And So It Begins!

And so it begins!

Another chapter of my son's journey starts today.

He is now in Kindy. Yes, the big school!

As you start with this chapter:

We pray you'll find learning fun and enjoyable.

Meet friends you can have for keeps.

Learn about life, inside and outside the four walls of your classroom.

Realize the value of hardwork and perseverance.

Savour the fruits of your labour.

There's no denying, it's time for me and Papa to let go of you some more.

So, go ahead, spread your wings some more and start making good memories. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and try again. They are one of life's best teachers ;)

We're here to support you.

Remember that wherever you may go, Papa, Mama and Sammie are always here for you. We will always be here for you.

We love you, Kuya Liam!

Note: I cried last night and this afternoon. Just a mum,  getting sentimental :)

the night before :)

even the props are all set!

before leaving the house

Waiting for his teacher to collect their class.

first output for the year, which he read by himself. the only one in class who was able to read  it :)

Looking Forward

I am an excited mum :D

Next year, my little big Kuya will already be going to the big school! Yes, there is no stopping them from growing up!

Anyways, as of this writing we have two choices.

One: Barnier Public School.  I got the application form yesterday and submitted it today.

According to the school secretary, he is already accepted, officially enrolled, since we are within the area of the school. Yipee!

Hubby and I are considering this school as our top choice.  Barnier Public School  is a Technology school. It is only a few blocks away from our place. It's beside the present pre-school of Liam. It is the same school where his Kuya Lance and Ate Anika go to. In other words, it will be very convenient.

We think that technology is really here for good. It is the thing of the present and the future. There is no way we can stop technology from being a part of our daily lives. So I guess, it will benefit him to be familiar and to learn thru technology.

I am more at peace knowing that he has older cousins attending the same school.

What about his RE classes? They have Scripture classes every Tuesday :D

Now, option 2: Quakers Hill Public School.

Kuya Lance will be taking the placement test for Opportunity classes for Year 5. If he passes, he will transfer to Quakers Hill Public School. We are not in the local area so I think we will be in the waiting list.

Why are we considering this school? We also plan to have Liam try out in the Opportunity classes when he reaches Year 5. But we are considering the social implications if he starts in Barnier and transfer him later on in Quakers Hill Public School (if he gets accepted in the OC Programme). By that time, I'm pretty sure he has already established his friends in Barnier. Hubby and I are thinking, if accepted, we will push thru with Liam's enrollment in QHPS as well. Might as well let him start in QHPS than transfer him later in Year 5. That way we have addressed the social implications of him establishing a new set of friends and adjusting to the school all over.

I am still not familiar with QHPS. It is not a technology school but from the feedback and the school ranking, it is performing really well. It will not be very convenient for though because it is still a ten-minute drive from our place. And I have to study the other details like OOSH or Day Care Centres available near the school.

The school-choosing thing is the serious part. Now for the fun part!


Now, what am I looking forward to? Why all the excitement?

As you very well now, I am a primary school teacher here. Working on a casual basis, I was given the chance to handle different year levels, from Kindy to Year 6, in different schools. Just last week, I handled a Kindy class. And I just can't help but ask myself and imagine what kind of student Liam will be.

Will he be like me? I am no nerd and I don't consider myself bright. I am just diligent and hardworking. I plan and organize things ahead of time. I follow the teacher and I do not like breaking the rules. No fun, huh? hehehehe Hindi ako kalat at makupad, medyo OA nga lang sa aga mag-prepare at mag-aral lalo na pag may exams. I am one chatterbox. I panic when I miss deadlines! Ehem, I am an academic achiever from elementary up until college (okay, even in my Masters :p)

Will he be like his Papa? He is not a nerd as well, but he is naturally intelligent. He is the type na hindi mag-aaral kahit ang dami-dami ng dapat aralin. He will just start studying the day before the exams and still manage to get good grades. He is Mr. Cool, not worrying even if he misses a deadline. He has problems in planning and organizing stuff. Medyo kalat, sorry Papa :D He is the silent achiever.

Will he be like some of the students that I have met over the year? Madaldal pero nakakagawa at may natatapos. Mr. Tulala or Mr. Dead-ma?, "Mr. I Can't Do This!" (I hope not!)? Tahimik, makupad at walang natatapos? Makupad? Kalat? Kalimotero? Maayos at mabilis?

Exciting, huh? :D

I promised myself that I will not be a stage mum, but it doesn't mean that I will not get involved in my son's studies.

