Posted by: misterpedagog | October 30, 2009

Stress Box

I needed extra work to compensate for the absences i incurred in EdH 115. I was stressed with all my commitments that i decided to create a box to help me deal with my stressors. With this, i came up with my stress box.
Stress Box
Every one of us has been stressed one way or the other—may it be school work, office work, peer pressure, identity crises, family problems, love issues, and the list goes on and on. But the question is what exactly is stress?

What is stress?
According to Hans Selye’s Article the nature of stress, stress is a mechanism of complex processes triggered by stressors (agents or demands that evoke these complex bodily processes). . Stress is very real and concrete indeed, and is manifested in precisely measurable changes within the body.

Stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand, whether is is caused by, or results in, pleasant or unpleasant conditions. Stress as such, like temperature as such, is all-inclusive, embodying both the positive and the negative aspects of these concepts.

We now ask, how do we deal with stress?

Two kinds of stress—Eustress and Distress.
Eustress is stress that has a positive effect on person’s life and even health such as stress to win a competition. On the other hand,
is have negative implications to a person such as stress from a death and the like. Two things should be noted however at this point:

1. Both are equally taxing to the body
2. The body cannot differentiate between the two

With this, both stress, when too much is unhealthy to an individual.

We have personal ways and techniques in dealing with stress however not all of them are beneficial and healthy.

Two kinds of stress management—Positive and Negative
Negative Stress management include binge eating, alcoholism, smoking, etc. These ways of coping with stress hurts and damages the body thus, negative. On the other hand positive stress management channels the stress of an individual into productive means such as exercise, mediation, writing. All of these activities help release stress.

With these things in mind, the Stress Box started to take form.Stress box

This stress box was designed by a student stressed by school work, part time work, expectations, extra-curricula, family issues and what have you. This was devised to provide a number of ways a person can release and relieve himself of stress. However, this box by no means guarantees a hundred percent stress relief. Rather, this box should be seen as an aide, a tool to help an individual cope with stress and deal with it in a positive manner.

Ultimately, this box aims to make you smile even for just a split second.

Objectives
• to relieve stress of a person
• to provide positive stress management techniques
• to make the user smile

How to Use
• Find a quiet, solitary, tranquil place where you can sit and relax with the stress box
• Open the box and choose from different materials and objects.
• Use any of the materials that you want but make sure to return them to their proper slots.
• Take note of thoughts that came into your mind while using the stress box and the materials in it. This might help you analyze your stressor.
• If possible, write your feelings in a journal or perhaps as a blog entry to further release stress.

stress boxStress Box Materials

Post-its
Writing has always been a way of releasing stress by. A simple paper with the property of being stuck on surfaces provides for reminders of what we may want

Prayer Box & Spiritual symbol
A belief in a Higher Being has been proven scientifically to help people cope with stress. People have survived drastic medical conditions because of a positive outlook brought about by prayers and faith. Prayers and spirituality calls for mediation which clams the mind, heart and body.

Crayons
Scribbling in a colorful manner will allows us to express our emotions. No matter which we choose, there will be a color to represent what we feel at certain times—specially those feelings we cant seem to let go of.

Slinky
Repetitive actions calms for among children it reminds them of what they can do and which probably goes the same way for adults. Repetitive behavior at some point becomes mechanical and thus assures the person of an act that he can perform even without much effort and thinking

Dominoes
Toys will never fail to relax people.

Stress ball
Focusing energy in one’s hands relieves stress for the effort it takes to squeeze the ball gets rid of all the tension or perhaps anger an individual has.

Shoelaces
In Ian’s Shoelace site, which promotes the fun, fashion and science of shoelacing can be found ways of setting up our shoelaces. Using our fingers and our minds, manipulating with shoelaces may allow our minds to focus on the task at hand instead of problems and dilemmas. Thinking games also aide in solving difficult task by giving our brains a break and thus refreshing its take on things.

Clay
Children are naturally amazed and attracted with clay. The feel of clay soothes and relaxes. Paul White, a child therapist uses clay as his main medium for therapy leading him to create CLAYtherapy: A Manual of Therapeutic Applications of Clay with Children which can be found in this website
http://www.playtherapyclay.com/

Sandbox
Based from the Zen way of meditation, the sand is another alternative to scribbling or drawing. Playing with sand relaxes by allowing you to randomly form figures and create strokes. Simply use a finger or a stick and the sand will follow whatever you do with it. The sound of sand’s movement as well as the movement itself is flowing and very calming. Its texture massages the fingers and hands as well.

