Monday, September 24, 2007

Just When Things Started to be in Place, I chose to leave…

I’ve always wanted to teach. I pursued BS Math, with Teaching Option because I planned on teaching Math someday – i.e., “when I grow up.” Well, as early as my college days, I’ve been teaching Math, come to think of it, though I started with the one-on-one set up (tutor-tutee). One of my favorite students in this tutorial center I’ve worked for while I was still studying in U.P. Diliman, is, Micheline Zamora. She’s a Povedan and I was first intimidated by her fluency in English. I strived then to communicate with her in the best means I knew how – so, I taught Math in Taglish. At first, I was just teaching her Algebra and Geometry. Later on, I also helped her with her Chemistry home works and Physics projects. To keep her from, say, tuning out, I usually asked her about her school life, her friends her and her sweet lovelife. This made our sessions fun. And I get her attention on the lesson again. I’ve always treasured those fun days with Micheline.

Another student I had, this time when I already transferred to UPLB, is Daniel Tabing. I started teaching him Math when he was still in 6th grade. Everyday, during one summer, he used to go to our apartment in UPLB, just so I can tutor him – and he came all the way from Calamba (30min-45mins away from Los Banos). Daniel wasn’t my first student in LB, come to think of it, because I was only referred to his parents by our friendly neighbor - a Pastor in Calamba church. Being a pastor of a large church, he was able to introduce me to other high school students, almost all of them residing in Calamba. There came even a point, when I had to travel to Calamba because I had to teach 5 siblings – Daniel’s brothers and sisters, that is. I had so much fun then. We had tutorials either on a Saturday or Sunday – the whole afternoon! Mariz is also a student I will never forget. Like Daniel, she had to come to our apartment weekly for our tutorials. I like the feeling of sharing my love for Math to students who fear it. My usual ‘openning’ speech for them is, Math should never be feared, all you need is practice practice practice” They all listened to me well. Right now, most of them are in their early college years. I still get to see some of them, from time to time.

And then I became busy with the corporate life...so I stopped tutoring.

Recently though, I’ve started tutoring again. Instead of Math, now I’m teaching English. Ironic, isn’t it? Some say, if you’re good in Math, you must be lousy in English. Hmm, well, I beg to disagree hehehe. Anyway, as of this writing, I have two English students – one is Korean, his nickname is DC, and the other one is a registered nurse, her nickname is Che. I am so thankful to God for giving me very kind, highly intelligent and interesting students. What I basically do is converse with them in English. I have to thank my previous jobs for honing my communication skills.

Let me tell you more about DC (the Korean). He’s a very smart hr director of a very famous company here and abroad. My hat is off to his excellent grasp of the English grammar. He just needs aid in the listening and spoken part of the English language. I like the way he’s very open with his country’s culture, their common practices and their food. By now, I’ve been introduced to a lot of Korean dishes. I always learn something new everytime I teach him and I know it's the same way with him.


My other English student is Che. She’s a very nice and jolly person – never a dull moment with her. Our tutorials is all about the spoken language so we take turns in asking and answering questions – to the extent that some questions are already personal, but we don’t mind. She’s a very fast learner and this greatly amazes me! She keeps in mind the areas of improvement I bring to her attention. We only had a few sessions but I feel like I’ve known her for a long time. When we had our last tutorial session, she gave me a parting gift and I was deeply touched by her gesture.

Now all these past and present students of mine made me realize that teaching is indeed my passion in life. It’s where my heart is aflame. After every session with a student, especially if he/she cannot thank you enough for the help I somewhat provided, I feel all warm and joyful and alive inside that I can’t wait to give the glory back to God. I can finally say that I am doing what I am created for. This path may be narrower than the path I just left off. Nevertheless, I know I have a Director who can lead me to the right turns along the way. This is going to be exciting!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Square Root of 10

So tell me...
What is the square root of 10?

There was this one time when I was on a date and just out of the blue, I asked him that question. Guess what? He answered, "Eh di 5." And I go...huuuWHAT?!?!? Tapos, poker-faced pa siya, I swear! And he even provided other examples to 'prove' his answer right. Lalo lang umakyat yung dugo sa utak ko. Hay, I ended up explaining the concept of square root to him. What a memorable date that was.

Di naman ako Math geek, pero ewan ko ba, turn-off talaga sa kin ang guy na di man lang makasagot ng basic Math questions. Basic ang square root e. Kapamilya nyan ang long division. Grade 3 pa lang kami sa BUPES (Bicol University Pilot Elementary School), pinag-aralan na namin yan.

Well sabagay, kanya-kanya naman tayo ng nagustuhan na subject nung elementary. So malamang yung ka-date ko na yun, magaling sa English o kaya sa History. Sayang kung nag-change topic kami sa subject na forte nya at kung nagpasikat siya ng, say, highfaluting english words or political terminologies, e di sana nagka-second date pa kami hehehe. That could have cancelled out everything. Oh well.

And by the way, the square root of 10 is 3.16227766...(an answer of 3 point something would do na sana hehehe). Basta please lang, wag naman 5!

The Nails!

Mae who? Ahh...yeah, the one with "The Nails!"

That's usually what acquaintances remember of me. It's what makes me stand out...well, aside from the other equally outstanding characteristics I already have (like my God-given height and body hehehe). My polished nails serve as an ice-breaker or a conversation starter in most gatherings I've been to. There were even times when some couldn't help but hold my hands to take a closer look at my nails. "Wow, ikaw ba gumawa nyan? Galing naman!" Yep, I paint my nails myself. I do it when I'm in Laguna, while watching TV with my family, just about after dinner time or in the afternoon. It sort of relaxes me and for a while I forget the usual things I get worried about, and just focus on my color-combination, the lines or the dots that I have to make using the tip of the polish, stuff like that. Very relaxing indeed.
Some equate funky-colored nails with creativity and ingenuity. How flattering, right? What I'm actually implying is that, this is one form of me daring to be different, and choosing to stand out. Hmmmmmmmm, ano naman kaya ang magandang design for next week?