Like in my previous post, I will still continue to give him his fare share of stress (ooops) when it comes to studying. I plan to establish his study habits as early as now so we will not be having any troubles when he gets older. I will continue to give him supplementary exercises so he is always one step ahead. (So he will not have a hard time adjusting when he gets to Secondary School where all students start to get stressed because of HSC!)

But secondary school will be a totally different story.

One step at a time.

I still have to wait though for the official letter from the school in the post (probably next term) informing us of his acceptance and the next steps that we need to do.

I can see that Liam is excited as well. He just doesn't know that I am more excited!

Can't wait :D

Bring It On!

Am I destined to be one? To always be a student, that is.

I don't know if it's part of my destiny and part of God's plan that I always end being a student.

Remember the plans of me pursuing a Certificate Course on Children's Services? Well, there has been a slight change in our plans. My academic qualifications at present hinder me from practicing teaching in the State schools. I also believe that me not having enough Primary schooling courses back in the University, even with 7 years of teaching experience, hinder me from being shortlisted whenever I apply for a permanent position in the Catholic schools (where I am allowed to teach).

It was hubby who actually suggested that since I am up for another round of schooling, why not take the course that will allow me to meet the academic requirements set by DET and make my chances of getting a permanent teaching position in the Catholic schools, higher.Hitting two birds with one stone.

He has a point.

Knowing me and after everything I've experienced in my first Master's degree, I would have aborted that suggestion as soon as hubby mentioned it. But that is being selfish.

Thinking about it now, if studying again will be my part in ensuring a secure and better future for our family, then i I'd gladly do it. Let's face it, at present, in Sydney or elsewhere, you are not really sure when you'll get fired or when an unpleasant event happens in the company you work for. The past days I have been seeing news reports where companies are closing down, leaving their poor employees at a dead end. So even if you are on a permanent position today, you can never can tell what will happen tomorrow. Hubby and I need a back-up plan, just in case(touchwood) somethimg happens with hubby's work (or worse) something happens to hubby (touchwood).

We have actually wanted that after I graduated from my Graduate Certificate course in Religious Education, hubby will then take up a course to also build up his portfolio. But we have to be realistic. His present workload and travel time hinder him from pursuing a course, even if it's offered online. So hubby, will again give way for me. I am actually inpired to start and pursue this study because hubby inspires me. Just looking at all his hardwork now, which allows us to live comfortably, makes me realize that I also have to do my share. Afterall, we are partners. We should held out each other. Hindi pwedeng ako lang ang puro pasarap, tama?

It's his turn to work (and fund all our expenses) and my turn to study now. Who knows, after a couple of years, our roles might switch. His turn to study and my turn to work (and fund all our expenses and his turn to get spoiled by me).

Thank goodness, people are assuring me that there will always be work for teachers. I'm assured that the field I belong to has no "recession" time. I mean teachers will always have work whatever happens to the economy because education will always be part of everyone's life, and a priority, right?

I have started fixing my requirements and sooner than you think, I have already submitted my application for another Master's degree -- Master in Teaching(Primary). I am now looking at all the factors (schedule, funds, my casual work, and most importantly my kids) and weighing the pros and cons if I choose UWS over UNE.

Another set of challenges? You bet! But I'm more confident now. I think God has prepared me for this BIG step. I can do this!

Bring it on!

Affirmation

Congratulations! I feel confident that our children would be in good hands in your classroom.

This was how my teacher ended her comments after assessing my paper :)

Just feels good that she can see my potential once I go back to work.

The past days have really not been good with me and Sam getting sick, but reading this yesterday somehow made me feel good. It's the push that I needed as well. I'm just 4 papers away from receiving my first Australian credential for my portfolio :)

It's a piece of good news and an affirmation as well, a little reminder for me that I should not get worried being in ML for a year. He will take care of it. He will take care of me ;)

Good things are on their way :)

My Work As A Substitute

The phone will ring early in the morning and it is not an unexpected call. I need to report to work because I need to substitute for someone who is not able to go to work today. Before I hang up the phone, I ask what year I will be teaching for this day. As I hang up the phone, I go to my study room, look at my book collection and get the appropriate books I need for the day.

