story telling

[caption id="attachment_273" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="storytelling with the Grade 1 boys"][/caption]

I’m still high from last Thursday’s story telling session. It was the grade 1 boy's Linggo ng Wika celebration and I was invited to share a legend. I was already informed a few weeks ago through a letter but I haven't had the time to talk to Ms. Pablo. I can simply call her and back out since I have no experience in storytelling at all but I didn't. I went to the GS library to look for an alamat that they might like. Among the Moderno Series of Lampara Books I saw are:

• Alamat ng niyog
• Alamat ng mangga
• Alamat ng ampalaya
• Alamat ng butiki
• Alamat ng papaya
• Alamat ng pating

I borrowed a few and browse through them. I was already contemplating on getting the shark story but I was still undecided.

sm advantage

we've had our SM advantage card for almost a year now and i really didn't understand how it works.  all i know is that for each purchase you make, a corresponding point is added under your name.  

i religiously surrender my advantage card on the cashier's cue:

ma'am, may advantage card po kayo?

otherwise, they will tell you to purchase a card from them.  they'll give you a temporary card (SM Advantage Express Membership Kit), use it all up until you realize that it has already expired and the points you've garnered has been forfeited already.  By the way their website says, you have to pay 150 pesos for the membership kit which contains the temp card and some forms to fill up.  You can claim your card with your name printed on it after 14 days.  make sure you claim it personally or if you'll be asking someone to pick it up for you, send an ID.  Trust me they won't give it to you.

anyway, while doing the grocery the other day i found out how the points can be claimed.  i saw an ad near the cash register which says use your SMAC to pay your goods.  Since i was a little short financially, i paid using my remaining GC and the points I garnered from SMAC.  I earned 222 points only!  i wonder how long should i use my card to reach even a thousand.  i used it all up to pay for sofi's milk.  i was so amazed.   i didn't know that the points meant peso value.  i thought this is like the point system which after earning them you can have it trade for a fixture like airpot or TV. 

i'd like to complain about how slow the earning capacity of a SMAC is,  but i realized saving me 222 pesos is quite a big deal already.  Jaims didn't know it too until i have swiped his card.  Now he's crying because he realized he could have use it to buy car shampoo for barney.

am i sick?

yesterday, while at work, i felt dizzy again. though i can still stay up, i knew that when i go home i'm going to puke like hell again. after staying under the sun with my mentees because they were excited to play frisbee, i decided to take my afternoon nap at work (i stopped taking my PM naps ever since Reagan and Emman became my officemates hahaha!). The 45 minute nap helped a little but there was still this faint dizziness lurking. I left the two boys not feeling extremely well. While at the jeepney on my way home, I got shaken and was sweating profusely. opening my eyes worsen the situation as i become dizzier than before. I managed to get home without damaging any man made elements but our toilet bowl experienced the fury. I vomitted everything I ate from 10AM onwards.

exposure trip to the barber shop

sofi and I followed dadi yesterday when he decided to have his hair trimmed at a village barber shop.  Sofi doesn't like having her hair cut nor does she want to see pieces of hair in the floor.  when we got there, dadi was waiting for his turn.  sofi saw the trimmed hair  on the floor and she got agitated again.  She was screaming and shouting NO.  She was even asking me to sweep the floor to get rid of the hair.  When it was Jaims' turn, she grabbed a magazine and started reading.  I didn't have a camera so I took Jaims' phone and took a picture of my baby in her exposure trip.  Took a lot of prodding before i can convince her to sit on the swivel chair.



P.S.
convinced her tonight to have her bangs cut :)

what's next?

jaims and i have been experiencing our share of, as lemony Snicket puts it, "a series of unfortunate events".  We'd like to think it's just a normal phase of life, that things will smoothen out in the end.  after all, recession has been felt in most homes.

our savings are depleting, and it seems that the monthly income is not enough to sustained the daily needs.  we've cut our nonsense spendings, ended our regular afternoon shawarma journey and even slept on our hunger pangs to avoid having midnight snack. 

feng shui can't lure me to reorganize our room, my office table or my forever short hair.  people always tell me  that God has plans for each one of us.  and i'm holding on to this belief.  maybe God wanted us to feel the pain so that we get to appreciate the fruits long after.  maybe God has stop giving jaims small time projects because a big one's ought to come.  He doesn't want jaims to get tired of the small things because He wanted jaims to dwell on the big project he's about to get.

