Teacher Appreciation

I've talked about my Education class, Personal Adjustment, and my feelings for math in this blog before. But the one class I haven't talked about yet is my Social Welfare class.

Social welfare is one of my "don't stress about it" classes because it's not the most challenging class I'm taking this semester. In order to study for tests, all I have to do is read and take notes. Most of the time the readings are easy despite it being lengthy. The classtime is mainly lectures and there is no homework assignments (other than reading). However, what I like most about this class is my professor.

My professor always grasps at opportunities to increase learning. He always asks, "What can we do to learn more?" Although he's elderly and has many degrees, he's continuing his studies in Chamorro and will be graduating next semester. He gives the class time to participate in local conferences. (The most recent one was the Island of Sustainability conference. He canceled class so all of us can have an equal chance to attend.) He incorporates his passions into his lectures, talking about his stories and intrinsic and extrinsic values of being in this field of work. He inserts jokes from time to time, and he always encourages students to speak.

Despite the class being about Global Social Welfare, my professor ties the lessons we learned into the local community. We talk a lot of local current events from news, to changes in the university, to festivals, etc. He spoke about the best countries to live as well as how to help improve countries that aren't doing well in their Human Development.

For a man his age, I can see my professor beaming with youth whenever he teaches. When I become a teacher, I hope to keep as much passion as he does.

Interactive Video

I enjoy a lot of assignments we do for Technology Applications. However, this interactive video assignment using EdPuzzle has got to be my absolute favorite.

The main reason why I favor this assignment so much is because I see myself using this as a teacher. As a teacher, one of my goals is to provoke debates or class discussions about topics such as literature, current events, or social issues. And with this platform, I feel like I could help stimulate students to think. For my video, I chose a summary and analysis YouTube video of the book Pride &Prejudice. The summary was done in a way that students could understand the plot clearer. And the analysis spoke about the issues that arose in the book, such as feminism.

In my video, I inserted questions that students must answer and comments that students must read and keep in mind as they watched the video. I asked a lot of questions regarding their opinions, whether or not they agreed with the theories in the analysis, what they think otherwise, etc. I think that doing it this way can help the students develop an opinion while answering questions as they listen and watch the video.

Another reason why I like this assignment was because it's another fun and creative way students can learn outside of the classroom. I'm aware that all students may not have access to a computer or to Internet, which is why I plan to use this platform for my AP/Honors class. With my regular class, I can introduce this method of teaching through the Promethean smart board (if I get one).

Overall, I think video lessons such as EdPuzzle is a great and fun way to use in the classroom. I know for sure I'll be using a lot of these videos when I become a teacher.

I Am Blue

A usual Personal Adjustment class is us being divided into groups and talking about certain subjects relating to that day's chapter. Sometimes we're divided into specific categories, and sometimes we form groups with those who sit close to each other. 

One day, we were given a True Colors personality test. Depending on the colors each individual gets, we all had to get into groups of the same color. My color was blue. As my instructor handed me a blue paper with qualities and aspirations of "blue," she said blue was a rare color to get. I didn't know what she meant until I realized there was only one other person who got blue as well. 

Some qualities of blue were compassion, empathetic, dramatic, vivacious, etc. Some aspirations were to inspire others, to believe in a perfect love, to help people, and more. The jobs that blue personalities often choose would be the arts, communications, teachers, counselors, or any profession that helps people. Blues are often poets, and I, myself, is an aspiring poet. So upon reading those items, I believed that I indeed have a blue personality. 

Usually I don't give in to personality tests because most are general statements that could apply to anyone. However, my instructor gave us lists of what stresses out blues and what relieves stress. I was so surprised to see that many items from both lists are accurate. I get stressed from a lack of creative control, when I'm being compared to others, and when rules and regulations benefit "systems" more than the people. What I do to relieve stress is to express myself through creativity and when I'm being accepted for who I am.

However, what really dug deep for me was the fact the results dipped into our childhood. Blue personalities often had a creative imagination as child. And this caused blues to have difficulty fitting in with other kids at school. Blues often sought recognition whether it'd be in their accomplishments or personality. The statement the results provided could not describe my childhood personality any more perfectly. I was always shunned for being a "weird kid" when all I was was imaginative. And I did seek attention by getting good grades, whether it was from teachers or my parents. 

I'm always skeptical of personality tests, but I encourage everyone to take the True Colors Personality Test. You'd be surprised by how accurate the results are. 

The Hustle of Class Registering

I think one of the most stressful, most annoying thing every college student constantly faced was registering for class.

I was at work last week Wednesday and my coworker in his Junior year was frantically checking Webadvisor to open. He wasn't focused on getting his duties done because of the anxiety he felt waiting to register. A lot of the classes he needed to take were filling up by seniors and there were a couple of classes he needed to override. Every ten or fifteen minutes, he'd check his laptop for the time.

