are based on our decisions. I t is how we react to such things that truly define, shape and develop who we are”
  

And yes, this made reading all your essays oh-so-worth it. There were so many other brilliantly written ones but I will stop with these

And to my dear CLINPSY students…THANK YOU. I tried to teach you the skills and characteristics needed by a therapist/clinician, and though many of you said in our final class that you realized it isn’t for you, I would beg to disagree. In your own little ways, you all (okay, most of you haha), have the potential to be good therapists. Believe me when I say you guys have given me soooo much healing and insight after an exceedingly difficult second term. Being with you guys allowed me to, once more,  love what I do and for that, I will always be grateful.

To be honest, I’ve always made it a point not to have classes on my birthday (which this term’s last day of class ended with!), but for some reason, I just wanted to be with you guys on that day. And yes, it made my day extra special

I will miss you guys oh so very, very much

Here’s to a new school year ahead!

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