Ad Hoc

"Education should be considered not as a moulding of perfectly plastic substances, nor as a filling of empty minds, nor as a creation of powers, but rather as the provision of opportunity for healthy bodily and mental life. I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”

February 27, 2013 the day I was scheduled for my teaching demo to the first year students, major in Social Studies. Waking up that morning was an arduous job I never had enough sleep the night before that day, I almost overslept. Good thing that I had my cell phone to give me an alarm and thus notifying me that it was already time to get up.
I brushed my teeth, ate my breakfast, took a bath notwithstanding the shivering and freezing temperature, get into my uniform and finally, wait for the bus. I set my clock 1 hour advance to preclude the possibility of being late furthermore, just like the alarm the clock will give me an impression that I have a diem to carpe. Therefore, any negligence on my part will constitute forfeiture of my opportunity to conduct my demo teaching, for that day was my definitive chance to accomplish it and worst my grade would be jeopardize if I fail to attend thereto. That was a now-or-never scenario.
I ran as fast as I could upon reaching the first gate of College of Education, and went immediately to the classroom where the presence of the first year students who at that day will be my students, is conspicuous and made evident by their noisiness inside the same. When I came in, I asked them, “Will you be having class to Professor Naz this morning?”Our Professor will arrive at 7:30 sir.
Thank goodness, I am not late. Well, I will be having my teaching demo here in your class and I am expecting that you will all chip in the discussion. Moreover, all of them were very happy when I said that I will be teaching them that morning. And someone told me, “sir we were very pleased that you will be having your demo teaching herein aside from the fact that you are a very intelligent person, the reason is that Prof. Naz will be having an exam this morning as soon as she arrived, unfortunately we are unprepared to take the exam on account of our several projects which were hitherto unresolved.
“There are times sir that we commit procrastination, and it does not necessarily imply that we are not taking our studies seriously. I know you can very well understand the situation we’re all going through.” I told her, “Yes I do.” Everyone can attest to what are going through, and no one can present to the contrary that they have never been in the same situation you’re in at this point of time, not even the students whose names are included on the Dean’s lister can confidently say we never had that experience such as yours, it would be hypocritical for any student to say that they have never procrastinated.”
So that was it, 7:30 Professor Naz arrived together with Professor Rico along with my other classmates who will be observing me as I deliver my lecture and will likewise give their evaluation. My topic by the way was about the Reformation Period, which transpired during the 16th century. Huh! I forgot my visual aids; I failed to give them the activity before I commence the discussion. My professors kept on staring at me, of course they will since they will rate the manner of the delivery of my topic however their eyes were somewhat quizzical it is as if they’re asking have you got any idea of what you are doing Jay?
Well, to tell you the truth is I don’t have any idea of what I am actually doing right now Madame. It was fun! After all my sleepless nights, I have endured in writing, reviewing, revising and, making the final draft of the lesson plan because of the positive remarks I received from the first year students thereafter the delivery of the lesson. I am not expecting that my Professor would be giving me a high rating and she has all the reason to give me just a reasonable rating enough only for me to pass her subject. First, I was already assigned to teach at the second year students, Social Science Major, with Jerome as my partner, our schedule for the teaching demo, 9:30. However, I failed to be present therein for I slept too long. On the following day I dropped by the office of our Professor and asked her, “is there still a chance that I can conduct my teaching demo?” she was for ever and a day busy and in a hurry attending her classes she is handling, seminars requiring her presence, looking after the graduating students who were off the University on account of their practice teaching so on and so forth.
