Turning the tables
After my first year of teaching, I sat down with then-assistant principal Mrs. Liamzon for my year-end evaluation. As she shuffled some papers on her desk, I distinctly remember her opening words: "I wish all teacher evaluations looked like this." She then proceeded to read me the summary of feedback forms filled up by my students, as I sat there squirming in discomfort-- not because I didn't like what I was hearing, but because I was struggling to maintain my composure in front of Mrs. L. I was on the verge of tears hearing the sweet things my students had written about me. It was a wonderful validation of the effort and heart I had put into my first year of teaching, and it is definitely one of the best highs I have ever been on in my entire life.
I recall this experience of mine because recently I was directed to a website called Reggie Blue, featuring profiles of/comments about Ateneo teachers and classes. Some ingenious Ateneans put it up to help current undergrads who do not know which subjects/electives to pick, or which teacher to go with. Students and alumni who have previously taken them can contribute their evaluations and recommendations. Although the site is still in its early development stages, it's amusing browsing through the handful of comments already posted, and learning that many Ateneans feel the same way about the same classes and teachers. I've even posted a comment myself, about Sir Tirol, and I'm tempted to donate my 2 cents' worth on my other former teachers, especially the ones I did not like very much. :p
While talking about Reggie Blue, Sir Tirol mentioned that it's too bad teachers don't have the same kind of outlet to comment on their former students. When I thought about it, I realized that actually, teachers probably have more interesting things to say about their students than the other way around. The only hitch is, teacher ethics would prevent us from bashing students publicly (as much as we are dying to sometimes).
Looking back on my 2 years of teaching, and the over 200 students I had, I can think of thousands of things to say. Of course, there are those I could only write a sentence or 2 about, and in fact, I must confess there are some whose faces and names have begun to fade from my inferior-to-an-elephant's memory. But there are quite a handful of my former charges about whom I could write pages and pages of praise... or the opposite.
So, since most of my readers used to be my students anyway, let's try this out: for those brave enough, leave a comment to this blog post, and I'll reply with a comment (or 2 or 3) about you. Absolutely no holds barred.
Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine. :)
posted by Ailee Through the Looking Glass @ 10:01 AM
59 comments
59 Comments:
Hm..interesting. XD
I hope I'm not one of those who "have begun to fade from [your] inferior-to-an-elephant's memory." :D
-Jenica
alright lets give this a shot :D
ok, lemme give this a try... hehe!
and oh, i think i never got to say this before, but thanks for the stationery you stapled onto one of my reflection papers. it helped me pull through. :)
Angelica Lim, II-Openness, SY 2003-2004. I consider Ange a delightful discovery. In a class of bright students, she managed to shine with a quiet yet remarkable luminosity. Perhaps one of the most promising writers I've taught, and certainly one of the most original thinkers. Gave me one of my proudest teacher moments when she won the English Department's annual essay-writing contest, besting entries from the "top" sections (managed not to cry while standing behind Sister Dina onstage during the awarding ceremony). Will always remember her for her passion, conviction, and independence, and I hope she never loses those great qualities that make her a stand-out in any class, in any school, in any arena. :)
Hmm, Jenica? Did I have a Jenica in my class? :p
Kidding. Here goes.
Jenica Siy, IV-Faith, SY 2003-2004. Graduated (correct me if I'm wrong) 4th honorable mention, Batch 2004. Diligent, driven, and earnest. Showed a lot of brains in class with her solid academic standing, showed a lot of heart outside of class with her involvement in socially-oriented activities. In my eyes, epitomized my idea of a "Faith" girl. :)
Pamy, Pamy, Pamy. Where do I begin?
Pamela Syling, II-Openness, SY 2003-2004. At first, I couldn't decide whether Pamy was a smart-aleck, or just plain smart. I settled on the latter. :) During class, whenever she got that LOOK on her face, that scrunched-up-eyebrows, frowny-faced, I'm-about-to-ask-teacher-something look, I awaited with mixed anticipation and dread the question (usually questionS) that were sure to follow... and the mixed amusement and admiration that I always derived afterwards, from having such a smart, sassy-in-a-good-way, underrated student seated at the very back of the class (at least during the 4th quarter).
