First Day of Class

I'm so happy to see my 17 boys and 6 girls in the classroom. 

 I hope we have a great school year ahead!

"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X

Licensure Exam for Teachers

Elementary teachers take two exams during the licensure exam while Secondary teacher take three exams. Here's the schedule of the exams:

Elem and Secondary teachers take Gen Ed and Prof Ed. 

On the other hand, Secondary Teachers have to take another exam for their specialization.

To pass the examination, an examinee must obtain an average rating not less than 75% and must have no rating lower than 50% in any of the tests.

Source: Philippine Regulation Commission (http://www.prc.gov.ph/)

Here are some tips before taking the exam:

1. Visit your school and room assignment a day before the examination to verify your room and seat number. If your school assignment is far from your place, it's best to rent a place to stay. Some proctors aren't accepting late comers. I'm sure you don't want to fail the board exam just because you are late.

2. Wear the right attire.  

• Male examinees: White polo shirt or t-shirt with collar
• Female examinees: White blouse or t-shirt with collar

PS. There are vendors outside the schools who sell overpriced white shirts. ;)

3. Make sure to bring all the requirements.

• Application stub with Application Number
• Official Receipt of payment of application for exam
• 1 Window Envelope with Metered Postage
• 1 Long Transparent White Plastic Envelope
• 1 Long Brown Envelope
• 2 or more Pencils (No.2) 
• Black ball pen
• Non-programmable calculator

I wasn't able to get an official receipt from the PRC but my proctor didn't notice. I think, the important thing there is the application stub. 

Do not buy window envelope with metered postage outside the school! Those are fake. The proctors are the one selling the real ones. 

4. Do not bring your reviewers, gadgets, and big bags. Those are not allowed inside the examination room. You may bring food and eat inside the room. :)

5. Shade the answer sheet properly. The machine will stop checking if there are two answers in one question. 

6. Buy the right kind of eraser. Don't use eraser at all! Even though it's wrong, don't take the risk of changing the answer. The machine can feel the press

7. Buy reviewers outside PRC. They sell old exams. Sometimes, the questions there are recycled. Don't rely on the answer sheet because there are wrong answers. ;)

8.Enjoy the review. Don't memorize too much. Most of the questions are situational. 

9. Get enough sleep so you won't be sleepy on the day of your exam.

10. Pray :)

Team Building Activity

The Westhill International School faculty enjoyed the team building last June 18-19, 2015 held at the school and Tierra Montephine, Alfonso. 

Pastor Tillman started the day by an inspiring message. Teacher Ofel and Teacher Weng had some lecture about commitment and teamwork. Teacher Maria lead the art therapy for the teachers. Ice breakers and games were lead by Teacher Al, Teacher Steffi and Teacher Jason.

The teachers had a great time at Tierra Montephine. Swimming, boating, and singing are some of the activities they had. Pastor Bong prepared some games for the teachers. They had some reflection about it.

(insert more pics here) 

 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 21:17

PS. Im still waiting for other teachers to upload ;)

Smiling though our hearts are aching!

Clubs are back!

This is of the things I look forward this school year. I'm so excited to share all the knowledge and skills I've acquired when I was studying at University of the Philippines. I'm going to post all the updates it this page. :)

Cubbyholes

 

What's a cubbyhole?

cub·by·hole  

kəbēˌhōl/

noun

plural noun: cubbyholes

1. a small, enclosed compartment or room.

   synonyms:

   small room, booth, cubicle; den; informalcubby

I made some Facebook-themed labels for the cubbyholes this morning. I hope my fifth grade students will love it. Westhill International School allots one cubbyhole per student. I believe that the cubbyhole is one of the reflections of a student's personality. 

I made some guidelines in using the cubbyholes.

Colorful pens!

(1) Titus pens can be bought at National Bookstore for 7.50 each.
(2) I bought a set of ten colored pens for 200 at Egg in SM Manila.

I bought new pens!

Yes, I have this weird fascination about colorful pens. I've been using different color of pens when taking down notes since high school. It helps me to make it more readable and easier to memorize.

I use different color for the title, for the key words, and for the definition. I think it's very effective for visual learners. Believe it or not, whenever I'm taking an exam I can remember which color of pen I used for a certain concept. It's like I'm making a mind map inside my brain.

