Teacher, Teacher, Teach Us Well…

I got a very interesting comment from one of my students on my post How I Should Deal With Cheating in My Class:

Good day ma’am! students do cheat bcoz they don’t really know how to answer or they got a lacking informations in a certain subject. Maybe the effective way to avoid cheating in your class is to provide the students all the informations they needed in your subjects and letting them understand the lessons deeply. Through this, students will find no way to cheat because they can answers all the quizes and exams by themselves and they won’t bother to look at other’s answers.

It was a new insight. Yeah, maybe students cheat because the teacher (that’s me) was not able to explain the lessons well. It is a major (major – Venus Raj) responsibility of a teacher to “let the students understand the lessons deeply”. I admit that there are times when I teach half-heartedly and I couldn’t wait for the class to end. There are days when all I want is to wake up and be in another job, somewhere in a company where I am dealing with clients, or just making systems or programs that would someday save the world. :p But, reality check: I am a teacher. And I have a great responsibility on my hands to prepare my students for a bright future ahead. Whew.

That is why I have decided not to take any evening classes anymore. I could no longer put the quality of my teaching at stake. I have already received a tentative list of the subjects I’ll be teaching next sem and all of them are new to me so I really need time to prepare. And probably by next semester, I will be given an additional programming task so I really need lots and lots of time.

Teaching is not an easy job (especially when you’re handling Programming and Math subjects). I also admit that I still have a lot to learn, strategies and techniques to formulate and master. But I love the challenge. So, bring it on! 🙂

Getting Started with PHP Project

At last, now I can get started with my PHP Project. Whew!

Thank goodness for Free and Open Source Softwares like HeidiSQL, which helped me build the SRMIS database on my machine from the database dump that Sir Jap gave me.

However, there was an error (which I thought was due to the large size of the dump) generated when I imported the sql file: Got packet bigger than max_allowed_packet bytes. Sir Japhet told me to edit the MySQL .ini file. When I googled how I could fix the problem, I found out that the error was due to the setting in MySQL that defines the maximum size of any data packet that can be written to a single field in the mysql database. Luckily, I found a link on how to increase the allowed packet size.  🙂

2nd Monthsary: kaizen! :)

I am at a much better state now than I was a month ago, when I celebrated my first monthsary in USEP.

I am really glad that: I feel a lot better physically (though I still have to recover from my cough.) I am now very comfortable and have gotten used to my new environment… the cubicle, the office, the 5th floor rooms, the deadly schedule and the rain! I feel that I have adjusted well to my new environment. Last month, these things were a struggle to me:

• tricycle-jeepney-tricycle ride to and from USEP (This is the first time in my life that I have to commute to school this far. From elementary, high school, college, and MSU, I either walked or rode a tricycle to school because it was very near to my place.) Solution: acceptance and paradigm shift. I look for ways to enjoy my trip like the beautiful scenery, amusing passengers, cute kids with their bulky bags and sexy yayas… I also love passing by the 2 churches (Redemptorist and Carmellite) because I am reminded to say a little prayer. During days when I don’t have to be in school at 7am, I grab the opportunity to ride with my Tito, Mommy and April. =)
• competition for the jeepney ride to Damosa at 8pm onwards. It’s so difficult to get a ride after my evening classes, and it used to really stress me out coz I just want to lie down and sleep after an exhausting day. Solution: be smart! walk a few meters away from the waiting “madlang people” so I could have better chances of getting a ride.
• large number of students in my classes. I was used to having a maximum of 45 students in class so I really felt dizzy when I look at a sea of students inside my room. Solution: just get used to it or divide the class into batches (if possible).
• preparation for my Statistics and Trigonometry class. Well, as I’ve said, this is the first time that I’ve handled these subjects and I really have to dedicate some precious time on preparing my lessons. Solution: downloaded materials from Esnips, study lessons ahead, prepare solutions to problems
• waking up at 5:30 am and starting class at 7am. I used to wake up at 6:30 am for my 7:30am classes at MSU. It only took less than 5 minutes to get to my classroom so it really took some time for me to accept and adjust to my new schedule. Solution: get some cat naps during the day and try to go to bed as early as possible.
• tons of papers to check. With the large number of students per class, I really have tons of papers to check every time I give assignments and quizzes.  Solution: let the students check the papers after the quiz so they’ll also know their scores immediately.

I spent most of the past 2 months adjusting to my environment and workload. It was challenging, especially because I also had to struggle financially. It feels really good now, that I have tasted the sweet fruit of my labor. Yey! =)

Other Accomplishments:

• produced 2 IEC materials for DOST. At first I was really hesitant to accept this extra task because I’m still so busy preparing my lessons but I have to admit, I also enjoyed doing the leaflets. Though it was really mediocre and it wasn’t well thought-out. Maybe I could do a lot better next time. But at least I learned something from it.

Next month, I will:

• submit my syllabi
• work on the PHP project (Faculty Load and Grade-Input)
• transfer to Sandawa
• be through with my PRELIM(and hopefully, MIDTERM) grades in all subjects.

I’m glad that I can work on getting better – with processes, as a person, at my craft, at relationships, and in handling finances. KAIZEN!

When the going gets tougher…

What do you do when the going gets tougher?

I embarked on a new journey full of hope, enthusiasm and vigor.. but lately, too much workload, personal, health and family problems have started to weigh me down.

I could not even write. My mind is in chaos. I could not even decide what to think about. I am afraid that I would realize I made a mistake. No, I refuse to accept that because that would make me so miserable.

I have to change my thoughts.

Rest

I’ve been sick for a number of days already…. I need to rest so badly but I couldn’t because there are just too many things to do… Sad. 😦

I realized that this kind of workload is not good for me and I won’t do this to myself again next sem. No more working til 9pm… I can’t torture myself like this.