Oh, and her handwriting is just... bizarre. They should really design a font after it. :p
Francesca a.k.a. Franke Mendoza, IV-Charity, SY 2004-2005. Arguably the true-bluest not-even-an-Atenean-yet student I had. I clearly remember repeatedly razzing her about Doug Kramer (I have repented since :p). I fondly think of her as 1 of my smart jocks, and the second of my 2 ACL girls (the injury broke my heart just the same). Franke was one of the most well-mannered and well-dispositioned girls in any of my classes, and it didn't surprise me to find out she's one of the most dedicated Dazers in Shirley's fold. Loved by many teachers though she may not have known it... but I guess now she knows how I felt about having her as a student. I feel the same way about having her as a fellow almost-full-fledged Atenean. :)
I'll give this a shot, too :) Hehe! How 'bout me? :D
- Karen (Cyrenz)
Justine Pillejera, a.k.a. JP, IV-Faith, SY 2003-2004, and Culture Shack president. Under her leadership, the club's officers cooked up one of the sweetest and most effective birthday surprises I've ever received (not to mention they had as an accomplice the assistant principal, no less!). JP reminds me a lot of my dear cousin Abigail: seems like a quiet, demure Chinese girl on the outside, but is actually an outgoing, free-spirited wild child on the inside. JP's size belies the fierce power of her personality, and the heights of her ambitions. This is 1 girl who lives life according to her rules, and has a blast doing it. :)
haha im CONFIDENT that you have not forgotten me hahahaha... have you? ganun eh! of course not. im the person who purposely wrote a book review on Harry Potter IV because at the time I knew you haven't read it yet hehehehe!!! - one and only cory :)
hhhmmmmm. how's Sandz in Ms.Lim's memory? :P
And my 1st ACL girl pops up! :)
Karen Liao, IV-Charity, SY 2003-2004. First made an impression on me as one-half of Damon and Pythias (she and Marj Ang made a really great acting tandem). It amazed me that someone could be so talented as an actor, artist AND athlete. Almost cried (now everyone's beginning to realize just how much of a crybaby I really am) when I found out she wouldn't be able to play in the Intrams because of her injury. Was very, very proud of how she handled the situation with grace and maturity. No surprise that Karen's 1 of those students I always remember with a smile.
Cute sidebar: To this day, I can't see a cow without thinking of Karen. :)
Oh, and did I mention she's not a shabby writer either? And she has really, really neat handwriting too. =D
I think I have enough guts for this >,< ---mara (Fyrinx)
Ooh, this is interesting. I hope you remember me. :)
"im CONFIDENT that you have not forgotten me" -And that, ladies and gents, sums up Corinna Ongaigui, IV-Charity, SY 2003-2004. :p
Oh all right. I'll exert a little effort...
Although I fear that this will make her even more cocky than she already is, Cory holds a special place in my heart. She's one of my students who made me feel truly appreciated and loved, not just as an educator, but as a person. Her trust in me was very touching, and I hope she knows how much it meant to me whenever she took me in her confidence about things that mattered a lot to her. Cory's a gifted artist, and is intelligent, funny (albeit most of the time corny :p), and stronger than she gives herself credit for. I'll always think of her with great pride and affection.
That is, whenever I'm not rolling my eyes remembering her text message to me during their class night, when I told them I couldn't make it: "Teacher, the class is inviting you to dinner! Kahit dessert! Don't desSert us!" Then she called me "atrocious" and "pernicious". At least I know she learned SOMEthing from my Odyssey lessons... :p
Iiiiinteresting. XD
im curious..jessica dee?haha hope you still remember me!:)
i can imagine cackles of glee from alum friends who have NEVER gotten over being kicked out of honors courses/the dean's list bec of some terror prof. :)
there's a site in the US called ratemyprofessors.com for schools that don't have formal (numerical+qualitative) evaluations posted online. very amusing. u can even indicate that a prof is hot, at which point a red pepper will appear opposite the prof's name in the reviews ("spicy quotient")...
some teachers are suing the site for defamation. :) some of the comments ARE mean, but super funny. on a boring teacher: "bring a pillow for your pillow." hahahahaha.
