Get Tougher, Get going

                When we were asked to make this blog post, I did not know what to write. Surely, I ain't too experience enough to be able to share anything to you. Well, what would I tell you is what my mother did before when I was still a 3 year-old toddler.
                 During that time, we were still living at a rural area located at Quezon City. You know those kind of places where the houses were made of wood, and they were positioned beside each other. Yes, we actually lived there before.
                Well during that event, my father was at the store, probably buying things for us. And then the event came.
                Fire. It was fire that tried to eat our lives away. I was still a little kid then and all I could do was cry and wail. It was said to have started at our neighbor's house. My aunt tried to carry me away and our things outside of our house. My mother was pregnant then, of my sister.
                When we checked our things, we soon knew that our idol (praying) was left inside the burning house. Defying odds, my mother, though being pregnant, rushed into our house to get the idol. Fortunately, she was able to do it and had little or no damage to herself.
               Because of this, I believe that life includes taking risks in order to be successful in it.

Math Festival

       The day of the math festival wasn't a very good day for me. That day I had tonsillitis; I can't speak or eat to much. There were lots of activity going on that day, but none of it was I included. Though it was a happy day, I did not seem to enjoy it much.
        The activities that I watched were the Math Quiz Bee,Singing Mathematician, some parts of the Math Trail, and of course, G. at Bb. Sipnayan. Well at least I enjoyed watching these parts. Everyone gave full support to their candidates. Especially the G. at Bb. Sipnayan, where we gave Michael and Joanna our cheers and claps. Michael won 1st place while Joanna won 2nd place. We wanted Joanna to win, but we also gave acknowledgement to the winner of Bb. Sipnyan.
        After the program, we went home, feeling exhausted, but still happy, with a sore throat.

Why, My Love?

Dear Love,

                   Milady, my one and only. The person whom my love will be bestowed. With you, I shall conquer the seven seas. You are the apple of my eye. I promise I won't hurt you at all. I promise I'll be careful with your heart. Though I pretended hard to be, I wanted your love and consolation more than anything else.
                   Could we talk about us? My friends say I'm dreaming my life away because of you. Do you think I should keep right on dreaming? My heart is at your command. I was telling a star last night just how wonderful you are and why I'm so in love with you.
                    Remember  the first time I held your hands, I was sure I'll be the lucky guy to own those hands, the hands on whose fingers I'd be proud to see wearing my wedding ring. It's funny that I couldn't get rid of the habit of calling out your name at the creek that I'm so used to doing. I'm sorry I never took the time to look after your heart. I'd like to be able to nurse it back to health. I'm sorry I let my foolish pride took away so many good years out of our lives. I've pushed you too far. I'm sorry. Now you can have anything you desire, but just don't ever leave me.

                                                                                                                Still waiting,
                                                                                                                      Shepherd

When Baby Bear Jumped.....

             November 11, 2011 was really a day to be marked at my calendar. 
             First of all, It was the birthday of my mom, who turned 42, and by our Filipino teacher, Mrs. Tolentino. 
             Second, it was the day of our fieldtrip. Fieldtrip! I mean after months of eye brow burning, it is about time to relax and enjoy ourselves.
             We were assigned on Bus 6. Our section will be going with 3 C. Our tour guide, who introduced himself as Kuya Noel(he would prefer Ate!), made the trip fun for us. He cracked some jokes, then asked students to perform using his microphone. 
              We arrived at MOA at about 11 AM. We went inside Science Discovery where we had fun at the same time learning valuable information. One of those that I would not forget was the "Jump Baby Bear". Honestly, it was pretty lame. The fact that it is makes it memorable!
              Next stop was Myths of The Human Body. There we had fun at viewing real bodies from donors who intend their bodies to be of use to the people. We were also able to view specimens of fetuses at different stages or forms. That makes me wonder if they were intenionally aborted or what (Sorry for the term).
              Last stop before happy hours was Kulturang Pinoy. In here, we had sing and dance performances. We watched a video about how much our parents mean to us. I admit that I had a teary eye as a watched the video.
             I spent 4 happy hours at MOA with Marco, Argel, and Mayas. We went to the Xbox Corner and played there for an hour, then ate dinner and stroll around the mall. By the time we were called upon going home, we were very much satisfied with what had happened. We hope that another trip like this wold occur.

Blog 1: My True Hero

Sheer bravery shown,

A man with his principles.

He whose name's Andres

Not Super, but Hero

This short story is about what teachers sworn to fulfill:

A Teacher's Dream

by

James G. Fabiano

One of my favorite days was happening.

