The Lesson Plan

Speaking in the past tense now, 2007 was a breakthrough year for me. It all began on January 6th when I decided to leave Livejournal and move to WordPress and things just rocketed upwards from there. I always wanted a world-class blog and after having been a student of Thomas Friedman for two years now, 2007 felt like the time to make my mark in the Flat World. I don’t want to sound too presumptuous now, but I really feel that I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.

Here is a month by month account of the highlights of the past year for me.

January

On the 6th, this blog was born. This was my first post.

On the 13th, I wrote the first edition of The Unofficial List of All Things Wrong With Metro Manila Traffic. It was an experiment on how to make a post viral, and it worked! This was my first high-traffic post and it taught me a lot about what people search for on the Internet.

Also starting on the 16th, I blogged about the China Rises (Cold Fairyland, Bo Han, Ma Liang, Jack Ma) documentaries we watched in class. In these posts I learned how to supplement what we watched in class and how to follow up on the things my students found interesting. Batch ‘10 will be watching these documentaries too.

I wrote about the secret of the Banaue Rice Terraces on the 20th, and it remains one of my most Googled posts ’til this day.

On the 22nd, I wrote The World is Flat but the Philippines Isn’t. This is one of this blog’s centerpieces and it fully articulates my view of the Flat World in relation to our county.

Then finally, some magic. Starting the 23rd, I wrote an article that would start a series that is read until this day — Confessions of a Teacher. These entries will make this blog forever precious to me.

February

This blog became a sounding board for most of the controversies in the SA elections. It wasn’t a comfortable time for me but it was an incredible learning experience. I wouldn’t do it again though; we hope our student government learned by now.

So it must have been a weird vote of confidence when in February 23, my blog got nominated to the Philippine Blog Awards! I hope we make it in ‘08!

March

Three words: Pisay Meets World

Click the image to see everything.

Was this thing huge. We didn’t expect it to explode as much as it did, so we were all blown away when it did. Click here and here to see everything this accomplished! I am incredibly proud of my ‘09 for an incredible job! What you guys did won’t just be a top moment of 2007, but a top moment of my life. No kidding. Thank you very much once again.

Click to watch the video responsible for getting everything viral:

Also in the month of March, I wrote some entries I’m really proud of to this day:

• My high hopes for my students
• The Rise of the Mall Class
• Teaching from the heart

April

First, an entry I wrote as a reaction to my bro’s graduation speaker is a must read for all students. It’s entitled Disbelief in grades, belief in you.

But after that, the rest of April was a controversial month. Just imagine, these were published:

• The Case for Atheism in Philippine Society
• The Myth of Gawad Kalinga: A Profile of the Sitio Target Controversy
• Manny Pacquiao and the Definition of Shameless / The Fall of Manny Pacquiao
• A Blogger Code of Conduct? Nothing we haven’t learned in kindergarten
• Cheo Seung-Hui: “You had a billion chances and ways to have avoided today”

Looking back, I guess I was bored. Or during my free time, that journalist and polemicist inside me just broke free. I’d like to unleash that side of me again. Let’s see how ‘08 is for us.

My mom and I also unveiled a little project of ours in April. We breathed new life into an advertising campaign she did in the 90s. It’s worth a look for all those who want to believe in commercials again.

To mark the summer, my friends and I went beaching in Pagudpud. View it all here.

May

May was a super slow month. It was the middle of summer and I was making the most of my free time before the next school year. As a proof of my boredom, here are some of the pieces I wrote that month:

• Splitting hairs: My thoughts on Pisay discipline
• The Decline of Populism, Pacquiao, Polls and other P words

There was one big highlight though: Julien Dio and I’s afternoon at the Asian Institute of Management where we were honored for making it to their compendium. This still ranks as a major moment for me. It is still one overwhelming hour of my life!

After that, it was full steam ahead for SY’07/08. Here are some teasers I put out towards the end of May. However, one of the teased projects here never made it and the other would grow into something far bigger.

Whatever happened to “41″? Who said it’s not about to happen?

To close the month, here are some of my first entries for ‘10:

• “History is all around!” Some notes for the first day
• Nice meeting you, Batch ‘10!

June

During my first month with ‘10, I prioritized establishing our links in the classroom. I was still estimating how big a role the Internet would play in our class. As the year rolled on, the blog would become a bigger part of our class.

But early in June, just some thoughts. The prospect of using the net in class made me write The Erosion of Authority: A teacher’s thoughts on being Googled by his students. Then, on the first day, I published an essay I wrote as an education student under Mrs. Vicky T’s class. It’s entitled, So, Why Teach?