Jo! Argh, I was hoping against hope that you wouldn't post a comment (but I sorta knew you would) because then I'd have to write about you, one of a handful of students I can write a rather lengthy essay on. :p I'll have to get back to you, still need to comment on Sandz, Mara, Maddy, Laureen and Jess. First come first served. :)
Sandy Tiu, III-Wisdom, SY 2004-2005. I have to admit I didn't have a very good first impression of Sandz. At the height of the displeased brouhaha over the reshuffling of sections, I thought she was 1 of those students who resented being taken out of the "top 2" classes, and I also thought she'd have a difficult time adjusting and fitting in her new class. Imagine my delight when she ended up making many friends and indeed, was 1 of the most active members of the boisterous, bubbly class I came to love so much. Sandz is, in a word, effusive. She has so much energy and enthusiasm about a great many number of things: her art, her sport (football), her extracurricular clubs, and of course, her friends. This is 1 girl who is never in need of caffeine, and never runs out of things to talk about with anyone. Whatever apprehensions I had about her when I first met her are now non-existent. I'm confident that wherever she goes, whatever she does, whomever she meets, Sandz will be the dynamo who brings that extra spark that turns the mediocre into the magical. :)
Mara Chen, II-Openness, SY 2003-2004 and III-Wisdom, SY 2004-2005. 1 of 3 students who had the dubious pleasure of having me as an English teacher 2 years in a row. Initially, I thought Mara was the quiet, reserved type. This misconception was supported by the earnest way she paid attention during class. I was actually surprised that at first her grades did not reflect her obvious interest in the subject, but that was soon remedied as she adjusted, and adjusted beautifully. Then she started reciting so often, I was really impressed... only to find out later on that she had all her atsi's old notes scribbled in the margins of her textbooks. :p No matter, because her atsi never had me as a teacher, so the answers to most of my questions weren't to be found in Mara's margins anyway, and she still joined in class discussions with admirable zeal. She further proved to be not the meek and mild girl I thought she was (she was a batch cheerdancer, for crying out loud, and a really good one at that), and her sunny (sometimes bordering on zany) presence in class became a reliable source of comfort and joy to me. I'm glad I got to be her teacher twice, and that she was part of both my 2 memorable years of teaching, made just a little bit more memorable by her.
P.S. Her mom was one of my favorite PTC parents. :)
me please ( i have a feeling this will have something to do with my mom) :)
Madeline Ong, IV-Charity, SY 2004-2005. Maddy was 1 of a handful of students who truly terrified me (and believe me, I don't scare easily), simply because I could recognize in her someone whose intellectual capacity rivalled, if not surpassed, my own... not to mention my tendency to be unforgiving of people of lesser intellectual ability. :p Maddy ranks among the top 5 writers I ever had the privilege of teaching. Her papers were those rare few I returned with nary a red mark on it, and I really enjoyed reading her work, down to every last caustic comment. I flatter myself thinking she was the type of student I was back in high school, but I suspect she has more potential as a writer than I ever had. A liberal thinker and a strong non-conformist, Maddy has a mind of her own and is not afraid to use it. I wish more of my students scared me as much as she did, because it kept me on my toes and challenged me to be a better teacher.
Oh, and her infamous Queer-as-Folk-disc-stuck-inside-the-DVD-player mishap? Actually happened to me too! Fortunately, I didn't have to use a chopstick or any odd implement to pry it loose, the machine spit it out eventually. :p
Hi Miss Lim! Just wanted to let you know that I am currently going through the very very super kaduper tedious / inconvenient / frustrating / exhausting task of LoadRev-ing, just so I'd get the chance to have Mr. Tirol as my History 18 prof. From what you've told me about him (over a year ago!), I figured he'd be worth all the hassle. *crossing my fingers in the hope that the LoadRev people would deem my made-up excuse valid*
-analiza tomwong
I haven't been a student of yours yet, so I'm just going to complain about how grossly unfair it is that contemporary Ateneo students get to have a class like "Sequential Art and the Graphic Novel".
