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Happy Dad’s Day!

To all the daddies out there, Happy Dad’s Day!

As for me, I am thankful for the dads in my life, no matter where on this world (or out of it for that matter! teehee) they are.

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Tips on Choosing Your College Course

Last night a friend of mine and I were chatting about her son trying to pick a course for college as submission of applications for UP is closely approaching. It got me to thinking about how I picked my own course in college….

I had been hell bent on taking psychology, but since it was a quota course, I was advised to pick a non-quota as my second choice. What I did was browse through the list and pick the once course that sounded nice…even if I had no idea what it was. Lucky for me it turned out to be the best choice for me because it could have ended up like a train wreck or like one of those Texas Semi Accidents in the freeway that would have been…well…disastrous.

Anyway, for those trying to choose their courses now, I strongly suggest not following my lead. Harhar. Do think about the following when trying to decide what’s best for you.

1. What do you want to do after you graduate?
2. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
3. What kind of activities do you like doing?
4. What is your preferred learning style?
5. What do you find interesting in terms of work and employment?

Those are but a few questions to get you started. Other things you can look at would be your personality, social skills and of course, what kind of grades do you have. While grades (in my personal opinion) is not necessarily a great measure of what you can or cannot do, it is still something to consider.

Will come up with more tips and ideas as soon as I can! Good luck.

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Gearing Up for the School Year!

Boo…

Haha Yes, this is Teacher Ria being a little bit sad about not being part of the coming school year. Classes in the school I used to teach in start next week and I’m kinda missing it a little bit more than usual right about now. Sigh. No regrets though.

Anyway, this is not a post for parents and kids who are gearing up for the coming year, but this is for all you teachers out there who still make it a point to be in a little kids classroom:

CHEERS TO YOU!!!! Wishing you a fun, exciting and joyful year ahead.

I’m inggit. Haha

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Random Snappy: I Miss….

I so miss painting on walls

This time of the year is always hectic yet super fun in the preschool setting. This is the time we design our classrooms and come up with all sorts of cutiepatootey decorations for teaching aids. I have done all sorts of themes for my rooms in the past, from Under the Sea to Gardens in Bloom. I love love looooove this part of the school year.

And yes, I sooo superdidooper miss it right about now.

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Impressions, Perceptions and Misconceptions

One of the things that really get me the most is the way some salesladies in the malls treat shoppers who they think are not in a position to afford items from their store. For example, today, I decided to dress down…as I said in my Facebook status message, I am on student mode today, ergo the high heels, the make-up and formal dresses stayed home. Little did I know I would end up in the mall meeting up with a dear, dear friend of mine. While waiting, I decided to have a look around in the mall and well, I went into one of those high end stores and suffice it to say, I wasn’t given the attention I usually get when I am all dressed. Annoying right?

It really gets to me how people often make judgments from these kinds of impressions. This is why in the class I teach on personal effectiveness, I always tell my students two important things:

1. First impressions often last very long and

2. Misconceptions are often formed from these first impressions therefore use your judgment wisely.

As part of my curriculum, I teach them skills like power dressing and resume writing. I also tell them to invest in business cards even if they don’t have much to put in it. I tell them they don’t really need a high end print company to make it, and they don’t even need the embossed kinds or what not. I shared with them how small home based printing businesses, such as that of my friends who mainly does invitation and poster printing, can also make affordable cards for them. This is essential, I tell them, in making good first impressions.

At the end of the day, however, what I tell them most is that beyond the first impression, what really lasts is how they reveal their true selves and allow their personalities to shine.

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To Preschool or Not To Preschool? Why not do both with the Kids on Focus Kittens Program!

I often get asked, both as a former preschool teacher and as a psychologist who works extensively with children is whether or not a preschool education is really necessary and if so, at what age is it most recommended. Also, what kind of a school program is better or whether homeschooling is a good option or not.

My standard answer for this is IT DEPENDS Of course the standard response I get is either an eye-roll or a heavy sigh from parents who get frustrated because I don’t give them a straight answer. My friends say sana di nalang ako nagtanong. Hehe… but well, that’s what I think is the best answer. While I do believe in the value of early childhood education, I also believe that each child responds differently, has different needs and learns in his or her own way. I follow this up, however, by telling them three important points to consider or to think about as part of their decision making process:

1. What are your goals or objectives for choosing to enroll in a preschool (or the choice of a program for that matter)?

2. What resources are available to your child? For example, is your child home alone for most of the day with only a nanny on hand or are you a stay at home parent? Also, does the child have siblings, cousins, and other children around to interact with?  If no, perhaps he/she will benefit from being around other kids on a regular basis through a school program.

3. Most importantly, is your child ready? I, for one, was a child enrolled in the preschool at age 2. Lucky for me, my school was a non-traditional school that did not force me to sit down and learn to read and write even if I wasn’t ready yet. It also helped that my teacher was able to spot red flags in my learning process that could have led to potential difficulties if not addressed early. Perhaps, if I had been enrolled in a more traditional school, I wouldn’t have thrived the way I did, mainly because I wasn’t ready.