As a substitute teacher, I am already used to having the calls early in the morning and facing the challenge of preparing ample activities that I can give to my students for the day. When I started as a substitute teacher, I thought I wouldn’t get the hang of it knowing myself as to being more relaxed when my activities are set on a routine. The first few weeks were really hard for me. Imagine preparing and dropping off my little boy in child care before proceeding for work. When I get to work, I have to study and look at the plans of the teachers’ I am relieving (if there is any) for the day. I wouldn’t want to short-change the kids, just because I am just the substitute. Sometimes, I ask myself, “where is the fun in all of these?”
Well, the answers came in one after the other. Being a substitute teacher is fun after all! After getting the hang of it, I saw the beauty of becoming a substitute teacher. First, the job is challenging. It is not easy to go to work without knowing where you’ll be picking up from where the kids have left off.

Next, it has more variety. Let us admit it, sometimes having a routine day in and day out can be a bit tiring or boring in the long run. Well, you will definitely not have that when you are a substitute teacher because each substitution is unique, it is different.

Third, it is less stressful and less demanding. When you report for work and luckily the teacher you are relieving has a prepared plan, then you will not need to come up with your own plan, all you have to do is prepare the materials needed (that is if it is still not prepared) and execute the plan. Your day starts at around 8:30 am and ends up around 3pm. No lesson plans, no demands to make quizzes, to demands to attend meetings as well.

Lastly, it is mother-friendly. Because you don’t get tied up with all the after school academic and non-academic workload, you have more time for your family. Because you are not stressed big time, you tend to serve and care for your family better.

Yes, it is fun after all!

iPop

No, this is not about the touch screen gadget everyone is going crazy about. This is about one special person, my Pop. Today, almost all countries celebrate Father’s Day (I say almost all because here in Australia, they celebrate it on the 3rd of September) and this is the first Father’s Day that my Papa is so many miles away from me. I thought of giving him a unique gift this day, thus, this blog entry. I am a self proclaimed Papa’s girl, though he never admitted it, I felt that I was his favourite (hehe). My Papa is more of a friend than a dad. I feel that our relationship is not the serious or formal relationship like what others have with their fathers. But he knew when to draw the line. I always treated him as a buddy but when he felt I was going overboard, he’d knew how to handle me. A lot of me was probably influenced by my dad. A lot of my traits were probably influenced by my Papa. We share the same love for books and for writing. We even have the same temper. And when we are really mad, both of us would rather be quiet. I also believe that my ability to speak well in front of a crowd was also influenced by him. He is a good speaker, both in English and Filipino. Together with my Mama, they instilled in us, their children, the value of education. Having line of 7’s in our report card was a big no-no for them, especially for Papa. They inspired us to achieve, to do well especially in our studies. The only time we’d get branded clothes or shoes was when we made it to the honors list. He also taught us early on in our lives to live within your means. There were a lot of occasions that he showed us what he meant by living within your means. Like when I was turning 18 and I wanted to have a debut party, I got mad at him and didn’t speak to him for almost a month, but he still didn’t give in. For him, it’s not right to borrow money just as so you can have a grand debut party. When we were kids he didn’t allow us to join “beauty contests” or even the Santa Cruzan for the simple reason that we didn’t have money to buy the clothes required for those occasions. By some twist of fate, whenever I got sick, like when I needed an operation for appendicitis or when I almost had a convulsion when I was 10, my Papa was just at home, and he’d be the one to bring me to the hospital. In 5th grade, when I represented my class in the Miss United Nations, no one was available to watch and give support. To make things worse, the school bus forgot to fetch me on the day of the contest! I managed to get to school in time, with no one around to watch me or assist me. To my surprise, my Papa was in school to watch me. Even if I didn’t win in the contest I felt happy because someone was there to give me moral support, and it was my Papa. I never saw him or heard him complain about the struggles we had to face, especially in terms of our finances.  Oh he’s far from being perfect, he has like everyone else, imperfections, he is human after all. I know that he still faces some struggles but I know that with God’s grace, he’d be able to overcome them. There are still a lot of occasions where my Papa showed us what being a father is all about, but it would take me ages before I can finish writing them. But all of them will never be forgotten. And so this day, is your special day Pop, I honor you for everything that you’ve done to the family. I know it was not and it is not an easy job being a father to 5 kids with different attitudes and personalities. But you’ve managed it. I just now pray that God gives you more years to live so you and Mama can continue to reap the fruits of your hard-earned labor. All I can wish now is for the entire family to be there to celebrate this special day with you. But as you know, it's not possible as of the moment. As I end this piece, let me borrow what my youngest brother used in his last article with The Guidon, “this one’s for you Papa!”