Yet she never decline to entertain the students and offer them the best service she could give whenever they come to her office to ask her questions regarding practice teaching, the requirements to be enrolled therefor, looking after the students enrolled in her subject who will have their teaching demo and how to write a lesson plan. I wish the entire teacher were like my Professor .So she told me, “yes go to the BU lab and inquire of them of the schedule as to when you can have your teaching demo, and the section wherein you will have your teaching demo. By the way let them know the subject you are about to teach, and the topic thereof. Second, the lesson plan I wrote was very erroneous my Professor told me that it was very teacher-centered, she further added that lecture type method or the teacher-centered was the least effective form of teaching, she showed me the draft of the lesson plan that I wrote, her annotations was all over my paper and it was absolutely messy. Immediately afterwards my Professor went on with her sermon of reproof, it was indeed adding insult to injury (hehehehe! Just kidding hehehehe) yes, it was very insulting however; it was worth it for she had forthrightly acquainted me with my mistakes that I have to make right, in effect she seemed to be telling me, “Jay don’t be full of yourself you have to admit that there are things you still don’t know and are waiting to be unraveled. Right now you are young enjoy your life, learn everything and as you learn, put your feet on the ground though you are flying across the vast heavens. Therefore, pride is the greatest enemy of knowledge; you will certainly learn nothing therefrom. Furthermore, take every opportunity to improve yourself, accept every mistake you commit as a step forward, as another step towards what you dream. However, never take it as a means to justify yourself that you will always commit mistakes. Each time you commit mistake reflect thereupon and ask yourself why did it happen, what can I do to make it right, and admit that it was your fault why it happened. A lot of people often missed the third part which is the admittance of one’s fault for it directly hits their ego.”
I realized these things when I took a walk after Professor Rico reprimanded me because of the lesson plan I wrote. She once told us “experience is not the best teacher but the reflection out of that experience is the best teacher.” And she was right, and I thought to myself perhaps I am very boastful, high-minded, selfish, egoistic, and narcissistic.
I have many things to scrape off from my character which other people find despicable. Professor let me take this opportunity to ask for your forgiveness for all the misbehavior I may have committed against you. Forgive me for being late in your class, forgive me for not taking your subject sincerely, forgive me for I fail you and forgive me for I cannot graduate this year, “Mea culpa! Mea culpa!”
Thank you for understanding me, thank you for giving me chance to complete my requirements in your subject even though it was long due, thank you for even though I had a very unpleasant attitude others may not withstand still you never fell short of reminding me.
Someday I can and I will recompense all the goodness you have contributed to my life Professor. I am not saying this for you to give me high a high grade.
Third, lesson plan is deemed the blueprint every teacher has to follow but the thing is I deliberately deviated from my own lesson plan. The activity that was stated in the lesson plan was not realized in spite my diligent efforts of preparing it. hehehehehe! Nevertheless, I am thankful that in spite my unjustifiable and irritating imperiousness my Professor still gave me a chance to have my teaching demo.
I had the chance to attend to one of the teaching demonstration of my one of my classmate Marjorie Oli. She taught the topic “Ang Emperyong Maurya”. She was very lively as she delivers the lesson. at first she was very withdrawn and would not even speak, when she don’t know what to say next she’ll just giggle and took a peep at the paper she was holding and will again resume the discussion.
Nevertheless, she was able to redeem herself by having mastery of the topic and was able to carry on with her lesson superbly in spite the noise that the students were making. She did not permit herself to be sidetracked or be distracted. Perhaps, she’s telling herself “I have got to knock my way out and get this thing done at once.”
Her students were very funny because in the activity that Marjorie prepared they were required to answer the questions correctly and anyone who fails to answer the same will be kissed by their seatmates. And all of them went “ooooh, eeeew, yuck, wag na madame.” They were all sorts of complaints and shrieking therein. However, Marjorie did not yield and their constant insistence not to be kissed by their seatmates the moment they fail to answer the question vanished when she said, “come on guys this is just a friendly kiss, and let us not implant any streak of malice as we do this activity I need your cooperation so bad, not because I am doing for myself only but likewise to you, I don’t want this discussion to be mind-numbing.”
It was at that moment that Marjorie pacified and convinced the students to give their full participation. I like her students, although they were naughty they knew how to acknowledge the authority of the teacher and they were all very submissive to what the teacher commands them to do. Her attitude of being graceful though subjected to a great pressure was very classical, in the sense that all great educators who molded the minds of the people whose names were engraved eternally in the pages of history taught in that way. I am telling this not to make her head puff but to give her praise for she had delivered the lesson in a smooth manner. Teaching is indeed in her heart and I will no longer be astonished if someday she will be an excellent teacher loved by her students.
I admire my classmates for their patience and diligence and their willingness to pursue teaching career. I am patient, I am diligent but I don’t have the willingness to pursue career in teaching. Still, it does not follow that just because I am not going to pursue teaching career I will not be able to pour down my knowledge to others. Even if I am practicing my legal profession, I can still be a teacher for each time someone visits my office to ask for a legal advice I am already informing them, thus I am teaching them things that are in itself within the sphere of law.
Therefore, it follows then that teaching is evident in every aspect of our existence.