Whatever answers the parents give me to these questions help me in responding to their needs because the bottom line for me is that there is no one size fits all when it comes to preschooling. Unlike, let’s say, more formal grade school education where a more set curriculum is in place. In the preschool, maybe a more flexible program is what a child needs.

This is exactly what the Kittens program of the school Kids on Focus is really all about. As they put it, children who have parents who can act as their primary teachers need not spend 5 days in a preschool.  For these children, going to the preschool can serve as a supplement or to complement, perhaps, what happens in the home. In these cases, preschooling attends to two important goals: the development of gross motor and fine motor skill as well as to improve their social skills.

The Kids on Focus’ KITTENS program is specifically designed to develop your child’s motor and socio-emotional skills through a 3-days-a-week (MWF) or 2-days-a-week (WF) school schedule.  This program is open to children aged 2 – 4 years old. Classes are held from 8-11 am or 12-3 pm.

For more inquiries call KOF at 6826207

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Summer Fun Activities

One of the most difficult things to do during the summer break is to keep kids entertained. Sure there are lots of activities they can do, but many times, the weather makes it almost impossible to entice the kids out of their rooms, right? Or at least away from the television haha. Sometimes even the kids enrolled in our summer program get soooo super lazy to do anything because of the heat. I noticed, however, that the younger children are more easily swayed when it comes to doing activities especially if it’s fun and games.

Here are a few suggestions on how to get kids to beat the lazy summer blues away:

• Go on a nature walk. A few days ago we were walking by the park and we saw the village maintenance people cutting the grass with their weed whackers and clearing up fallen leaves with those shindaiwa blowers. We were able to talk about how plants grow, pick some leaves and flowers up for hand made paper and even talk about the senses with a discussion on how they liked (or disliked) the smell of fresh cut grass
• Do a recycling project. Use old juice boxes or milk cartons to make bird feeders, for example. During the summer it is  a good time to do some home cleaning after all.
• Avoid TOO MUCH ACADEMIC TASKS. Errr..it’s summer. Maybe the formal reading, writing and math tasks can be lessened a little bit, at least until about two weeks before summer ends. Let’s not forget that play is still important, right?

Any other suggestions? Maybe next time I can come up with a list of things to do…but it’s summer and teacher is on vacay too haha

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Rodrick Rules: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid returns to Cinemas

It’s been a long, hot summer for many and I’m sure right about now kids around the city are getting bored and restless, looking for something fun to do. Well, a quick trip to the movies will surely be one way to beat the summer heat.

Returning to the theaters this summer are the familiar characters from last years “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”. This year, the kids have grown a little bigger and are facing new challenges. Based on Jeff Kinney’s novel of the same title, the story gives viewers a refreshing look at brotherhood and family, allowing us to once more, appreciate the true meaning of family.

The movie opened last April 23 and is still showing in cinemas around the city. I enjoyed the movie immensely and it was such a good laugh It definitely is a fun and entertaining film to catch

The teacher in me appreciated how the film can allow us to understand the dynamics of sibling relationships even further and as always, this is a film that will make its way to my repertoire of learning materials.

“Diary of  A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” is brought to viewers by 20^th Century Fox and is distributed by Warner Bros.

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Random Thoughts of Summer….

The other day I was sitting in my garden hammock (I was so wishing I had one of those wooden swing sets instead of just a hammock, haha) and I was just thinking about this coming school year and all….

sigh.

Yes, this is me thinking whether my decision to have left the preschool was right or not for me. In my heart of hearts, I know it is right, but there’s a little part of me that still is scared about what lies ahead….

At the end of the day however, I would like to believe that despite my being unsure, everything will fall into place.

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Kids SHOULD be Kids

I have written about this topic several times already but in the wake of the whole Jan Jan incident and the controversial Mc Donalds commercial, I feel it is once more relevant to talk about keeping kids kids. In my developmental psychology class, we discussed this topic at great length and I was surprised at how one of my students said Miss, I can’t believe that my little sister has problems and concerns that I did not even think about until I was in high school!.  All I could say is that she was so right.

There have been so many changes in the way we view and treat children now. We allow them many things that were not allowed in our time. Just take a look at children’s clothing nowadays! One of my pet peeves really are the heels for kids, as I said in a previous post. To be fair, however, there are MANY, MANY clothing companies that still have very age-appropriate apparel for children of all ages.

We also tend to expose children to behaviors and tasks that are not necessarily age appropriate. This is also true about the academic demands we place on them. For one, we expect them to read even before they are ready to. I had so many problems with parents in my preschool about this for the entire 12 years I was teaching! It also gets to me when parents expect children to not be playful and restless and to sit through class for looooong hours. Um…kids, remember?

Sigh. Let’s let kids be kids.

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Let’s Work it This Summer!

