5 October 2005, Tuesday

Introduction

Last season, this class was only composed of 14 students. Fourteen happy people who seemed to be contented with one another. They are a group with the same ideals, sense of humor, culture, and interests. They graduated like a big family. One left for another school in search of a new environment.

This school year, these students are now in their first year in high school. Nine new students are added to this 13-student class. The new students come from schools like Assumption Antipolo, St. Paul Pasig, and Miriam College. The first years are now a mixture of different cultures, and mentalities.

Moreover, the 13 old students expected something from high school. They expect it to be the most fun part of their lives. And are they having fun? I don't think so. They have expected the wrong kind of fun now they are frustrated and stressed out with all the expectations on the side of their teachers. Are they coping? Will they survive surrounding by all these factors?

Tuesday

A student of mine went up to me the period before my class with them and told me that she just wanted to get out of the classroom because she feels like in a twilight zone of some sort when she is inside the room. (It was just the week after I learned that some of the students in this class did a major offense against the school like drinking liquor. The new students initiated it.) This girl just needed to air out what she thinks and how she feels. So I said to myself, I am going to give this class a big break to release the tension for a while.

It was a cloudy and windy day. I went inside their classroom and told them to get their books and notebooks and prepare to go downstairs to the playground and that we will have the class there. I asked someone to borrow a portable white board so I have something to write on. They were happy and excited about the idea. We had a lesson on inequalities. I am a teacher whose style is to always allude to something that my students can relate to. I gave examples of practical day-to-day inequalities: age limits, speed limits, and other limits. I told them that life seems to be surrounded by limits. I said this because I thought I can motivate them to learn more about inequalities because they are a fact of life. As I was teaching, I was observing my students: some were distracted, some were still trying to find a comfortable position, some had a hard time hearing my voice…

The class ended and I was not sure whether I got the lesson across or not. I guess all I wanted to happen was a break from the monotony of the classroom environment. Thinking that with this change, they can also start with a new outlook in life in whatever aspect. That with the new environment, they regain the enthusiasm of looking forward for the next class…But I know that I will not do this as often as every week. I'll do it when I deem it necessary.