stray thought, too

It's been over a month now since I last wrote something here. Today, nothing much has changed... I am still experiencing thought drought (if there is such a thing...) BUT I will try to make my thought stray awhile to share my day's experience.

After two years of purely office work, meetings and more meetings, I have just been given one teaching load... and today is my first day of teaching... Now I realize, how I miss the classroom, the pandemonium and the blank stares of students who pretend to listen and enjoy the class activities... Well, this second day of classroom work is quite a refreshing relief from the swivel chair... I get to stand and talk and interact with the young... At times, it really makes me feel so great when students blurt our good and sensible answers.. but at times, though not too often, someone would just say some things that do not really make any sense... and because of this, i learned a thing or two about classroom life. 1. An answer is not acceptable because it does not go through a process called "thinking". The answer given by a student is just a lame excuse for not thinking... A student just offers an answer just so he could say something... To this I say to myself, "poor you! your brain potential has not been reached... When you die, and your brain will be sold, that brain will be very expensive because it is slightly used... poor you..." and this kind of student is the one who dampens my day. This tempts me to look forward to Saturdays and other school holidays... 2. the other thing i learned today is that, many students do really listen and listen well... and for me, I love these students not because they tell me openly: "Gee, Sir, I really love this lesson today... though this is still our second session, I am already beginning to like you because you are GOOD!" but because I could tell that they were really attentive and that they learned from the lessons imparted. To them I simply say: "Thank you!" and because of this I am excited to meet them again the following day and wish that there were no weekends or school holidays because they are the ones who make me look forward to another day and another day and another day in the classroom...

Well, teaching is such a challenging vocation. it has its down side and it also has it rewards... but at the end of the day, I thank the Lord because even though there are students who try to dampen my day, they still do not give me enough reason to prepare well for the following session.. I do not allow them to decide on how I should feel... As long as there are students who look forward cooperating and participating in the next session with me, I will still do my best to give my all to share my thoughts and knowledge with them.. As long as there is still one student who will stand up and show that he or she is still interested to learn and to journey with me through life, the other 29 students who are physically present while mentally absent will not make me bow my head in resignation... In fact, it even prompts me to show more compassion to these students who seem to be lost and in need of attention and kindness... They make me walk the extra mile... That is the MAGIS!