Origami Papers
is not only a form of art but is also used in physical therapy, mental health programs and is a source of entertainment and enjoyment.
Therapists use paper folding as fun way of exercising and strengthening hand muscles. Psychologists have found out that origami helps in the development of motor skills, as well as attention, memory, and imagination processes. With this it can be used to relieve stress.

I would love to give this box to a special bloke I really care for. He is so stressed nowadays and it makes me sad when he is.  Hope he gets back to his equilibrium again speciall y because his laughs and smiles are contagious and we need more happy people in this world

Posted by: misterpedagog | October 24, 2009

Mister Pedagog’s New Phone

I recently just lost another phone so i decided to subscribe to a postpaid plan to get a new one and that if it so happens that my phone gets stolen or will have problems i will still be able to retain my number.

Because i don’t have a driver’s license yet plus have no billing place, I registered using my mom’s documents. So many signatures were needed including an authorization letter that i wished there was a way for students to avail of subscriptions without the need for their mothers accounts. After four (4) trips to the globe center, this is what I got for free with Globe’s GFLEX 800

Nokia 2730 Classic

Mister Pedagog's New Phone

Mister Pedagog's New Phone

Specifications include:

  • 2MP camera
  • MP3/FM Radio
  • Up to 7 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 3 h 30 min (3G)
  • 1000 phonebook memory
  • bluetooth and 3G

These aren’t much but i am very thankful I have a new phone. And again, I promise to take care of it.

Posted by: misterpedagog | October 15, 2009

Strawberry Oreos and French Vanilla

Strawberry Oreos and French VanillaThe other night, stressed with all the requirements I have to pass this week until next, i bought strawberry Oreos and a warm cup of French Vanilla at 711  to keep me company. With my bag hung on my shoulder, a hot cup of coffee on one hand and my jacket on the other, I walked to the tricycle terminal andI rode a trike to our house. Silly me. I forgot how bumpy tricycle rides can be, that my hot coffee spilled a dozen of times on my hand, my lap, my shoes.

Shucks.

It hurt.

So i ended up putting the cup between my shoes on the tricycle’s floor. Luckily, I got home free of burns but with less coffee.

I love cookies. And though am not a big fan of coffee, i love cookies dipped in coffee.  I twisted, licked and dunked. Yum. With these two comfort food beside me, I am ready to face my to-do-list to officially end my semester:

  • EdH 115 HIV Paper
  • EdH 115 Basic Education Curriculum Paper
  • EdH 115 Compilation of health games
  • EdH 115 Health Services in public schools paper
  • EdH 115 Stress box
  • EdH 115 Practical Screening Tests
  • EdH 115 Final Exam
  • EdH 115 Final Paper on School Health Program of Claret
  • EdRE 146 Final report on Test Construction and Item Analysis
  • EdART 2 art lesson plans for preschool-kindergarten
  • EdART 2 art lesson plans for primary level
  • EdART 2 art lesson plans for the intermediate level
  • EdART 2 art lesson plans for students with exceptionalities (SPED)
  • EdART 2 art lesson plans integrating MAKABAYAN
  • EdR 169 Case Study Report
  • EdR 169 Journal
  • EdR 169 Annotations
  • EdTEG 211 5 Four-pronged and integrated lesson plans
  • EdTEG 211 Annotations
  • EdTEG 211 Exercises
  • EdTEG 211 Journal article review

This isn’t a lot. I just have to make sure I stop procrastinating (this has been my favorite word for this semester).

Posted by: misterpedagog | October 12, 2009

My Pedagog Life Right Now

I am being eaten up by my requirements right now so I’ll have to settle for a list of the things that I have been doing these past few weeks

