Talks

Rumblings…


I’ve had a busy week preparing test for my pupils. I never thought that it would be this difficult considering that I am teaching primary levels. But, it is. I have to make my test simple enough to be understood but also difficult enough to challenge my pupils.

I don’t know if I had done a good job. But after checking the test papers and seeing the result, I am satisfied with it. I know now where I have to focus on in my next lessons—prepositions, that monster. It is so difficult to teach prepositions because they sometimes defy the laws of logic.

I am having difficult time trying to manage my grade 1 students. They are unruly; they try to test limit of my patience. I’ve tried everything. But if you talk to them alone, and listen to their stories they are loveable. But when they are together, its like trying to fight the weather.

Maybe if I spend more time alone, talking and bonding with my students, they’ll…hmmm… pity their overage student teacher. Truth is, I’m getting attached to them especially the most difficult pupil in the class. He jumps on me, hold my hands. When we are not in the classroom, he treats me respectfully, always answer with “po” at “opo” , he rides with me on the motorbike…I don’t know, now I understand why some teachers never get married—they get too attached to their students.

I sometimes wonder what I am doing teaching English but after taking over a Filipino class, hmmm…I never thought that teaching Filipino would be difficult since it is my native tongue, but it is. It is difficult to teach Filipino, in fact, more difficult than teaching English. If a student asks me what’s the difference between “rin´at “din”, all I can say is that you say “din” when you are in Cainta and you “rin” when you’re in Morong-Cardona. I don’t know the Filipino grammar rules. I take Filipino for granted but simple things like the difference between “rin” and “din” (“too” in English), honestly speaking, stumps me.

I am…hmm…mad because when my school records were evaluated, the campus registrar found out that my scholastic record was missing from my file. I am a graduating student and I have to get my papers in order. The registrar referred to the guidance counselor’s office with the hope that they have the original copy of my files. But after a dusty search (to tell the truth I felt a little guilty making the new guidance counselor rummage through old files), the search was futile—my files was missing. Even the new Guidance Counselor was puzzled about the missing file. The former Guidance counselor unfortunately was moved out of her office rather abruptly leaving behind unorganized files and lots of rumors. I am beginning to think that because of my critical role as a former critical “Punong Patnugot” someone is trying to get at back me in the campus. Or, it could simply be my super-bloated ego trying to tell me that I am an important person in the campus, important enough to drive people to do evil things.

Naaahhhh….maybe the file simply vanished a la X-Files.