I hate red pens.

Contrary to the norms, I don't really like using red pens in checking. Students think that they are being marked more harshly if it's written in red. Well, it's based on my own experience when I was a student. 

I don't want to give my students a bloody test paper. Sociologists Richard Dukes and Heather Albanesi from the University of Colorado told the Journal of Social Science: 'The red grading pen can upset students and weaken teacher-student relations and perhaps learning.'

Writing in red seems to shout in the same way as writing in all caps or writing which is underscored.Writing in the color red is loaded with emotion, and this additional emotional loading of messages on the grading of student assignments may not be a tactic that teachers should use to convey constructive, critical comments to students.

Things To Bring On The 1st Week Of Class

Notebook Number Designation

1. English
2. Health/Computer/HELE
3. Filipino
4. Mathematics
5. Social Studies
6. Science
7. Music/Arts/PE
8. CLVE/Foreign Language
9. Reminder Notebook/Scouting/Club

5 Things You’ll See Inside A Teacher’s Bag

How would you find a girl who teaches? You’ll know she does because she always carries supersized bags.

1. Laptop

She has to carry her laptop every day with all the creative presentations for her kids. Yes, she sleeps late because she needs to prepare her lesson plan and all the visual aids for her classes. This applies to the teachers who do not have their own desktop in the classroom.

2. Flash Drive

lukesurl.com

She’s always ready. Just in case her laptop malfunctions, she has the back up of all the presentations, lesson plans and class records. Her flash drive is full of icebreakers, full of funny videos, and activities that will surely get the students attention.

3. Planner/Notepad

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If she’s very organized, she keeps a planner that she updates everyday about her deadlines (grades, exams, narratives). However, if she’s really busy, there will always be a notepad or a sheet of paper with “Things to do” in it. Her activities never run out.

4. School Supplies

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She may forget her makeup kit, but she’ll always have her pencil case with colorful pens in it. She always brings her cute grading stamps, sticky notes and all the stuff for the kids’ projects. Most of the time, she takes home some test papers inside her bag that she can’t even check at home because she’s too tired to work.

5. Water bottle

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Mugs are overrated. Almost all of the teachers would say that they receive a dozen of mugs from their students every year. I think water bottles are necessity for teachers. She gives all of her effort during discussion. She uses different voices in telling a story. She exclaims when she’s happy. She sometimes yells to the naughty kids. A water bottle is something that would really help her survive throughout the day.

Teacher Karla's Preparation

Have you ever wonder what the teachers are doing before the actual class discussion?

Check out my desktop:


1. Teacher Karla's Folder

It includes all my motivation or ice breaker pictures, videos or games. Such activities are essential to get the attention of the students. Kids have short attention span. Teachers always need to research about the interests of the kids and incorporate it in the lessons.

Last year, my students were very interested in the game Clash of Clans. So I tried to incorporate it in their exercises. The kids really loved it when I use their favorite game characters in our class room activities. 

Aside from using their interest, I also download videos of "Just Dance" or "Dance Central". I often ask them to dance when I feel that they are sleepy in the morning or in the afternoon.

Mind games like riddles are also effective to get the attention of the class. I usually use them to introduce a new topic. 

This year, as my preparation, I started downloading videos related to the stories in our new textbook. I also started making presentations (Powerpoint and Prezi). I really look forward to see the smiles of my new students. 





2. Lesson Plan Folder

It includes the yearly plan, monthly plan, and weekly plan.

Yes! Unlike other private schools, our school requires the teachers to submit semi-detailed lesson plans. This is to ensure that the teachers are really prepared when they teach the students.

In the lesson plan, I follow the four-pronged approach in teaching. Just like the standard format of lesson plan, it includes the objectives, subject matter, procedure, evaluation and assignment.

The Four-pronged approach includes:
1. Genuine Love for Reading
2. Critical Thinking
3. Mastery of the Structures of the (Filipino/English) Language
4. Transfer Stage

I usually start the week by reading some literature. I use the story as the springboard for the lessons in language. I really make sure that my students will develop their love for reading.

This year, I'll do my best to improve these skills:

 PS. I used these logos in my bulletin board. I hope my students will remember it. :)