i am no longer praying that i win the lotto or stumble on a big sack of money on my way home.  Today, i prayed that God strengthen my faith on Him and to hold on to the belief that He has plans for my family.  Today, I prayed that this phase do not ruin my relationship with Him and to break my family.  Today, I prayed that I can be strong enough to wait for His Grace even it takes a life time.

teacher sarah

Since our libraries are already integrated and two librarians left from previous school year, i was called to handle the ILSP class for Grade 1.  ILSP classes are info literacy  classes to teach students how to use the library and become better handlers of information.  it wasn't until the latter part of summer that i learned i was going to handle the Grade 1 boys.  The school year hasn't even warmed up and another librarian informed us of her intention to retire early.  We were left with no choice but to take on the Grade 2 class meant for her.

For someone who's been handling high school boys for 4 years, teaching the lower grade level is a challenge.  i feel that teaching them is a lot harder than teaching older boys.  How can I explain to them how to borrow when they don't even know what a call number is?  Do they even know how to write? Can I raise my voice without offending them? Will they throw fits once they get the wrong answer? Am I oblige to give them candies to motivate them to recite?  will they believe me? should i believe them? what will i do if they start crying?

anyways, some of my questions were answered 2 weeks ago.  The Grade 2 boys were extremely active.  They were raising their hands each time i asked, and they seem to have the energy of a nuclear plant.  I had back-to-back classes of Grade 2 boys with 2 sections, meaning, i was handling 2 sections for 80 minutes.  It's a good thing, Reagan and I splitted the load or I might die of exhaustion.  It's scary to have them first thing in the morning while their energies are still surging.  We added activities after each lesson to make sure thay don't die of boredom.  But in some sections the boys can be a little rowdy, they all wanted to recite so they grab the activity cards from the one who was supposed to recite.  It can be riot, if you mind them.  But after the tiring session, i can't help but smile when I see them all excited to have their borrower's card.  There are some boys who would grab a book from their smaller, less powerful, classmates and borrow it themselves.  Some are nice enough to share a book with their classmates.  I feel so fulfillled seeing how this little boys are excited to borrow books and whenever i hear them greeting me.   This quarter I was tasked to be the counter during recess, and it's so fulfilling to hear them call you and greet you.  Some would even stop by and mention that they are borrowing today.

Last week, I had my first session with the Grade 1 boys.  With them, I had to make a giant borrower's card, and giant yellow card, and they have to have a practice sheet to write on before they can borrow.  I have to repeat important details, and I have to be much animated than before.  They're a lot inquisitive than the Grade 2.  I had a few boys insisting on being called (even if I don't have a question) and when you call them they'll tell you a mile long story...not related to the lesson.  I got several questions, some are funny:

Are there classes on Monday? Why shouldn't we have classes? Because it's SONA. There are no announcement yet. (And his predictions came true, Nostradamus, is that you?)

*****
(I was already rushing my lesson because they came late and a boy insisted on being called after flashing the faces of the library staff. 
Teacher, that Emman guy, he is the boyfriend of my Prep teacher.
(The Emman guy doesn't have a girlfriend in our Prep department, there's another Emman though who has wife from the EEd Dept.)

*****
After discussing the rules inside the library, a boy raised his hand.  
Teacher!
Yes, do you have a question?
My ID broke.

*****
I give out sample borrower's card and a book to each boy and I allow them to practice by copying the call number and accession number. A boy called my attention and said,
Are you sure this is just an example?
yes, this is just an example.
Are you sure we won't take these books home?
Teacher said this is just an example, you won't take the books home. You can get another one later.
Good! because Snow White is for girls.

*****
Why are you crying?
My pencil went at the back of the shelf?
I'll just lend you.
I want my pencil (still crying)
What happened? Why did your pencil got stuck there? Who threw it?
he didn't answer.
Did you throw it?
Yes.

*****
While showingthe names and faces of the library staff, the name Noemi appeared and a boy raised his hand. I called him and he said:
"My yaya's name is Noemi."

*****
How can you take care of the books you borrowed?
Boy1: Do not rip the pages.
Boy2:Do not throw the book.
Boy3: Do not FRY the book.

Postscript 08-04-2009
had another class yesterday. part of the lesson is to discuss the sections of the library, one of which is the Teachers' Collection. One boy asked:

Teacher, if I disguised as a teacher will you know that I entered the Teachers' Collection?

bwahahahah!