By the time 7:00 hit, he messaged our boss asking to step out for a few minutes so he could register for class upstairs. (I work at the SPBA cafe and my coworker's major was Accounting.) He packed his binder, his school ID, his laptop, and a couple of loose papers and dashed out the store and into the main office. Once he came back a good twenty minutes later, all the stress looked like it spilled out of him. He walked in through the door with a smug smile on his face and said, "I was the first one! I'm finally registered." I asked if he got all the classes he needed, but he slumped his shoulders and said there were a couple of professors who refused to sign his override forms.

Nothing frustrates students more than having one or two classes to take to move on in their major than having a professor unable to sign an override form. I had this happen to me twice last semester. I had some issues dealing with my FAFSA and I wasn't able to register early. This resulted in all the classes I needed to take fill up and none of the professors were able to override. There wasn't much I can do than to take another year full of GEs.

During the weekend, I also felt the same anxiety with registering. Early registering for Sophomores started on a Friday. On Thursday, the classes I missed last semester only had three or four slots left. Afraid of dedicating another semester to GEs, I called the Bursor's Office and the Financial Aid office to see if they can do anything with clearing my FAFSA award. Unfortunately, they weren't able to do anything about the early registering so I had nothing else to do but sit and wait.

Then on Friday morning, I checked Webadvisor again and there were only two slots available for the classes I needed. Thankfully I was able to register and I'm focusing on my major classes.

College is stressful. Registering for classes is difficult and competitive enough, and unfortunately it doesn't stop there. From the trivial issues like finding no parking, to larger ones like not having enough funds for tuition, I doubt there will be a college student who will claim their college years were easy-peasy.

But I'm sure I can speak for many when I say I'd jump over these hoops again and again if it means getting a degree.

Expand My Knowledge

Cable wasn't a huge part in my early childhood. A lot of the movies or shows I watched were either VHS tapes or whatever was showing through our satellite TV. But it wasn't until the first grade that we got our satellite dish. The shows that featured through our satellite were either Filipino math shows, late-90's educational shows, or some crafty art show. Because of these shows, I was so fond of knowledge. I remembered watching episodes about how to convert unit of measurements, about why milk has more nutritional value than soda, and why using soy crayons were more eco-friendly. I also learned how to recite the alphabet in Hebrew and in French. Every day after school, I'd do my homework while watching these shows instead of cartoons. And while I learned about how the tongue worked or how humans digest food, I was always motivated to do excellent in school.

I used to always be eager to learn new things. My mom would take me to bookstores and instead of buying coloring books or those I Spy books, I always picked up books about animals, space, or dinosaurs. And on days where my mom would have extra money to spend, I'd pick up the Chicken Soup books. I remembered my favorite book was about wild animals. I loved it so much, I took it with me to school only to have some of my classmates tear a couple pages about lions. But regardless of torn pages and folded book covers, I knew I would always learn more and more things the minute I got home.

Then in the fifth grade, my family cut out satellite entirely and decided to switch to cable. I spent days and nights glued to the TV watching Spongebob and Disney Channel. I was so caught up in the comedy and drama that I completely forgot about all the things I learned through the satellite shows. My eagerness for learning dropped. I anticipated going home to watch another episode of Zack & Cody more than I did about reading books. I watched all the Spongebob episodes that aired throughout the day instead of focusing on homework.

As if cable wasn't enough, my parents also got internet. I was blinded by how entertaining the internet was that I eventually succumbed into the media. Instead of being excited in a book store, I wanted to buy a new phone. Or a new iPod. Or a new laptop. I disregarded my passion for learning all because I wanted to watch TV or YouTube, or browse through MySpace and Facebook. Unfortunately, this bad habit carried on until a few days ago.

It was a Friday afternoon. I was off from both school and work. My parents were working and my sister was still at school. I hadn't changed or brushed my teeth at all because I was occupied with my phone. From app to app, I checked and rechecked each of my social media accounts. But after three hours of no one posting anything new, I grew annoyed. There was nothing online to entertain me. So I brushed my teeth and went outside to eat Trix cereal.

A YouTuber I follow always advertised his podcasts. I decided since there wasn't anything else I can do online, I might as well give his podcast a listen as I ate my Trix. After listening to one of his podcasts, I was addicted. I listened to more than half of the episodes he posted until it was 4 in the morning the next day. I enjoyed his podcast so much, I browsed through more podcasts to see what else I could get into. And wow, this may be the best decision I've made in a long time.

I found podcasts about unsolved crimes. I found podcasts explaining how every day things worked. (I listened to an hour long podcast about tea. Did you know that once you turn 20, demodex mites can grow and live on your face?) I subscribed to grammar and language podcasts. I subscribed to a podcast called Coffee Break French and now I can tell you how well I'm doing today in French! Ca va tre bien, merci!

