Classroom Diaries: Intellectual Capacity

 Conversation with a fourth grade student...

Student: Teacher, I don't think my math teacher fully understands the vastness of my intellect...

TN: (laughs in my head ...what a very typical comment from this boy) Why do you say so?

Student: She doesn't know that I can already do difficult maths like square roots and ...(yada yada... to be honest, I didn't understand what in the world were the other things he mentioned)

TN: Okaaaay...I think you should tell her that you know how to do those things so you won't have to answer the easy ones.

Student: But I already told her and she wouldn't believe me.

TN: Well you should probably show her instead of you just telling her. (hehehe)

Student: (flashes me a smile that spells mischief) Thanks teacher, you always give me the best ideas...

(student gets out of the room in a hurry)

TN: (shouting) Uhm, don't do anything silly okay!

Classroom Diaries: Where's Nikolai?

Teacher Nina: Where's Nikolai?

Student: He didn't come to school today teacher.

TN: Does anybody know what happened to him? He's been absent since Monday...

Student: maybe he's sick...

During breaktime, TN checks her FB page and while scanning through the news feed, lo and behold, "Nikolai did some damage to a Dog in Wild Ones!" 

Found him.

Classroom Wars: Teacher Nina vs Shane

A boy makes unnecessary noise in class while everyone else writes quietly...

girl: Will you please stop talking Shane! Shush! (ridiculously annoyed)

boy: Why, do you own the classroom now? 

girl: (looking more vexed)

TN: (talks to the girl) don't show him that you are annoyed, otherwise, he wins...

girl: Okay...(continues writing)

boy: (still makes annoying noise)

TN: (boiling with utter vexation) SHANE! WILL YOU PLEASE STOP TALKING? IT'S SO ANNOYING!

(dead air)

S: oh, oh, OH! Teacher! YOU LOSE, I WIN! (evil laugh)

TN: (awww...man) FOR NOW...but the war isn't over! (sly smile)

Oh well, tomorrow's a new battle...nonetheless, I love being with my students! haha ;)

Faith

(Posted March 1, 2009)

It is so easy to fall into the pit of doubt and drown in waves of deceit. Sometimes, lies cloud our reasoning that we are compelled to plot convincing excuses to hold back and to keep from taking a bold step when we are faced in a pivotal decision: to take the step of faith or to timidly step back? And when we have chosen to retreat we put the blame on circumstances, other times, on bad timing, often, on human limitations when ultimately, these excuses are just blatant disguise for lack of faith.

Most often, we start off filled with passion, running forward until we finally hit the edge of the cliff, where the real test of faith begins. Do we jump hanging on to faith or do we move backward and choose to settle on the familiar ground? The biggest problem is, some let belief fall behind their worries, and when assurance is unseen, they choose to hold back. Some choose to rationalize rather than trust. And others simply choose to forget faith.

But what fuels faith in the first place? Is it passion? hope? vision?

Most people are driven by vision. But I think faith should be fueled by Love. For vision changes and  dims through winds of seasons. But Love is constant--in storm, in drought, in cold or heat, it remains unclouded and ceaselessly blazing through time.

Worship

(Posted January 21, 2009)

Worship...what trivial word for such a deep and extraordinary act.

Worship. Ordinarily, we find ourselves instinctively worshiping in sanctuaries amid the happiest hours, when everything falls right smack where they should be, when we find favor in what we do, when our deepest prayers are answered, when we experience unimaginable breakthroughs and when we are at our most convenient state. It isn't too hard to be grateful and, thereupon, act in worship when situations are in accordance to our expectations.

But when happiness deserts us, when we're thrown at a completely opposite situation, when weariness burdens us, when jubilation and laughter beat a hasty retreat and when things happen contrary to what we expect and hope it to be, how exactly do we respond? do we still find reason to worship the Lord or does worship develop into nothing but a feeling which fluctuates from time to time depending on the state of the flesh?

One thing I know...true worship is not dependent on situations. It is a state of the heart. When our heart is right with God, then even if we find ourselves at the highest peak of a mountain or at the bottom of a pit, there will always be infinite reasons to worship the Lord!

When You Decide to Love

(Posted June 23, 2008)

I realized that to Love is a decision. But falling in love isn't. I understand that however logically we may try to approach how we feel, we still can't condition our mind, especially our heart to feel otherwise. However, putting meaning to the feeling is a decision. It's either we choose to admit what's hidden or deny the obvious. And most of the time, to dismiss one's feeling is the worst feeling of all.

But to love, most of us should remember, is inevitable. We are not subject to judgment if we do. It isn't like an alien rock from outer space that everyone should start blabbing about. It is completely free and normal, as normal as God's love for us. And most importantly, Love is never questionable and deniable when it comes from Love Himself. :)

The Lines Don't Meet

(Posted April 24, 2007)

The ends justify the means.
Mr. Machiavelli has convinced most of us to believe that cheating is justifiable when we do it out of helping a friend pass an exam. But if we think about it, it's the same as saying that evil can be good at some extent. But this is completely false because evil can never be good.