For that matter, why didn't they have an online resource like this back when we were students? That way, I wouldn't have had to take Dr. Reyes's Physics class... (sob)
Hi Ms. Lim! Wow, this is really interesting. Me next please! :D Haha.
~mich wong
Laureen Lukban, IV-Faith, SY 2004-2005. Something about Laureen makes me want to lapse into the Queen's English. :) Perhaps its her love of Harry Potter and Jane Austen and Hugh Laurie. But then again, I only found out about our common interests after she graduated from ICA. While she was still my student, I only knew this much: that she reminded me of a cute little owl peering intently at me through her glasses during my lectures; that she wrote superbly and submitted terrific book reviews, revealing the bookworm in her (and hence, a kindred spirit :D); that she gave insightful input during class discussions; that for someone who reminded me of an owl, she sang very much like a nightingale; that she stubbornly insisted on the unlikely pair of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy becoming a couple; and, that she was one of the smartest, most mature, most genuinely nice girls in any of my classes. That's all I knew about Laureen. I'm glad I know her so much better now. :)
". . . she reminded me of a cute little owl . . ."
I always told Laureen she was of the Fowl kind.
(All puns intended. I call her Chicken. But most of the time, it's Wilson. Isn't that right, Laureen?)
Ignorance may be bliss, but my curiosity is stronger. Hahah. I'm willing to be last served though, if you don't mind, Miss Lim.
ms lim!!:D me rin!!:D hihihi:D -denlim :D
What have you gotten yourself into? It's like you're doing write-ups for all the students you ever had! I will make your life more difficult by adding myself to the list ;P
Hmm, I noticed you havent written a single negative thing about anyone yet. I wonder if you plan to break that with me. You wanted us to have a taste of our own medicine--well, right now you are reading the comment of one of the most notorious and heartless teacher-bashers ever (bashing includes essays, lists, poems and even songs that I sometimes forward to my classmates via email). I wonder what my "medicine" tastes like.
hmm.. ms lim, me too. XD
~sab que
Jessica Dee, II-Openness, SY 2003-2004. Jess perplexed me early on in the school year. Here was this girl, her hair perpetually tousled and looking uncombed, her uniform disheveled, it seemed she didn't know what to do with her lanky limbs and she usually had this dazed and confused expression on her face. And yet, she was getting all these high grades in my class, and acing tests on topics that I thought she had slept through. :p Only went to show that beneath the disorganized, "lost" exterior was a brain that was uncannily sharp. Jess also showed promise in her artistic abilities, drawing the most adorable cartoons for the school paper, group projects and her own assignments. It was always a treat to see her potential shine through, and so it came as no surprise to me when she was transferred to the "top 2" sections in her junior year. I'm sure this diamond-in-the-rough more than held her own. :)
Joanne Tong, IV-Charity, SY 2003-2004, batch salutatorian. I will try my best to keep this short (I wanted to go for an SIAS, but then I knew I'd fail miserably :p).
Jo was 1 of 2 students I clearly remember from my teaching demonstration when I was just applying to ICA, simply because she took pity on a new teacher and recited to help me along with my lesson. She also made a positive impression on me the very first day of class, when she was 1 of again maybe 2 students who had heard of my favorite book, The View From Saturday. I knew then that I had found a fellow Soul, someone I would get along with, someone of the same wavelength and with the same tastes. I was not disappointed, and indeed Jo has done everything but disappoint me. From her impeccable English to her depth of thinking, to her self-assurance to her good humor, to her acting and dancing and writing and speaking skills, to her poise and maturity and manners any parent would be proud of, Jo has given me every reason to feel fulfilled as a teacher. So if she thinks she was the only one overreacting when she found out she was salutatorian, she obviously did not see me grinning from ear to ear like an idiot while holding back tears of pride.
