Musings...

The end of the school year is now officially over. Though we are still required to report to the school, to man the desk, so to speak, the atmosphere at the school is relaxed. The decompressing effect of vacation is being felt and enjoyed by all. I can see the faces of my co-teachers are aglow, fresh. I too, when I looked at the mirror notice that I have fewer lines than I used to have. I’m not saying I looked younger; I looked relaxed. Teaching is a very stressful job considering the population, the teaching load and the compensation.

Of course this relaxed aura will change when the school year begins this June. The smiles and laughter will be replaced with stern and authoritative looks. This is the lesson I learned from last school year: I did not keep a serious and stern countenance. I was too soft and inconsistent. A soft approach to the classroom is disastrous to a teacher because, like one of the master teachers told me, the teacher's softness will be taken advantaged of by the pupils. Generally speaking, she was correct. I was not feared. It has its good side though; my relationship with my pupils is a relaxed. Of course, in big classes relationship is the least of concern-classroom management is. So, I am practicing my new bull dog look and a new "marine" haircut to go with it.

One thing about teaching is that every year is a new year. What I mean to say is that every school year is like a being employed a new with a new company. Though physically I am still working in the same building, with the same people, each new classroom brings with it new things-people, situations and challenges. Each year is very, very different from the previous ones.

I will not be handling an advisory class next school year. This is good because I could not really handle all the administrative part of an advisory class. I found it difficult to keep tabs of the collection, the issued books, the classroom maintenance, the assigned ground area maintenance which must be done on a daily basis add to this the canteen trays…I sometimes wonder how I was able to accomplished all of this; poorly, may I say.

Looking forward to a new school year…I must now condition myself to waking up early in the morning.