Evil can never "evolve" into good or Godly because these two, in the first place, are not only different, but are entirely opposite in every way. In Geometry, they are like parallel lines; they don't meet nor intersect--not even at one miniscule point.
The world tells us that evil can 'evolve' into good through time, in the same way that solid ice turns into liquid water, but the Bible tells us otherwise. Nothing good springs out of evil, which makes sense for “…how can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?” (2 Cor 6:1-18, The Message). There is nothing common between good and evil, therefore, to think that evil can eventually evolve into somehing good is just foolish. It is almost like a transversal line that passes through parallel lines in attempt to 'bridge' them, but guess what, it still won't make the two lines meet.

If we choose to believe that evil deeds can 'eventually turn out to be good', then we have chosen to compromise, to lower our standard. Why follow the world’s standard? The last thing the world needs now are Christians who condescend into practicing ungodly ways, thinking that their wicked actions are justified by their good intention.
Let’s not choose to blend in with the rest of the world. But now that we know the Truth, it’s our chance to make a difference and set the REAL standard, God’s standard.
The bad means is never justified by the 'good' end.

I Long for a Secret

(Posted January 6, 2009)

Women can never keep a secret, they say. I beg to differ!

Most often than not, men refer to women as creatures as roughly synonymous to gossip machine. I, personally, am taken aback whenever I hear boys, comment "please don't tell it to her, if you don't want the whole world to know!". What an absolute insult! Seriously, my blood boils up with anger!

Nevertheless, I wouldn't yield to this false perception toward women. Neither will I ever possess-- not even a whisper, of gossip in me. For I am determined to prove that women are not interested with the 'juice' of a secret, rather, women, or I, for that matter, am interested at the care and love I can undividedly accord to those whom who share to me with their utmost trust their...deepest secret.

Besides, I don't intend to contribute further vexations to men, as a woman being woman alone is complicated enough for them. Thus, gossip is not in me, and never will be. A secret is a secret. It makes life easier.

But in my defense, a woman's heart alone is already a dwelling of secrets. How can a woman who lives by it, create a loop hole for her own shame? A woman is naturally a secret holder. She holds it in her hands...she keeps it in her heart. Everything is guarded in her heart, for her heart is sealed and locked...not anyone can simply get through it.

Women long for a secret, not so they can gossip about it but just because they can keep it.

Truth vs Fact

(Posted January 9, 2009)

People are thirsty for Truth. Desperate for it, in fact. 

But nowadays, people's thirst for truth seems too difficult to quench. Mostly because people attempt to search for Truth in the wrong places and in a completely wrong method: looking for physical evidence, which leads them to believe that to see is the only way to believe, which then, leaves them disappointed when they don't actually 'see'.

But surely, searching for truth is unlike investigating for facts. Truth doesn't require corporal and solid proof for it to be actually true.

Truth is definitive. It requires neither evidence nor attestation from any human form for it comes from the Ultimate Source of all wisdoms Himself. It is incontestable, perfect and authoritative. The truth about Truth is that no matter how much we deny it, it will stand firm, no matter how much we laugh at it, it will not bow down, we may try to push it away, yet it will not defer and even though we may not perceive it, we are overwhelmed by its existence. For the enormity of its power is founded and influenced by God and not by human judgment.

Fact, on the other hand, is not necessarily equal to Truth (and yet, unfortunately, we think that they are one and the same) for it requires evidence, witness and authentication (based on human understanding) to prove its verity. Fact, in other words, is any visible information at all that can be molded and fashioned into "fact" so long as it passes human standard of "truth".

The truth of the matter is, facts don't always lead to the truth. And Truth is fully independent from facts.

See, the search for Truth doesn't need to be a long process of frustrating disappointments. It doesn't need to be as exasperating as uncovering evidence. But Truth, though unseen, is, in fact, easily available to anyone (actually, it's not at all something that we search for) as it is something that's being offered to us all this time, the only question is: are we willing to accept the Truth or would we rather try to look first for proof before we actually believe?

..."I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:16

Where Does Your Heart Run?

  Photo from www.popartuk.com/photography/

If you had the chance to be at one place at this very moment, where would it be?

While outside, doing the laundry, I was caught at a retrospect.  I was reminded of a dream I once started to dream about four years ago.

This dream has everything to do with the above-mentioned question. There's only one word to this dream: Paris.

If I were to be at one place at this instance it would be in Paris. Now, this begs the question, WHY? Every answer and every choice is forged by a reason.

Why Paris? because my heart ran off to that place...before I could even get there  myself. (hehe)

But on a serious note, every woman's heart was created to be captivated...it is nurtured by the distinct beauty of every day life. We are more of Romantics rather than Realists. Women breathe to be inspired, captivated and enamored by circumstance, a lover, family and even by everything else that is existent--distant or close, alive or inanimate. That being said, it answers the very reason why women long to be pursued. We want to live and not just enjoy beauty and love. Why Paris? because everything in that immortal place captivates, captures and pursues the heart of a woman :) Where else?