The Lesson Plan

The “bunker” is that place in the house where I am virtually imperturbable. You can’t bug me or touch me, and while I am there I have no other purpose but this: to check. Entered: 8AM. Exited: 10PM. Hooray for weekends.

It is safe to say that as our students busy themselves with the tons of requirements, the equivalent for us teachers is checking those requirements. But which is heavier? The easiest way to think of it is this way: my students have thirteen subjects to prepare for. Most of the time, they have something (ex. a paper, a reading, a presentation, a problem set) to prepare for in at least 60% of them. They have to jump from one subject to another, and switching gears is tiring in its own. That’s quite a lot.

On the other hand, I handle one hundred fifty of them. Granted, I only check one requirement at a time — in this instance, my students’ journals. However, a single requirement has several considerations. In this instance, I have to read entries, mark notable ones, grade, write comments, and deal with the repetition of it all. Then when I’m done, I have to tally their final grades and prepare for our lesson on Monday. That’s quite a lot too.

So which is heavier? Well, my students don’t know what it’s like on this side of the desk. On the other hand, I could tell them, “Been there, done that.” While it can be said that there are more demands on our students today, it was tough back then too (we didn’t have the InterWeb yet). And guess what? What I’m doing now is just as tough. It’s tiring and — just like my students — I ponder the point of it all sometimes. I waver. I get lazy. I get distracted. Still, work has to be done.

Yet one thing you learn through the years is how to manage it all. There are times when I should lock myself in a bunker, times when I can blog, and times when I kick back and manage Wu Wei X. Above all, you also learn to find meaning and love what you do. So in a way, I don’t mind all the work. In some way, I even enjoy it. But here’s the rub: all those years laboring in school helped me develop my current work ethic — and I hated school. Think about that.

Thoughts on the “History Book Project”

When this school year began, I told myself that I won’t even attempt to top Pisay Meets World. No, there will be no Pisay Meets World 2.0. That distinction belongs to my ‘09 and I would like to create new memories with ‘10.

I also wouldn’t want to fall into the trap of comparing successes and failures. Worse, I don’t like trying to outdo myself. I’m not the only one who suffers and that’s won’t be nice at all. Instead, I take everything I learn from PMW and create something entirely new and special in its own way. For this year, it is the History Book Project.

All my thoughts are on it right now, to be honest. With the rest of the quarter completely plotted out, all my brain juice is directed towards our grand finale for the year. I’ve been building on this since day one and now that we’re here, I’m incredibly excited.

As I go through the final journals, I bear in mind that this is the last time I get to read each one of them. I took my time. Some got really long comments from me. One journal even took me an hour and a half to read and react to. It’s a miracle I’ll be done with all of them tomorrow (I have about 45+ left to read).

I’ve always seen myself as a custodian of my students’ stories. Some of them may think that I’m getting all the juice out of ‘10 but nothing could be farther from the truth. Early on, I developed the mental discipline to fully engage a student’s story and disconnect myself completely after I close the notebook. (Moreover, I will emotionally drain myself if I take everything they write to heart. I may suffer a nervous breakdown much quicker that way.) I write some of them comments as a confidante would, but the stories are really theirs. I would consider it a failure if a student wrote ideas and entries that would just please me. Thankfully, none of them did so.

The metaphor I would use is that of a librarian: I know where the books are, I can arrange them, and I can help people find what they’re looking for. However, don’t expect me to tell you everything about the book you’re looking for. Chances are I can say a few things about it if I’m familiar but I can’t talk to you at length about it. I’m happy with my own history books and crime novels, thank you very much.

Pretty soon, my students will be getting their journals back. I already have a clear picture of what we’re going to do, how and most importantly, why. This has always been my goal when the school year began. I’ve done my fair share of foreshadowing throughout the year and soon we bring things full circle. And that is my favorite shape of all.

Of course, all our effort will pay off. Journal writing isn’t easy and my students managed it through a difficult year. Not all the SS2 students were doing it, but not all the SS2 teachers were reading journals either. This will be something truly special, promise. We’re nearing the end and I can’t wait to begin.