Exploring and finding these new podcasts made me remember how great it was to learn something that actually interests me. And I feel much better learning from podcasts as well because I don't have to sit down and invest time in learning. I did errands during the weekend and all I listened to were unsolved murder crimes and how to use "that" and "which" in sentences. I can cook and listen to these podcasts. I can do homework and play a podcast and I'd feel motivated to excel in whatever assignment I was doing.

I feel like a child again, eager to learn and to share what I learned. I'm expanding my knowledge, and it feels so great.

These are French baguettes to celebrate me learning French! 

I'm So Salty

For my personal adjustment class, we are required to do a project where we quit bad habits for a week. It's a three-week long project where the first two weeks are basically me documenting how bad this habit of mine is and how much I think about said habit.

The habit I chose is to reduce my salt consumption. Salt is necessary for the body (or at least that's what Google said), but the average human consumes more salt than the body actually needs (also what Google said). My mother and I bicker a lot regarding my salt consumption. And to be honest, I agree with her. I do eat way too much salt. For example, I cannot eat plain rice. I have to have soy sauce. On some occasions, I will not even stop at soy sauce. I will also sprinkle furikake (a Japanese rice seasoning made of bonito flakes, seaweed, sesame seeds, etc.) or I will load up on ketchup. And I will eat this on top of the salt that has been already added to my food.

Last night, I decided to go around my house checking the sodium content of the food I usually eat. Prior to this though, I was already thinking of my salt-free diet during the third week of this project. I thought I'd be eating cereal, oatmeal, and bread. But as I checked the cereal boxes and milk cartons, THEY ALL CONTAIN SODIUM. Soda contains sodium. Oatmeal, although small amounts, contains sodium. Bread contains sodium. Some brands of bottled water contain sodium. Almond milk contains sodium. Juice contains sodium. Bananas contain sodium! The only things I found that did not contain sodium were plain white rice and plain pasta (assuming you don't salt the water when you boil the pasta).

I've come to the conclusion that when the week comes where I don't consume salt, I will not survive because all I'm allowed to eat are strawberries (Google says they have no sodium), plain rice, and plain pasta. And all I'm allowed to drink is water. I'm aware of the difference between artificial and natural sodium, but the instructions for this project is to quit our bad habits cold turkey. My instructor gave me the permission to consume natural sodium, but I personally want to see how far I can push my limits. I've done some research (more like a 5-minute Google search) and there are some diets plans that provide little to no salt in the diet.

I'm both excited and afraid to do this project. But either way, I hope I come out of this less salty than I initially was.

The Land Before Time

I grew up watching The Land Before Time. If you haven't heard of it, it's a children's TV show taking place in the dinosaur era. The show features five dinosaur friends and their herbivorous families living in a safe and secluded place called the Great Valley, where vegetation and water is plentiful and where there is protection against vicious Sharp Teeth (T-Rexes). The show involves the five dinosaurs dealing and solving real life issues. The show also features music and dance as well as comedic sketches, which makes it entertaining for both parents and children.

I believe this is a great show to have your kids to watch during their TV time. Because the show revolves around dinosaurs, it emphasizes the importance of accepting different colors, shapes, and sizes. Each dinosaur herd has their own special needs, as well as practices and way of living. The show also offers great diversity in ways that children experience life, such as loss of parents, adoptive siblings, stepparents, and more.

The main protagonist is the long-neck dinosaur (Apatosaurus), Little Foot. Little Foot is an orphan, who lost both his parents during the migration to the Great Valley. He now lives and thrives under the care of his grandparents. 

The three-horned dinosaur (Triceratops), Cera, comes from a prideful family. Cera's father is strict on who Cera is allowed to play with. Although Cera may be a bit of a hothead sometimes, her prejudicial background does not affect her judgement of other dinosaurs. Still, she gets along and plays a little rough with Little Foot and the rest of the gang. 

Petrie is a flying dinosaur (Pteranodon) who lives in a large family. Petrie is a fragile and underdeveloped dinosaur, who struggles to live up to the flying skills of his brothers and sisters. In many movies and episodes, Petrie shows a great deal of strength and courage despite his idiosyncrasies and size. 

Ducky is a swimming dinosaur (Saurolophus). As she journeys to the Great Valley after being separated from her family, she finds a peculiar dinosaur named Spike (Stegosaurus), where the two become best friends despite their obvious differences. As they made it to the Great Valley, Ducky's mother decides to adopt Spike. Spike is a special dinosaur. He's slower mentally and physically compared to the rest of his friends. He's also the only one who doesn't speak; he mumbles, laughs, and groans instead. But despite his incapabilities, everyone treats him as an equal and love him just as much. 

The Land Before Time was a show that was both entertaining and educational to me when I was growing up. I strongly believe that children will learn to be kind, respectful, and to embrace the differences between people regardless of size, color, and race (or in this case, species). I believe this is a great show that both parents and children will enjoy. I know I'll be watching The Land Before Time with my future kids one day.