  • 23 September 2009 My first teaching demonstration on my own ened up just fine. Lots of regrets though as i rushed in preparing for it. So much for procrastinating
  • 26 September 2009 Stranded for two nights and two days at June’s place. I had fun
  • 29 September -3 October 2009 My first  Philippines National Red Cross Volunteer Stint. Volunteered the entire week with 2 night shifts and 2 day shifts. Did repacking and transporting of goods which includes carrying kilos of boxes. Total body workout.
  • also, the lesson plan my friends and I constructed last year was accepted to be presented this coming January at the Reading Association of the Philippines (RAP) Midyear demofest at Dagupan.
  • Then, attended a training on  Critical Incident Stress Management  (CISM) yesterday to allow me to do bibliotherapy for the children affected by the recent calamity
  • devised a stress box for my Health Education Subject where in you can find 10 things that will help in dealing with a person’s stress (thanks to Harry and Kent for helping me out). This stress box includes
    • crayons
    • post its and pen
    • origami paper
    • shoelaces
    • candles
    • sandbox
    • slinky
    • stress ball
    • clay
    • dominoes

Sem is almost over and I still have lots of deadlines to meet. I can’t wait for sembrek (or what’s left of it).

Mr. Pedagog is happy when he is with you
Posted by: misterpedagog | September 22, 2009

Og Uhog for my First Straight Demonstration

23 September 2009 will be a date to remember.

Og Uhog

This Wednesday will be my very first implementation of a straight Four-pronged lesson plan all by myself.

Scary.

I picked Og Uhog by Christine S. Belen and Illustrated by Jason Moss for this demonstration

Why this story? Because it’s  fun and comic (and because my sinusitis and allergic rhinitis make this my life story)

Hope all the mucus in this story help make it a great lesson.

Happy thoughts, mike, happy thoughts. You can do it Mister Pedagog.</\

Posted by: misterpedagog | September 21, 2009

An Advice, a Writer, and a Mentor

Recently, it dawned on me that I have been spreading myself too thinly. I have three part time jobs, singing for the University choir and taking my pre-practicum together with 3 other sujbects and a master’s class. No wonder then that sometimes, I find myself procrastinating for I am simply tired and would want what’s left of my time to be spent freely thinking and enjoying my solitude (with a cup of green tea, a book, and a butterscotch or chewy choco-chip cookies).

As much as I want to do so many things, I realized I am becoming mediocre in all aspects o fmy life–as a teacher, tenor, storyteller, undergraduate, volunteer,  friend, brother, son and so on. I felt I wasn’t doing what I am supposed to bedoing. So I asked my friend which do i give up.

He asked me this simple question:

If you have all the money in the world that you don’t have to do anything but indulge in it, what is the one thing you would still be doing?

And without hesistation, I answered:

I would be teaching and storytelling to children.

He then commented:

E ayun naman pala e! Tsong, drop everything else and concentrate on becoming a good teacher.

I, myself, was surprised with my quick answer to that question. But when i though about it, it wasn’t surprising after all.

More than a week ago, I was invited to storytell to the UPIS kids for their Author’s Day. It was my second year as the school’s guest storyteller and just like last year i had another “time of my life” moment which happens every time i storytell to children. I got to meet the author of the 2008 Salangga Prize winner Naku, Naku,Naku!, Mr. Nanoy Rafael and was even able to read a work of his which is yet to be published come October.

Nanoy Rafael, in his talk, happily showed several of his notebooks saying that he always brings a handy notebook and a pen so he could write prose and poetry whenever and wherever he is.

Instantly, I miss leisurely lying on the sunken garden, imagining cloud figures, thinking about life just before heading back to the department to run errands.

Then one afternoon, Prof. Ellen Cutiongco, one of my favorite prominent figures in Philippine Education dropped by the department and we ended up having a conversation. We talked about how corruption takes place in books for the public school; how the system of promotion is very twisted and how the country needs to hvae a teacher training academy just like PMA for soldiers

Apparently, there are some teachers in the Philippines which according to Prof. Cutiongco were untrainable in the sense that it is too late to correct the erroneous  methods, skills and styles these teachers have acquired in their poor training as teachers. The hardest part is they don’t want to accept it.

There is so much to fix in the Philippine Educational System and aiming to be a great teacher  is my way of helping out in our society, helping out the Filipino children .

I guess this is my life’s goal and this is where i should be.

Now I’m back in the game.

Posted by: misterpedagog | September 6, 2009

Mr. Pedagog is Wearing June Samson Pugat

I recently joined a fund raiser talent contest–EDUK SUPAHSTAH –of the UP Special Education Council where I had to impersonate, sing, dance and ramp model. I didn’t win but I really had lots of fun! And the best part of it is this design (on the right) by my good friend June Samson Pugat which i got to wear and model for him–an item in my bucket list which is now ticked.

