Sir Recites
Summer. I personally look forward to April and May, not because I dread school work, but more because of the opportunity to do things that are simply not possible or not recommended during the academic year. Sleeping late (and getting up late as well) caused by various reasons (watching TV, on-line chatting, etc) is one of these things, as well as movie marathons, frequenting the malls with high school / college friends, and the afternoon siesta. But I couldn’t afford to do as much pleasure this time around, since I’m back to school in Ateneo to continue (yet again) my MS degree.
Back in college, my course – BS Mathematics – required me to attend summer classes twice (between my 1st and 2nd year, and between 2nd and 3rd). I was free for the next summer, but I opted to enroll, together with my Math friends, so as to earn a minor degree in Economics. That summer was the only time I paid a certain nontrivial amount during enrollment, because my scholarship didn’t cover that particular term. My summers became different after becoming a teacher in Pisay, though. I was free, basically, to do practically anything. But not now.
For many reasons, I am currently enjoying my re-entry in the Loyola Schools. Being in a classroom where I sit, listen, and recite (instead of stand, talk, and sweat) is refreshing (again). Also, this is my first term in Ateneo wherein I bump into a lot of former students (mainly from Batch 2007). My classes the past semesters were scheduled either Saturdays, or late in the afternoon (4:30 to 6 PM) weekdays, so as not to interfere with my teaching schedule in Pisay (most of my classmates teach too). But since I do not teach during summer, my sched now is not set in unpopular hours, just like that of my former Geom students. I even eat lunch with them at times.
Graduate classes are very different. The pace is faster, depth is expected, and classmates are scarce. I was in a class of 10, and that was the maximum that I had so far. Some of my classes, especially the one I’m currently enrolled in, have the problem-solving approach, meaning we have to learn by alternately solving problems in front of the class. Hmmm. So if there are 15 questions in a 90-minute period, and there are 5 students in the class (including myself), in the spirit of fairness, each of us should answer three problems, given an uncertain permutation. Or in the case of a hard random problem, there is a 20% chance that I will be called to present in front. That’s a large percentage, versus a one-in-thirty chance as a Pisay student. Argh. I should study more, I guess.
Back in college, my course – BS Mathematics – required me to attend summer classes twice (between my 1st and 2nd year, and between 2nd and 3rd). I was free for the next summer, but I opted to enroll, together with my Math friends, so as to earn a minor degree in Economics. That summer was the only time I paid a certain nontrivial amount during enrollment, because my scholarship didn’t cover that particular term. My summers became different after becoming a teacher in Pisay, though. I was free, basically, to do practically anything. But not now.
For many reasons, I am currently enjoying my re-entry in the Loyola Schools. Being in a classroom where I sit, listen, and recite (instead of stand, talk, and sweat) is refreshing (again). Also, this is my first term in Ateneo wherein I bump into a lot of former students (mainly from Batch 2007). My classes the past semesters were scheduled either Saturdays, or late in the afternoon (4:30 to 6 PM) weekdays, so as not to interfere with my teaching schedule in Pisay (most of my classmates teach too). But since I do not teach during summer, my sched now is not set in unpopular hours, just like that of my former Geom students. I even eat lunch with them at times.
Graduate classes are very different. The pace is faster, depth is expected, and classmates are scarce. I was in a class of 10, and that was the maximum that I had so far. Some of my classes, especially the one I’m currently enrolled in, have the problem-solving approach, meaning we have to learn by alternately solving problems in front of the class. Hmmm. So if there are 15 questions in a 90-minute period, and there are 5 students in the class (including myself), in the spirit of fairness, each of us should answer three problems, given an uncertain permutation. Or in the case of a hard random problem, there is a 20% chance that I will be called to present in front. That’s a large percentage, versus a one-in-thirty chance as a Pisay student. Argh. I should study more, I guess.
posted by mardan at 11:30 AM
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