When other students used to remark on how similar Jo and I are, I always took it as a compliment... and a reassurance that I'm not alone in being compared to Kris Aquino. Hah. ;p
me too, Ms. Lim! :) -Ida Cua
Cristina Blardony, IV-Charity, SY 2004-2005. Cris was one of the most "real" people in her class. Down-to-earth and good-natured, she was a breath of fresh air in a class that had a very intense collective personality. She could change the tone of a serious class discussion into something more light-hearted with a well-placed wisecrack, or an honest but accidentally funny question. I appreciated how she could interact with everyone in class, including the teacher, with equal candor and the same friendly attitude. Cris was a kid I never worried about, simply because I knew how well-adjusted and secure she was. Between her winning medals for swimming and her winning others over with her brand of charm, Cris was the kind of student who was easy to like, and the kind that is hard to forget.
Oh yeah, and her mom rocks (pun not intended). ;p
Analiza Tomwong, IV-Faith, SY 2004-2005. I mentioned a handful of students who had the power to cow me. Analiza was one of those who could scare me sh*tless without even saying a word. There was something about her aura that spoke-- nay, screamed-- volumes, at least to me. Beneath her seemingly angelic countenance, I could sense a fiercely independent spirit, a strong intellect, and a deep-- if not tortured-- soul. Perhaps I recognized the angst-ridden teenager in me, or the awesome adult she would grow into, or perhaps I simply recognized a force to be reckoned with. Whatever it was, as a teacher, I regarded Analiza as a disconcerting presence in the classroom; as a person, I really, really enjoyed having her around (and I also really, really enjoyed reading her written work-- flawless English, terrific insights). Analiza's straightforward manner, her quiet confidence, and her won't-take-B.S.-from-anyone air made me respect, fear, and like her all at once. It's students like her that make me miss the combined vulnerability and exhilaration of being inside the classroom. :)
Analiza: If your load rev application isn't accepted, then I really hope you get Tirol's elective next sem. That's 1 teacher you would appreciate, and who would appreciate having you in his class. :)
Sean: I know how you feel. Perhaps if the Reggie Blue site had existed back during our time, I wouldn't have let my friend talk me into taking History under Antonia Santos. Or I would have let the RegCom stick bamboo under my fingernails instead of making me sign up for the last remaining Philo class in English: under Fr. Louie David. Now THAT was painful.
On the bright side, at least no such idiotic thing as INTAC existed back then...
that really made me go AWWWW you should've done my write up for the yearbook! hahaha! oh and dare i ask what kind of well-placed wisecrack, or an honest but accidentally funny question i said? haha do i want to remember?
shucks ailee! nagtatrabaho ka pa ba???
awww, thanks too, ms lim! ive never thought of myself either as smart or a jock, more so a "smart jock". hehehe! but im flattered. *blush*
and i could say this exact same part to you, "Loved by many teachers though she may not have known it... but I guess now she knows how I felt about having her as a student."
...except change teachers to students, and student to teacher. :)
you're an ed-you-kay-tor i'm really glad to have met! :D
Margaux: Actually I write these things during lulls at work, but they don't come by very often so I'm backlogged na nga e. Maybe I should set a quota or something, or I may have to write a dozen more evals before the week is through. :p If I weren't having such fun writing these things, I'd be going insane!
Cris: I can't recall any specific wisecracks or questions, but I do distinctly remember that silly Hot Chick earring prank you and Maddy pulled in the middle of one of my classes. :p
Michelle Wong, IV-Charity, SY 2004-2005. Mich was one of my favorite "lighthouses": a friendly light beaming through a sea of bored (or even hostile :p) faces. No matter what inane things I was prattling about in front of the classroom, Mich would be nodding and smiling at me from the back of the room where she was usually seated. Her presence was reassuring, and it made me feel appreciated. She also was the very first and only student to ever tell me to my face that I was a good teacher. I don't think she realized how much that simple conversation in the hallway meant to me. When she told me she never got good grades in English before, I was incredulous. How could such a diligent student who spoke and wrote so well not excel in English? I'm glad she got her chance to shine during her last year in high school, and I'm very glad I was around to witness it.