The summer months have finally come, at least here in our neck of the woods. The weather, however, is not very (for a lack of a better word….) summery. It’s been cold, rainy and damp, I tell ya. Anyway, while many adolescents are planning beach getaways and vacations, perhaps this would be a good time for others to consider taking on some tasks to earn money When I was younger, summer jobs were quite limited and difficult to come by. I remember that back then, I was able to get one of those sales jobs in a retail store, but only because my cousin owned the store. Haha. Nowadays, students/adolescents can earn by a lot of other ways. For one, there is the World Wide Web. With sites like Multiply and Facebook, they can easily market projects, such as the t-shirt project one of my students is doing. With little to no overhead, this is an easy summer job for them to explore. There are also restaurants and stores that still employ summer workers, such as the restaurant in Festival Mall my brothers worked at last summer (they asked me not to post pictures of them at work hehe)

Even though my brothers hated the fact that they were made to do a summer job last year, I think now that they look back at it, they have begun to see the innate value of it. So….since we’re having a wet summer and all, maybe this time would be good to explore summer jobs

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When Tweens take it Too Far

In my developmental psychology class last week, I got asked an interesting question. The student asked me why tweens (meaning 10-13 year olds) seem to be so much older now than when she was a tween herself. She went on to explain that when she was younger, she didn’t worry much about how she looked and whether she was thin enough or her breasts big enough (which actually is the typical developmental expectation). She said she noticed that the tweens now seem to be going thorough what she did when she was about 15-16.

It dawned on me that she was right. I explained that the role of modern technology and media’s influence, for example, has influenced that a lot. Take for example young teen shows now and compare them with the ones before. Very different. The tweens of today deal with much more. They are consumed with finding fat burners, getting plastic surgery, and in some cases, wanting to be pregnant because they think its cool. All misread messages.

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t blame media completely. It’s a vicious cycle.And so I explained in class that as we continue to grow and change, and as the generations pass, the needs and experiences vary. When we went on to discuss the next phase of the human life, we also saw how there are changes too, like now a college degree doesn’t seem to be enough anymore, right?

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Something to Think About…

I recently attended an Open House at the Bannister Academy and I came across this sign in their campus. It got me to thinking: what would my answer be.

Hmmm…

Those who know me well will say I value outside opinion way too much. I would definitely agree. I tend to operate on the idea that if others approve of it, then its good. In the same way, I am a stickler for rules. In fact in college, I never once cut a class the way the typical college student does….with that meaning signing attendance than sneaking out. Haha.

So…this sign made me realize one thing: authenticity. How authentic a person are you?

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A Whole Lot of Things To Celebrate

It dawned to me that it’s been a while since I last really updated my blogs because I’ve been so busy with so many things. Sure, I get to cram several posts in a day, but that’s usually because it’s the only free day I get, so I end up writing three to five posts in a row. When I first started, I was kinda able to post at least one daily. *sigh*

But then, I have to take pause and recognize that I am not able to post not only because I’ve been so busy with work, but also I’ve been so busy with celebrating life’s great miracles (oh…and mysteries at times hehe!)…these include

• welcoming new friends and opportunities
• touching base with friends from way back
• saying goodbye to people and things that no longer have a place in my life
• trying on new “hats” and “stilettos”
• being able to witness so many changes in the lives of people around me, such as friends getting married, having babies and all

See…too many things going on. So much so I am contemplating hording on little presents and tokens like those little toy silver spoons or bubble gum cigars to hand out to all my wonderful friends and loved ones who have so many things to celebrate

As for me, one thing I am ready to celebrate is the coming of summer What are you celebrating? Care to share?

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Countdown to Summer

For many schools, summer break has begun but because I teach in a school that uses a trimester-system, I still have about two weeks to go before I can actually say I am on break. Not that I’m complaining, but, yeah, I kinda wish the break was here already. On my Facebook wall are many of my friends posting pictures of themselves on break, in the beach and so on and so forth, so there’s that little part of me that wishes I, too, were there. Since I can’t, I will satisfy myself with some cyber-vacations instead (I read this word somewhere today, I think on Plurk or something hehe). In short: I will go on a cyber vacation by scouting various sites that offer great vacay deals and packages. The upside to my cyber vacation…it goes beyond borders meaning I can go anywhere in the world. So, I checked out a vacation in Paris and looked at some Outer Banks vacation rentals in the US. Yes, I will go around the world via the world wide web. Teeeheeeheeee…..

Okay, Teacher Ria, break is over, go back to checking now

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Exam Mode

Welcome to a random rant by Teacher Ria.

Just FYI (not that you really need to know but now you do nonetheless), one of the things I hate most about teaching is making exams. I so hate having to think  up of  multiple choice questions and so on and so forth. Why, you ask? Well, because for me, learning is more than just a test score. However, given that I can only read so much essays and papers in a given time, I have to do this. Plus, to be fair, some students really thrive on these kinds of tests right?

Yes, I’m still complaining though. Haha. Random much I know.

Back to thinking up of questions to ask. See ya peeps.