I've always considered myself to be smart. I was
never out of the Honor's list in class from grade school up until high school. Sometimes I happen to be in the top spot but often, I settle on being in second place or in third. Nonetheless, I still manage to attain good grades. I've experienced getting 100% in ALL my exams in grade school. I never had a failing grade in my entire life. Elementary, High School, and in College. Going up on stage to accept awards has been a regular occurrence for me, which made my parents proud yet extremely worried on what to wear during the ceremony.
There was a point in my life where I have to throw away medals for academic excellence because they start to clutter. Failing was never an option. Although in College, I did experience some mishaps in some of my classes, but it was College! It doesn't count.
I know... I know this sounds so awful. I really want to punch myself right now and I know you do too. The thing is I'm pretty certain I'm NOT THAT smart. And I really don't want you to get the idea that I'm some kind of a genius or someone you can just ask about anything under the sun. I am NOT a trivia expert or anything like that at all. And if you challenge me right now with an IQ test I'd probably definitely embarrass myself.
But yeah, Hindi malaking isyu sakin ang pangongopya, o pandaraya sa exams. Sabi nga ng mga titser sarili lang natin ang niloloko natin diba? Hindi daw sila. Pero taena pag-nahuli ka nila sila pang galit na galit, apektadong apektado amp. Pero andami ko talagang pinakopya dati. Ang galing galing kasi matututunan mo talaga yung mga teknik ng mga manggogoyo. Sa panyo, sa mp3, sa tinta ng ballpen, sa likod ng upuan ng kaharap mo. Yung mga senyas na kamot sa noo pag A, dila kapag B, kambyo pag C, finger pag D, oo nga! Daming kalokohan. Nakakamiss. Minsan lang buwiset na yung sila na mangongopya sila pa yung aporado! Mga walangya. Yung tipong sisipain ng sisipain yung upuan mo habang busy ka sa essay questions. Willing naman ako magpakopya basta patapusin mo muna ako! Badtrip lang.
Namiss ko din gumawa ng thesis ng may thesis. Yosi lang kapalit. Sobrang naenjoy ko yun. Gustong gusto ko yung nakakabuo ako ng mga article tungkol sa isang topic na binigay sakin. Ang sarap basahin ng paulit-ulit. Mas enjoy kapag me deadline, dun gumagana yung kokote ko e.
I should also give props to my mom who encouraged me to study really hard for exams. She gave me the right tools, and the right guidance to be interested in my studies. There was a time when she went ballistic because she found out I didn't know the right order of the months in a calendar. That incident never left my mind. I never understood back then why she had to over react. I believe I was 10 at the time, but it got me thinking, maybe she hates the idea that I'm ignorant of the simplest and the more important things in life.
Dapat talaga bata palang sinasanay na. Kasi nasasanay yung utak ng bata na mag-saulo. Natututunan niya gumamit ng mga teknik para mas madaling makabisa o maunawaan yung leksyon. Ganoon siguro nangyari sakin. Kasi naaalala ko na sa mga breaks lang ako nag-aaral para sa mga test, babasahin ko lang ng paspasan, nakakabisa ko na. Nasanay kasi yung utak ko, bata palang ako ganun na yun. Pramis mga kids, simulan niyo ng maaga. Kasi laking tulong niyan pag natuto na kayo maginuman in between classes sa college.
Syempre mas importante makipag bonding sa tropa kesa mag aral, so naglalaan ako ng mas maraming oras sa inuman kasama tropa, tapos mga 10 minutes sapat na para makakuha ng mataas na score. Seryoso, simulan mo ng maaga. Masarap maging gago at matalino ng sabay.As I was saying, I love the idea of learning new things. I love being curious. I also learned not to accept any answers without questioning it first. Being skeptic is one skill I value a lot. That is also one of the reasons why I hate anyone who gets into the teaching profession without being absolutely prepared. I understand that teachers are also human beings and they do have their limits. But I require my teachers to be open-minded, to be inspiring, to be humble and proud at the same time, and most importantly to be intelligent.
Teachers should be open to new ideas, new ways of reaching out to their students. Teachers should never stop learning themselves. They should accept the fact that there are things that are no longer under their scope. I had a teacher in high school who I truly hate just because she didn't accept tuna as a good source of protein. She was a Home Economics teacher and I have no idea how it got into the lesson, but there was an item in the test where we had to list down foods that are high in protein. So I wrote down "tuna" and to my surprise, she marked it wrong. She explained that "tuna" was a popular answer and it just got the buzz due to the Century Tuna commercial, and she was looking for a different answer, probably veggies that are rich in protein. BITCH ARE YOU KIDDING ME? My answer is correct and it doesn't matter if it's an obvious answer, that doesn't make it any less correct! It is not my fault if your puny demented shit of a brain can't think of better test questions. I had to contain myself that time because I cannot understand how she can say that with conviction in my face. Then I started hating myself because she probably is a good person. She probably have kids who loves her, but the tuna incident was just the tip of the ice berg. She wasted both our time during her class. The sad thing is that she's not the only one who decided to take Education in college just because it's a lot cheaper than the other courses. She was never truly a teacher.
I also encountered several teachers who became inspirations. Teachers who actually know what they're doing. Someone who has genuine respect for the profession.
