12 February 2001, Monday

Another Monday after doing some sports over the weekend and late nights. I just wanted to sleep! But then again, I can’t afford. I had to go to school. When I reached the faculty room, our acting level coordinator reminded all of us to go to the other building to do the flag ceremony. Oh yes, I have been a delinquent teacher and the students do not feel my presence there anymore. Again, I felt guilty not going this morning because I know I had to be a good example for the students who had to walk from one building to another, stay under the warmth of the morning sun, and sing the National Anthem which does not have any effect on them. I thought that I needed time to prepare myself for the 25-minute class of the second years. The students came back from the elementary building and went to their classroom. As I was gathering my things to go to my first class, I noticed that there was a teacher inside my classroom! I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I needed an explanation for the loss of my time. The only reason I had was that the Algebra teacher had the schedules changed and that they did not inform me of the changes. I thought it was fine until I got a phone call from the elementary level coordinator apologizing for not informing me of the changes and that my Reading 7 was ongoing and I only have seven minutes left to teach them. She asked what else she can make the students do for the missed class and I thought that it was silly to still give them anything. I might as well give it a free time for them and just see them for their second period. So I went and this time ready to give a quiz. The questions in the quiz, as expected, are objective ones. When I announced the quiz, you could see them taking a last look on their handouts and hear them passing some names from the story. When I noticed those, I told them that the quiz is supposed to check their long term memory and not their short term memory of things that they just read 3 minutes ago. This is something that I want my students to keep in mind. I wonder if they would be able to…After the quiz, the discussion again began and my little performances.

I had to meet the second years next. Five of them were absent since they had to attend a seminar in Woodrose. Since it was a leadership seminar, of course, the ones who are out are the top five of the class. I thought I would never be able to carry out a decent discussion with them. Discussion came and we did not have a decent enough discussion not because they were not talking, but because they were all hyper! They made a lot of side comments here and there. I don’t even remember how many times I had to make them quiet. But what is good about this class is that they are sensitive and they have the initiative to really keep quiet, but after a minute, they start talking loud again. Actually, it was a healthy kind of talking because they were not talking about other things, but they were talking about the pilgrims in the tale. People really love talking about other people. I commented to them that just because the five of their better classmates are out, they already start becoming very hyper. One of the hyperactive ones answered and said that it is because they are absorbing the ideas of their absent classmates which give them overflowing ideas they cannot contain in their heads anymore. Then, I realized that the rest of the class get intimidated with the five absentees. They looked freer and even the quieter ones started saying something. It was a wonderful sight seeing them all wanting to contribute something to the discussion. However, I think I need to learn how to handle such situations in which everyone wants to say something.

After my class with them, there was an announcement that classes will be suspended due to the Popoy Lagman rally in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. That leaves me 10 minutes with the first years. I was prepared to give them a quiz and so I still went to see them and gave my quiz. They did not complain like they used to and just obeyed what I said. I was pretty kind to them today because I would give them clues to the answers. It was to compensate for the lack of review that they had before the quiz. One student was seeking some exceptions on her part saying that she was absent last meeting and she did not know there was a quiz and nobody told her. I told her that it is her responsibility to ask. She made other excuses which I did not allow to pass. The long bell rang at 2’oclock and I dismissed the class.