June 4. The first day of class. The big day. How was it? Read this and this. Also, The Line Game. Remember that?

And remember this?

“Commitment makes you tick, Jack. The problem is you’re not so good at letting go.”

For my Independence Day post, I wrote a reflection on why and how we should teach Philippine History, An Unending Revolution? I’d really like to teach that subject again, although I may opt to do so in the college level.

July

One of my favorite blog entries was written in July, The Tao of Stress. Too bad I never got to follow it up with the Buddhist piece. It was too stressful. Heh.

In July, AKSIS was born!

It was one huge moment in what was one of my greatest teaching weeks ever. I summed it up pretty nicely in My Life’s New Definition of Normal. And yeah, some people caught me on YouTube. Heh.

Of course, Pisay was big back in July. My blog covered a lot of it from reviews to my own reflection piece, Proudly Pisay, which I would complete by August. It was published by the Science Scholar in September.

August

August was an off month for me.

The suspension of classes really forced me to compromise a lot of my plans and to rush my lessons. It wasn’t a good feeling at all and I know I could have done a better job. A lot of students felt that I sort of lost the magic back then, but it’s because teaching lost its magic for me too.

The battle was incredibly though. Too see how much a teacher’s plans change, read this, this then this. Because of all the suspensions, we lost the chance to really explore The Tao of Pooh and our lessons had to move at a crawl.

It would take a while for things to get back on track but when they did, they did so in a big way.

AKSIS single-handedly saved my August. Kamalayan, an event at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani which we crammed, was wonderfully successful! I can’t have a better club. I love you guys! (And Maskara too!)

September

September was a wow month for me. With so many things happening, I just couldn’t help but go, “Wow.”

This huge post summarizes September for me. In one week, I helped launch Bloggers’ Kaphihan, then I spoke at the Future Summit for Humanities Week. View my presentation, We live 56 hour days, here.

After that week, I promised myself to catch my breath but I still wasn’t able to. My classes kept me busy as I tied up a messy quarter. I had a lot to look forward to in the 3rd quarter.

October

October was a halfway point for me. Read about it here.

On October 10, I visited Sitio Target in preparation for a bigger visit in December.

Then on October 13, I spoke at Blogger’s Kapihan 2: Blog Ed 101. It was a big moment for me as it was my first speaking engagement. I’d like to believe I didn’t do too bad. Regardless, I am very proud of the speech I delivered.

Click the picture to read the speech.

Other highlights of the month included a series of posts on the Glorietta blast (click here, here then here), the Killing Story in my classes, and a very academic post, Our Asabiya, Our Dharma, Our Future.

November

November was an incredibly fun yet stressful month for me. Wu Wei was in full swing, I went to Thailand during the short break, then AKSIS went on the Binondo Food WOK and my classes began presenting their plays.

The Binondo Food WOK however, will have to rank as one of my personal favorites this month. It was really an adventure, and it was great having gone there with a really fun group. Thanks to AKSIS once again. (Nakakarami na kayo ah!)

Finally…

December

This month is easy. I’m saving the greatest for last.

First, my students showed off their plays. They may all feel that they could have done better, but I’m simply proud of them.

Second, Wu Wei X. I’m really proud of this one. Let’s see what kind of chaos ensues.

And third and the greatest, Sitio Target.

If there is one thing to capture everything that has gone on in the past year, it is this. From Pisay Meets World to Bloggers’ Kapihan, from the first day of class to Wu Wei X, everything has been a journey for me.

During this blog’s early stages, there was a quote plastered on the header image: “The path we choose is who we are.” It is a Hindu saying that relates to the paths in life we choose. However, the saying can also be read the other way: who we are is the path we choose.

I’ve learned that over the past year. I’ve learned that everything I do matters not just to me, but to everyone I get in touch with. As far as blogging goes, I have no true gauge of my blog’s impact on other people but I know the difference it has made in me. To a lot of us bloggers, that is all that matters. I began this blog as a teacher, and by nurturing it and allowing it to grow, I grew as a teacher as well. However, it is inevitable that what we write becomes a part of those who read it.

At times, I have caused controversy. I may have inspired some to take on blogging. And to a few, I have encouraged them to join me on my path. It is the responsibility of every blogger comes to terms with this. And for me, 2007 was the year for that.

The path we choose is who we are, and I am Sir Martin.

It has been my pleasure.

Happy New Year to everyone!