Math has never been my strongest ally. Math hated me. I flirted with it a couple of times and there was a time when I thought we were going steady. But no matter how much I try, we're just not meant for each other. I'd like to blame my old teacher back in grade school because I just can't solely blame my innate stupidity. She was a nightmare. I don't wanna use this word as much as possible, but she traumatized me as a kid. She embarrassed me in front of the class because I can't figure out what the solution for the Math equation on the board. I was literally shaking in fear. And it didn't help that my classmates kept on shouting "kamote" as I stood there helpless. I really felt like I'm the only one there who didn't know the answer. And it didn't feel good. From there on out, I lost my confidence in Math and accepted the fact that I'm just not good with numbers.
When I was in High School, however, a certain "Math Goddess" understood my suffering. She knew my weakness. She acknowledged that my brain could not easily make out of the why's and how's in the subject. She was extremely patient. And the best part is that it was sincere. I saw it in her eyes when she glanced through the blank spaces of my test papers. She looked at me and she gave me an "Okay lang yan! next time pagbubutihin natin". You have to understand, I'm not used to failing exams. So it breaks my heart whenever I get those kinds of pep talks. But I did appreciate it. After that incident, I started to focus in Math the same way I focused in English. I practiced and I practiced till I get the hang of it. I was proud of myself for learning, and for trying. But I'm most proud of her. She has done what she's supposed to do. And I'm happy knowing that she's still a teacher as of today, probably leaving the same mark to the new breeds of traumatized students as she did with me.
I had a fair share of both the terror professors and the push-overs. I was asked to stand in class until I get to answer a science question correctly. Peys the wall, squat, mag sulat ng "I will not be noisy in class anymore" 10 pages back and forth, mapalo ng ruler, napahiya na ng ilang beses sa madaming tao.
There will always be that one teacher who is feared by all. It's different in college though. During my freshman year, we had this English teacher who is incredibly strict. She is also smart and witty. The makings of a bona fide aggressor. You just don't wanna mess with her. Thing is, my high school experience made me aware that professors are also human beings. I realized that they are not supposed to be feared. That is of course if you didn't do anything wrong. So kapag nasa klase nya kami, laging tahimik. Nobody dared to ask questions or raised their hands to recite. It might be because she made sure that you get what you deserve if you ask a stupid question. She's a sarcastic son a bitch who will crush you as soon as you say something stupid in class. Sobrang na excite ako sa klase niya. Gustong gusto kong humanap ng pagkakataon para sagutin siya. Hindi dahil galit ako sa kanya o dahil gusto ko siyang pahiyain, kundi dahil gusto ko makita kung paano niya tatanggapin o kung pano siya magre-react sa sitwasyon. Tapos ayun. Boom!
I don't remember how it happened. But after that conversation,She made a speech in class about how she respects any students who will make a stand and voice out an opinion. She said that she was impressed by a certain person who can get into a conversation with her while looking her in the eyes. Syempre taena sobrang saya ko. Ang saya saya ko para saming dalawa, kasi nagtagumpay kami sa gusto naming mangyari. It's a public speaking class after all. She might be a bitch in class, but she's a decent one. She knows when to speak, and when to keep her mouth shut. Most importantly, she knows when to give credit where credit is due.
Andaming ganitong sitwasyon na nangyari sakin nung college pa ko. There was a time when I had to shut the door as the professor prepares to leave class because I wasn't done talking to him about something. I wanted to confront him about what he did to one of my seatmates. See, my seatmate incorrectly marked my answer wrong in a test, so I asked the professor what the correct answer is, and apparently my answer was in fact correct. So the professor failed my seatmate for checking my test paper incorrectly. I never wanted him to do that to her! I mean I was just asking what the right answer is! To make things worse, my seatmate was a scholar and she can't afford to fail any subjects. I swear I felt so dizzy. It was gut-wrenching. I thought I was about to faint knowing that this poor girl's scholarship is jeopardized just because I almost didn't get a perfect score. So yeah, after the class, I closed the motherfucking door and went on with it. "I don't care if you fail me. You have no right to do that to her, it was my fault, and I take responsibility. It was an honest mistake and she should not be punished blah blah blah" basta taena napa-straight English talaga ko nun kay koya. English subject naman kasi. Tsaka yun yung mga panahong pag nag-Tagalog ka, hindi ka titingnan bilang isang dekalidad na estudyante. Basta ang ending lumabas pa kasi sa koridor nun. Hindi ko siya tinantanan. Ang nakakatuwa talaga nun e me mga kunyari pang me inaasikaso sa loob ng class room pero nakikiusyoso lang. Ang ending, sinabi niya nalang na "Do you really think I'd fail her for that simple mistake?" TAENA! bigla akong nanghina. Ang saya saya ko nun. My face went from the hulk to kerokeropi. "Thank you sir, thank you, I'm sorry if I had to talk to you this way, sorry sir, thank you, as long as you're not gonna fail her, I'm good, thank you sir"
Of course my requirements for being a decent teacher in my book is not complete without the most important thing- real intelligence.
I mean come on! You have to be at least knowledgeable in your line of study right?
Andami talagang tangang teacher. Kung estudyante ka, maiintindihan mo yung sinasabi ko diba? Yung mapapakamot ka nalang dahil mali yung pronunciation niya ng Julius Caesar naturingang History teacher. O yung walang ibang inatupag kundi gumawa ng power point presentation para basahin lang isa isa. Taena mo Ms., marunong din kami magbasa. I swear sometimes I think I could've learn better studying myself than hearing her read through the entire presentation. You wasted my tuition fee.
Education is a luxury and my parents worked hard for that
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