reflections

Our school is well into the new school year.  In fact, our first quarter is wrapping up this week.  Reflecting back on it, I can't help but feel more frustrated than anything else.  We began school back on August 18 because of a harvest break we give the students to help with our local harvest in September.  That means we're in school for a month then take 2 weeks off.  This would be great, and normally I have no problem with it, but this year seems to have been anything but seamless.

The second week we were in school we had a 3 day program visit our school, which interrupted our class schedules for a good part of the week.  We then had a test to administer to our students to measure their academic progress, which took another 3 days.  Then we had our 2 week break.  Once we returned we had 2 weeks with only 4 days because of a workshop one week and a holiday the next.  THEN, we had to administer the standardized test, which took an entire week, and is now running into a second week just for make ups. 

CHEMERGY: Chemistry and Science Clubbing in Synergy

And I thought it was Science Clubbing: A Strategic Contingency for Survival. And I really think it should be that way (well personally, I think this one’s for like for the elementary levels). I saw the above theme of Science Clubbing month in an Elementary school here in Naga, and I couldn’t ascertain even with the help of the net which one’s the real theme, so here, I’ll just write something abut it.

One of the most hated subjects in both high school and college is Chemistry and it has proven itself to become more and more forgettable and hard to understand with each one’s advancement in the academic ladder. It has dumbfounded even the brightest minds I’ve come to personally know, and it possesses to some extent this shroud of mystery which no one seems able or at least interested to crack. But why has chemistry become such a feared and alienated field? And is this fear and alienation good for us in the end?

One possible reason why many people cannot grasp the basics of chemistry is the fact that this field of knowledge uses an almost entirely different kind of language. Math uses numbers, and all others use letters and words, but chemistry — oh, Chemistry — uses an incomprehensible mixture of these, woven into complex patterns almost to the point of irrationality. Well, that’s how I felt when chemistry and I first met.

But in reality, Chemistry is not something to be feared. It is one of the most enjoyable subjects there can be. I credit this love of chemistry to a high school teacher of mine, Sir Jestoni Daza, who really put his all into teaching us the basics of chemistry – especially the harder ones, like nomenclature, balancing, etc. Once you get your hands on it, I tell you you can’t take them away.

But falling in love with chemistry is no easy thing. It takes determination and real, ardent desire to learn. I admit it, not everybody can love chemistry as it is. So what now? Do we just resort back to the old attitude towards chemistry? Of course not.

What we need is to incorporate it with something enjoyed by people at a stage when their minds are very flexible, malleable, and ductile. This stage I’m talking about is childhood. And what activity (besides play) do kids like more than being with each other? So there you have it: a harmony between chemistry and science clubbing among kids. Or as the theme puts it, CHEMERGY.

By synergy, it is meant that together, chemistry and science clubbing can do something that they cannot do when they’re separate. And this something, I believe, is changing the world. But how? Chemistry is one field in science that’s very useful in almost all fields of development. We need a thorough understanding of chemistry if we are to make significant advancements in Agriculture and Aquaculture, Biology, Medicine, Forestry, Environmental Conservation, and a host of other endeavors. Chemistry is the language of our development

my modern hero

A hero can be more than just a monster-slayer or a lifesaver. A hero can be anyone who has a positive influence on another. For me, my father has affected my life in a positive way. I look up to him, and he is my hero and role model. My connection to him is that he is my father. He is a mechanical engineer, who currently works for Parker Aerospace Group. He received his bachelor’s degree from Kettering University and a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University. He grew up in Michigan, and lived there for 34 years. He has worked all over the United States and overseas.


Ordinary people can be courageous in different ways than epic heroes, such as Odysseus. Courage can be shown through taking risks. My father has taken career risks. He moved his family to southern Texas, so he could get more opportunities in the auto industry. He actually worked in Mexico. The risk was moving his family to a new place and working with a new culture. After working 25 years, he took a more stable job at a new company, to make sure his family would be able to have a consistent income. As said by my father, “Sometimes you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and take risks to see what you are truly capable of.” These risks also affected his family, although he took those risks because of them. His family had to move twice to places with no relatives or friends. He also travels a lot; however, he makes time for his family.

MY MODERN DAY HERO

MY MODERN DAY HERO