We all made a large circle around a picnic table covered with hamburgers, hot dogs, and every type of salad I had ever seen. It was the end of school party, at a colleague's house who lives on a lake in Nottingham, New Hampshire. The conversation started out easy and comfortable.It centered on the just-completed school year. To my dismay, most of my colleagues started to discuss how our school was being destroyed by the lack of funds, schoolboard politics, and a lack of values in the underclassmen and underclasswomen, (God, I hate being politically correct), brought to school from their homes.

The conversation also centered on how our profession was becoming the political fodder of both state and national policy. After a while, the conversation grew vicious and because I had just finished my fifth Old Brown Dog I made the mistake of opening my mouth.

"Does anyone remember why we got into teaching, in the first place?"

My question produced silence from all of my co-workers in the circle. The silence didn't last long because it was replaced by a unified display of the 'who the hell made you king of arrogance' look.

"No, I mean it! Does anyone remember the philosophy which made all of us take the vows of celibacy, servitude, and of course poverty?"

Well, a veteran history teacher, whose longevity in the school almost outweighed his size, asked me to remind them of what their philosophy was. In other words, he took me to task. Being the storyteller I am, I told the group that I would use a metaphor to describe what 'teaching' is to me.

I tell them that the beginning of each year was like taking a group of young men and women to the base of a mountain. Always observing my students, I see that they are afraid and uncomfortable with what they were expected to do. I tell them that for the next 186 days I will show them how to climb the cliffs, and reach the plateau that was above the clouds and seemingly out of reach.

Then, we start the climb by having me show them how to put one foot in front of the other; how to use their hands, legs, and more importantly their minds to reach the next stone. All my kids start to fall. I tell them that it is OK to fall; to make a mistake, because this is how we all learn, and get better at what we are trying to do. Some of my kids give up and simply fall down to the bottom of the mountain. I try and encourage them to continue but they simply do not want to take the chance to fail. I feel bad, yet I realize that I can't help everyone: I can only try.

Looking around my small group of colleagues I notice that everyone is listening. I smile, take another sip, and continue. Halfway up the mountain, I see that my kids are beginning to build up a confidence in themselves. They help each other toclimb to the next level. Every now and then a child falls, but, the farther we climb up the mountain, fewer children make the decision not to continue. Now it is no longer a case of me showing them how to climb, as they work with each other, and find easier and better ways of achieving success. Every now and then I fall and I find my students helping me now. Students become teachers. We all become one, in the knowledge that we need each other to continue, and thus succeed.

We finally reach the plateau and are dumbfounded by what we see. We observe the colors of life; the greens of their futures, the reds and oranges of their passion, and the blues of all their dreams. The air is new and clear. There are no clouds on the plateau, just an image that everything is do-able and achievable. I walk over to the edge where the view is even more dramatic and beautiful and tell them to come to the perimeter with me. They hesitate and tell me that they are still afraid. I chastise them; I teach them once more and tell them that they earned looking out at their futures. That, because of their hard work and perseverance, they have become competent in everything they attempt to do.

They come to the edge of the plateau. I push them off.

And I watch them fly!

The group surrounding the picnic table, which was now half-filled with food and empty plates, stayed silent for the next few minutes. An English teacher told me that I should write down my thoughts. I just smiled and said I probably would. I always do! The conversation then turned very positive. It became filled with hopes and visions of the next school year. Yes, a favorite day of mine was coming to an end, with another favorite day not far away.

The day when I group my students together, and tell them how we will climb the mountain.

The End. 

I am dedicating this story for all of the teachers out there. We, students are fortunate to have such mentors guiding our way to success. The road to victory is a steep one, yet there they are, ready to push as whenever we get blown away. They might be not like the ones we watch on cartoons having special powers and abilities, but their dedication to educating us is already comparable to the best heroes of all. So, I would like to say Thank You To All Teachers.

What Ya' Gonna Get?

             Seriously, no one wants to take examinations and tests. But we need it- we need to comply. So I began to ask myself to what is the NCAE for.
              "National Career Assessment Examination"- the meaning of the abbreviated NCAE. 3rd year students are to take the test(though formerly taken by 4th year students). 
              It is said that we students take the test to help us in choosing the right course for us. It assesses the skills of the student, to which field he or she would be the most successful. While most students take it easy on getting tests like these, a few others take it seriously, especially those who belong to less fortunate families who needs assurance that their child would be finishing college and have a job.
              I began to think of my parents who were abroad; how they get their backs twisted and bodies wearied just to get the two of us to the best schools who can really give quality education. I saw how ungrateful I was to them. I thought that the best way to repay them is to do best in my studies and soon get a job. I wanted to help them, so I took the NCAE seriously.
            For all those out there who are going to take the same test, I advise to take it seriously and  think that there are others that rely on you.