Since it seems there may be no end to this thread, I might as well go ahead and write about Laura.
Laura Cabochan, IV-Faith, SY 2004-2005. Knowing Laura's sister (and being in complete awe of her), I looked forward to having the younger Cabochan as a student. Laura certainly did not disappoint. I expected the intelligence, the talent, the wry sense of humor, and the sturdy moral backbone. Laura was all that, and more. She had depth, she had showmanship, she had passion, and she had respect for everyone greater and smaller than herself. It was impossible not to be a fan of this would-be Broadway diva, she of the beautiful voice and the even more beautiful soul. I look forward to the day I see her name up in lights on a New York marquee, when I can point and proudly declare, I was that girl's teacher. :)
P.S. I always tried to write comments in all my students' papers, but I admit I took particular pleasure in scribbling in Laura's margins, not only because her work elicited so many reactions from me, but because I loved seeing how she reacted to my reactions (the shocked/admonishing/amused exclamation of "Ms. Lim!" to "Nothing hotter than a sexy ex-priest", for example ;p).
I didn't push through with the loadrev anymore since there aren't any slots left in Tirol's 10:30 class. Now I'm totally regretting not having loadrev-ed at the break of dawn on the first day of school! I'm stuck with "Little Boy" for the rest of the sem, and to put it nicely, he's not a very good teacher. He keeps jumping from topic to topic and seems incapable of raising the volume of his voice. We were talking about the Iliad / Odyssey, which I LOVE, and I almost fell asleep. I hate it..it's not supposed to be this way! I want to sit in with Sir Tirol's class. :(
Ms Lim, I'm so surprised that I actually scared you. O.o And very flattered by everything you said about me. *blush* I'm glad that I "challenged [you] to be a better teacher"; it's an honor to have left that impression, especially since you were ALREADY one of the best teachers we had in high school. :) I hope the time soon comes when circumstances will allow you to go back to teaching. It's nice to know that you consider teaching your passion and not just a bridge to a more attractive job. Your students will benefit all the more from it. :)
That Hot Chick prank! That was wonderful! I enjoyed that immensely. I do hope you weren't annoyed by it; we just wanted to add a little bit of humor to the class. Haha. :D
P.S. I wonder if you've ever considered blogging at LiveJournal. The commenting system is more organized, and there are a lot of good features, such as subscribing to the journals of people you know.
Analiza: Sir Tirol's very accommodating when it comes to sitting in his class. I can arrange it for you if you want. :)
Maddy: Yeah, I know what you mean about the more organized comments. This thread is making me dizzy. :p I actually tried opening a LiveJournal account once, but Blogger just seemed less complicated at the time. Besides, it's only now that I've had a post with this many comments! Haha.
I wonder how many other teachers would have let you and Cris get away with that Hot Chick stunt you pulled... ;p
Denise Lim, II-Openness, SY 2003-2004. In a class of hyperactive sophomores, Den pretty much flew under the radar. Of course now I know that image I had of her is totally off the mark, but back then, I thought Den was 1 of my quieter Openness babies. I did know she laughed a lot, and it was easy to make her laugh, and that's always a positive sign. I could also tell she was smarter than most suspected, because she did consistently well on tests and wrote clear, sensible essays. But the clincher was when I found out she was a batch cheerdancer, as it revealed an aspect of her personality I never thought existed. Funny, fun-loving, and just plain fun, Den is a joy to have around, and a joy to get to know better. :)
Because Mae asked for the unadulterated truth, and because I know she can take it, here goes...