June Samson Pugat's Handpainted Modern Silk Barong (right)(with DON, a fellow contestant)

With Allen (left) and  June, the designer, (right)

I love it :)

Posted by: misterpedagog | August 26, 2009

Mister Pedagog’s Happy Life

Hindi po ako magagalit sa kanya, kasi lahat naman nagkakamali at natututo tayo sa pagkakamaling iyon

Angelica, a five-year old, struck me with this answer to one of my questions during my first demonstration of the GLR-CT (the first and second prongs in the Four-pronged approach by Prof. Basilisa Manhit of the UP Reading Department)Teacher JM

Children never fail to amaze me with their wit (somethig different from ours but not inferior, mind you) Throw them a question and they’ll give you answers out of the box–the box you constructed though the lesson plan. No wonder I enjoyed every teaching moment I had. hough I was bad at budgeting my time that I ate up some of the time alloted for my other groupmates assingned in the third and fourth prongs.

There are so many things to improve in my pedagogy. But I am just happy that after my demo my Professor told me:

JM, the kids really, really loved you!

Then suddenly, all the stress, energy, effort and sleepless nights were forgottne. Everything was worth it.

Posted by: misterpedagog | August 9, 2009

Life is Beautiful

storytelling at my friend's party

i saw kids everywhere while the grown-ups were drinking booze; i gathered them around and told them one story after another and after another; we played games and enjoyed every moment of it–another one of life’s beauty.

I haven’t blogged for some time now either because i am doing so many things or i am procrastinating a lot.  But because something significant will be happening to me tomorrow i decided to blog to help ease my anxiety.

The other night, i had coffee with a dear friend Joel (http://mcvie5.blogspot.com). Ironically though i  got juice and he got tea. Somehow we ended up talking about life and death. One of the things he said that struck me was something similar to a quote i read in reader’s digest about 4 years ago.Good thing he reminded me of it.

Who’s the author of Bewoulf, one of the greatest epics of all-time?

I dunno…

point is, eventually the names JM and Joel will simply be names without an identity. It’s not what awards and accomplishments you get in this world that matters but rather the impact you had on people around you. I want my officemates kunwari to say Joel made life at least a little easier. Kaya ok na ako hanggang 60 years old.

And just  like that Joel made sense again.

I have been so scared of death this past few months but Joel made me think of all the beautiful things i shared with people around me, specially with all the children i have met as a would-be pedagog, a storyteller, an uncle, and a cousin. Then i figured out. Yes, it is scary to die but at least i can proudly say that i have already touched lives of all the children i met, may it be through stories, catechism, teaching or what have you.

Life is scary.Consequences of what you do is even scarier.

But then, that night, I realized i can’t dwell on these fears. Life’s too short to waste my time with it. Life may even be shorter for me.  I may very well be using  a psychological defense mechanism here but then i don’t care.

Life is beautiful.

It really is andI am bot rationalizing. You can never rationalize life’s beauty.

Posted by: misterpedagog | July 19, 2009

Big Balls

I was with a cute and hot friend last night strolling around  SM Mall of Asia, talking our hearts out about logical, rational, interesting things, when we chanced upon big balls.

These are not what you think they are. These big balls are actually a form of a “ride” for kids where they are put inside giant tranasparent balls set on a gargantuan porta pool, where you can stumble and roll-over freely inside. Cool huh? I would  have had tried it but then my friend would have had seen the great amount of tyke in me and that would be very embarassing. Big balls

They really seems to be so fun. You are literally in a bubble, where you can freely do anything without getting hurt for at least 10 minutes. 10 minutes of isolation from reality. If only i could live in these balls.

I hope a lot. I really do. It turns out hoping is not always good. It can be life’s way of picking on you, maybe even punsihing you. Hope makes people think there is something good to look forward to when in fact there is none. What’s to look forward to is plain reality. Reality can’t be good or bad. Reality is just reality.  Sometimes, in hoping, we think of reasons why things happen but then most of the time things don’t need to have a reason for them to happen. Things just happen. Maybe even randomly. We just try to give them reasons for it is comforting to know that their is structure and logic in things. However, reality doesn’t work like that. Reality, again, is simply reality.

I love what Mr. Mcvie, a great bloggeer, said in his blog– The Mcvie Show < http://mcvie5.blogspot.com/>, a little hope is a dangerous thing.

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