The Lesson Plan

When I woke up last Monday, I celebrated the fact that I had my mornings back. I no longer had to report early for Champaca, and so I had more time to focus on the work I had to do. I felt that everything would go much more smoothly now, and for a while it did.

(Click on the picture to the left for a larger version. Thanks, Gaby!)

That Monday morning I finally got around to respond to the e-mails I’ve been getting from this blog and I also got to clear up some business matters such as my requirements for the APEC thing this November and the Blogger’s Kapihan forum we may have this September. I am still waiting word on my assignment for the writing job (we’re waiting for someone to come here to the Philippines), though I am really not looking for it. I’m starting to see how full my plate is.

When I arrived at work last Monday, the new social science 2 teacher was finally around. For the past two years, I was the youngest member in the unit and so I wasn’t used to being the one my co-teachers would run to for help. But I’ve been getting that a lot lately, especially with two new additions to our roster who are both intelligent and enthusiastic about teaching.

Tuesday was crazy and it has been well documented in this post. That window stunt you see there (thanks for the shot, Gaby! ) is how I taught them what social norms are — I showed them what a social norm isn’t! During one discussion, there was this really memorable exchange we’ve had.

Me: “Why, wasn’t that normal?”
Student: “Sir, because that isn’t what a normal Sir Martin would do.”
Me: “I am intrigued by your description. What is this ‘normal Sir Martin’ you speak of?”
(Everyone laughs.)

Heh. Fun times.

There was another memorable moment that happened during my break last Tuesday. I was at the back lobby area when I ran into Champaca and it is clear that I miss that class a lot. But I just bolted away from them the moment they gave me THIS LOOK. Please. Of all the things. Don’t do that to me!

Tuesday didn’t end early for me as I joined my parents for their anniversary. And as I got home, I went on to write some words I’ve been meaning to say. That felt really good.

Wednesday was also incredible, but I didn’t know what I was thinking. I think I wasn’t even thinking. I was about to discuss the history of religion and mythology (see readings) and I took a while to just stare at my notes before I went up for my first class out of five straight. The lecture was going to be pretty heavy, detailed and inevitably boring (even for me). So at the last minute, I didn’t bring my things and dragged my classes outside and into the field.

It was a real out of body experience for me, and I felt that I was running on sheer instinct that moment. Since I was talking about the origins of the most basic stories in human history, I wanted to bring my classes to the material that inspired the stories in the first place — nature. Whether we were under the sweltering heat of the sun, the limitless sky, or the kindness of a sudden cloud cover, we talked about the stories that inspired the first hunters, educated the first farmers, and enlightened the first city-builders. And all these stories are retold, rewritten and rehashed until today because of the truths they tell us about transcendence, stewardship and civilization.

And when my fifth class ended, I was well aware that the day wasn’t over. I had to meet AKSIS, get some organizational stuff out of the way, and celebrate our birth as a club with a simple sharing of pizza and drinks. That was a really satisfying moment for me, and I just hope I can do justice to all their enthusiasm and vigor. I’m sure I can; I got them. They’re a really incredible bunch and I couldn’t be happier. But I just may. There are more joining.

(Click the image to the right for a full version. Thanks, Keziah!)

The beauty of my work week is that after Wednesday, everything ends just so quickly. I meet three classes on Thursday and two more on Friday. I always shift into a lower gear on Thursday, and everything just slows to a crawl on Friday. I just wrapped up the week by being all business-like with my classes by giving them the Graded Recitation they miss so much and orienting them on our activities for next week.

Something special happened last Friday though. Since Monday, I’ve been in contact with Ms. Chi Burgos, Associate Producer for Jesuit Communications. They wanted to do a segment with me in an episode of ABC5’s Light Talk that spotlights on driving in Metro Manila. They got in touch with me after picking up my article, The Unofficial List of All Things Wrong With Metro Manila Traffic, and so they decided to feature me as the motorist in their segment.

It was a really cool experience! They came to my place at around 8AM, then they shot and rode with me in my car on the way to work. They interviewed me at the Pisay parking lot, then shot some scenes with me in action at Rosal. Rosal thought I was being “fake” though in reality I was supposed to be even more serious. You can hear a pin drop as I had graded recitation in my other classes; I was actually struggling to insert some laughs for the camera. (Repeating my window stunt crossed my mind, but they’re not paying me any talent fee. )

The week ended with a short then long meeting with the AKSIS officers. We actually got to accomplish a lot, considering how fatigued we all were. All I know is that when I got home yesterday, all the energy just flowed right out of me. I had a busy and full week, and I didn’t even realize it as I went through it. Everything just caught up with me around 7PM last night. Biggest evidence? I fell asleep during Ocean’s Eleven. I’ll try again tonight.

When I left Champaca two Fridays ago, I left them with this passage from the Tao Te Ching:

Who recognizes his limitations is healthy;
Who ignores his limitations is sick.
The sage recognizes this sickness as a limitation,
And so becomes immune.

The past week has just ended and it’s taking its toll now. But this fatigue will go away with rest. Next week can’t come any sooner. Just bring it.

I think the week still went smoothly. It’s just that it brought me to places I never planned or imagined I’d end up in. It’s amazing really. If this is my new normal, I wonder what the future brings.