Welcome School Year 2010-2011!

After being delayed for one week because of the current peace and order situation in Bangkok, classes for school year 2010-2011 would finally start next week. Although I am not happy with the current situation of the capital which affects every waking man in the city, I was glad to learn that I would be having more time to prepare my lessons and all those necessary and 'unnecessary' documentations for the new school year.

Almost everything is new this school year as we embark to the third year of the instigation of the bilingual curriculum for English, Math and Science. New textbooks are arriving and new curriculum has to be followed. Standards were also set for the teaching of the three core subjects wherein analysis of the relevance of the subject matter to the standards had to be painstakingly done as I found the two to have divergent concerns. Well, that's for high school Mathematics.

This school year, I would be teaching the same levels I taught last year (Grade 8 and Grade 11) but I would have one additional class in Mathematics in Grade 12. I would be handling 11 classes all in all with at least three varied preparations per week and, I tell you, that is really inspiring. At least, I would not have that time to entertain negative thoughts as I would be spending much of my time with my close to 600 students with absolutely varied interests and level of development in English language and in Mathematics. I should say that I leveled up this school year.

Wish me luck, folks!

Math Class Makeover

In this video, Dan Meyer talks about how Mathematics has been taught and how it should be taught. It is very interesting to learn that Mathematics doesn't really have to be a dreadful subject but instead a very interesting one.

What really hinders us from acquiring mathematical skills (he broke down into mathematical calculation and mathematical reasoning) is our attitude which is also relevant to how Mathematics is presented to us.

To all Mathematics teachers and even those who are aspiring to be one, this video is a must-see.

The Impact of Parenting

A couple of social and educational researches on the impact of parental involvement in the success (in academic and life in general) of the learners have been published by different institutions and they have sounded off in unison -- there's a great IMPACT. Parents play a vital role in the holistic development of their children. However, it is sad to say that there are some parents who become so busy making bucks while forgetting their other responsibilities for their children. They believe that money could develop everything in their child -- send them to good school, hire them good tutors, have them enroll in special classes and many other spendings just to "ensure" a good future for their children. Little did these parents know that genuine affection felt in every endeavor of their children is more than what good tutors, schools and learning centers could offer.

Growing children need genuine care from people around them and aside from teachers, parents are expected to be with them during those times wherein they're needed the most. This would not be experienced by most of the parents anymore during their children's teenage years so why not take the opportunity? Show support to your children. They need more than just a tutor. I believe every child is capable if and only if proper attention is given to them. If possible, sit beside them as they do their homeworks. As they come home, ask them how they've been doing at school and share with their good and bad days.

I hope that parents would realize it before it's too late. A high school adviser back in the Philippines and a present high school teacher in Thailand, I have observed that parents would start to follow-up their children when problems already came out. They try to correct their children when they start to think. Teach children good habits before they come to know the bad ones.