Mae Uy, IV-Charity, SY 2004-2005. For me, Mae embodied some of the best and worst characteristics of her class. She was razor-sharp smart, but bitingly sarcastic. She was terrifically talented, but terribly temperamental. She was practical and straightforward, but brutally frank and blunt. She had a wicked sense of humor, but she could also be wicked, period. In short, she was both brilliant and bitchy. By all rights, as a teacher, I should have hated her. But I couldn't bring myself to, simply because I wasn't just a teacher, I was also a bitch too. Sure, there were bad days when she unnerved me, even ticked me off. But more often than not, I liked to think that we regarded each other with mutual respect, from one good bitch to another. :)
In a different time, in a different place, we'd probably be friends, exchanging mean notes about the teacher in the middle of a class we both loathed. :p
Sabrina Que, III-Wisdom, SY 2004-2005. Sab was a student I wanted to see do well, because she poured so much effort into improving her grades. She was 1 of my more faithful reciters in class, and 1 of my "groupies" who hung around to chat even after class hours. Not one to be shy around teachers, Sab knew when to ask for help, and how to ask for it, politely and humbly. She was unpretentious, personable, and open with her affection and appreciation. As a result, Sab was easy to get to know, and even easier to grow fond of. :)
Ida Cua, IV-Faith, SY 2004-2005. I have lost count of how many times I asked myself if Ida Cua was really related to Margaux Cua. There seemed to be no traces of my wacky friend and co-teacher in my sweet, sunshiney student. Ida was the kind of optimistic, open-minded, and soft-hearted person who sees the good in everyone and everything. I loved that about her, and I loved having such a positive presence in my class. No matter how badly I screwed up a lesson, and even if I could see confusion furrowing her brow, she would approach me after class to clarify in the nicest, most courteous way. Ida was the kind of student who made teaching so rewarding, because she made me feel like she looked up to me (not just literally, hehe ;p), and she made me WANT to be a person worthy of her respect. :)
uhm. sige na nga... gusto ko na rin malaman yung akin. =S natatakot ako.
-pantalon ni rob thomas.
Karen Ramos, III-Wisdom, SY 2004-2005. Flashes of brilliance. That's always the phrase that comes to mind when I think of Ramos. The kid I thought was a cut-up clown/rowdy trouble-maker turned out to be a raw talent and diamond-in-the-rough who astounded me with her wit and articulation. 1 of my favorite Ramos memories is of her performing an improv song dedicated to me on Teachers Day, playing guitar and everything. A close second: her Teletubbies speech for Public Speaking, which got a well-deserved perfect score, I believe the only 1 I gave. Whether it was stealing the show as Lefou in the Dramatics Guild's production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, or playing and singing Jet's "Look What You've Done" during their class's Renaissance show, Ramos had the ability to crack me up, tug at my heartstrings and fill me with pride. For many reasons, I'm glad I had the chance to teach a Fyrinx class for another year, and Ramos was definitely 1 of the best reasons.
I'm probably the last person on your tremendously long list of comments but I sure hope I'm not too late. :p
hahaha awesome write-up! made me laugh! im glad u didnt try to make it all cheesy...i wonder what would happen if i used this as my write-up for the yearbook or something!
only a cool teacher can call her student a bitch in front of her face while admitting she is a bitch herself. u rule ms. lim!
Mae, I know very well that our kind does not have the stomach for cheesiness, so I'd never insult you with it. ;p
It's never too late for you, Rach. :)
Rachel Lim, II-Openness, SY 2003-2004. Rach was the brains, heart, and soul of my one and only Openness. Under her leadership, the class formed a tight collective bond that did not exclude those lucky enough to be their teachers. The thoughtful, affectionate, considerate, sweet nature of the class was a reflection of Rach's own wonderful personal qualities. Rach was not just an effective leader, she was also a good student, as she did consistently well in my class and was 1 of the handful exempted from the final PT. She was also a great dancer, and it was always a joy watching her perform, both with the Dance Troupe and the Fyrinx cheerdancers. I admired her dedication to her art, her academics, her class, her friends, and even the teachers she considers her friends, the obvious passion she put into everything that meant a lot to her, and her willingness to share that passion with others. I'm not quite sure exactly what I did to deserve the love and loyalty of someone like Rach, but I will be eternally grateful for it. :)
I like this book
Post a Comment
<< Home