Working

Working while waiting for work. Lol! Just weird, let me be, still tired from yesterday's clean up and painting at school. 

So what's been up? A lot of blog posts to read about the upcoming school year! Very excited!

Classroom Set Up

So just this week, I've started to clean out my new classroom. Thing is, there's still a lot more to do. This coming week, I'll have a couple of kids over to help with cleaning and painting the room. Yes, fresh paint! I love how things can be done here DIY style. Back where I cam from, there's always someone who should be called to do things because that's just the way it is. 

So, I have 4-5 round tables in my room and I'm thinking whether to set these up in a window shaped arrangement like 'W'. But then I thought it might be hard to look left and right all the time. So, I've designed a new arrangement. This will give me a shorter view of my students and the same time keeping them seated closer. This also gives me a feel of a theatrical place. It's kind of cool in my mind. I hope it will come out cool too, cool in a sense that there will be effectiveness in the arrangement I'm thinking of.  

So here's an overview of how I want my room set up. 

The brown ones are the students' tables while the orange dots will be the students. I'm thinking of seating 4-5 students per table. The black and green will be the white board while the blue table will be my table. 

Any thoughts about this arrangement? What do you think are the pros and cons for arranging the classroom in this manner?

A lot going on

Haven't been able to blog the past week because I was busy doing stuff.

I finished my training for work first. 

At the same time, I also applied for my teaching license. My husband is really very supportive! I'm so blessed that he helps me in everything that I have to learn and do. So what's been up since the application is my preparation for the upcoming exams. Must take the Math Content Knowledge Praxis exam. Really nervous because as I went over the coverage, I was overwhelmed. There indeed are a lot but I'll have to make sure and find time to review everything. So I did. I have prepared a schedule to study the topics, specific target dates so that I can manage time wisely. 

Also, it has been a busy week at work teaching the kids. There will always be kids who will get on your nerves, but you will lose if you let them get to you. So, when I did encounter one, I just had to make sure and keep my cool. I always try to bear in mind that I am the adult and that I know better. This is a kid, they are humans and we all commit errors, so we must learn to forgive and move on. 

I just received via email my schedule for next week. I've got a lot going on. Plus next Saturday I'll be at my first staff meeting! Really exciting but I don't know what to expect. Well, that's all for now.

Oh, did I say that I am also preparing my lesson plans for school too? Haha!

I must stand and deliver!

Currently...

Currently sitting in a corner of a Starbucks shop. Laptop charging and coffee in place. I'm going to finish my Science first quarter plan in 2 hours. I must do this! I can do it!

I'll be going to work in 2 hours, so might as well use my time wisely by being productive. Anyway, I'm listening to songs on Spotify and I find this app very innovative and useful. Songs are updated, grouped into clusters of genre and mood and other stuff. Cool.

I need one more star on my Starbucks card to get to the green level and be on free refills! Hoooray for that deal!

I've been very busy lately doing stuff. Making lesson plans, presentations and everything else in there. Plus, I'm already working, which is awesome!

I've got a long day ahead of me. So I'll be off and go ahead do what I have to do.

First day, small victories, and prolonged patience

It was my first day to be an instructor today!

So I'm a Math instructor at a certain center and today is sort of my official first day (I was at the office on Friday but only sat there to observe and take note of all the facilities we have).

Came in the office 15 minutes earlier, because I don't want to be late. Scanned in and then was assigned to sit with someone first so that I could have another go at observing. For an hour I intently observed and took down more notes. Also it's the first day for me to wear the uniform assigned to us. Each of us were given a red and black shirt. I wore the black one today (there's no assignment of which to wear). 

On the second hour, the instructor I sat with gave me a kid to guide. I was glad to do so. The kid was a little girl maybe around 10 years old. She was really fast at what she does. I mean for a 10 year old doing percentages, that was great! I wasn't even aware of percentages when I was that age. I'm sure. Haha! We worked together for an hour, and she was pretty nice laughing at my jokes and actually trying not to be too shy anymore. 

An hour passed by again, then another kid was assigned to me. This time it was a little boy. I asked how to read his name first and then it felt a little awkward because I'm not a big fan of striking up conversations. So he went about answering his work book and I intently monitored his progress. I'd ask him questions occasionally.  Boy was I glad that the female instructor guiding me started to ask the boy about his summer break! It was like an ice breaker. I picked up on this easily and in the course of the remaining time we were together, I asked him about his weekend because he basically went to camp. At camp, he said he learned how to make a catapult out of sticks and a plastic spoon. Cool! Then I'd cut the sharing and ask him to continue working on his work book. We shared laughs and eventually he didn't feel too sleepy anymore. 

Today this is my little fulfillment. I am glad that somehow, I have helped these kids to learn something more today. I am looking forward to seeing more of them in the next days. I hope they come and sit with me! 

Also, I've noticed how my patience has gone from really short, to quite a longer one. I'm finally achieving a better perspective with this. 

Blogger meet up in Vegas

There's a teacher blogger meet up here in Vegas tomorrow!

I don't know if I can go. :( I really want to go and meet new people and learn a lot.

I don't know anyone there and I'll be alone. Plus, it's going to be at night. Don't know too if there's a fee for attending the event. Anyone going? Hope you have a really great time! Looking forward to reading posts about the event.

Filipino food and green tea!

I'm a Filipina and have grown up in the Philippines. I've been away for only a couple of months and here I am craving for food I was used to.

I can eat them here in the US but it wouldn't be the same (haven't found something very authentic yet).

I'm craving for palabok, chicken intestine, dinuguan, tuyo, tinapa, chicharon, galunggong and itlog maalat. Aaah! It's okay, because my husband and I try to cook some Filipino food. We've tried beef steak, sinigang, adobo and Bicol express. Yum! So, we're still on the look out for more Filipino food recipes because from time to time, we miss them.

Plus, at the moment, I feel the need to drink tea, so I made not one but two cups! I love green tea! Just something to ease my mind and sip on.