I believe this activity is especially suited for the celebration of Teachers’ Day. For most Filipino-Chinese schools in the Philippines, that’s celebrated in September, to coincide with the birthday of Confucius, who is considered a great teacher.

Anyway, I’m sharing this work that I did on a 10-line poem or essay if it can qualify as such about “Teachers.”

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Here’s the original activity:

Line 1     Teachers

Line 2    Two words synonymous to teachers

Line 3    Three words telling teachers about their roles

Line 4    Four words describing ideal teachers

Line 5    Five words describing teachers’ work place

Line 6    Six words telling about teachers’ contribution in the community

Line 7      Seven words telling how much you appreciate teachers

Line 8     Eight words telling about your wish for teachers

Line 9     Nine words describing sacrifices of teachers

Line 10   Ten words expressing your gratitude to teachers

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Here’s my output. (You are welcome to use this for free but please include the link to this website in case you do.)

Teachers

Educator, adviser

Inspiring other people

Patient, understanding, compassionate, generous

Fun-filled and organized learning place

Helping improve literacy in the community

I am thankful to all my teachers

I wish them good health and long lives

Putting up with low salary and all difficult students

Thank you to all our dearest teachers for teaching us.

by: Rosyel Sawali a.k.a. iamraincrystal

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Teacher Rose 

Since the beginning of the last school year, he joined a special math camp designed for children with good mathematical skills, MTG Phils. It’s a series of training and testing until the end of the school year, when he received a letter inviting him to join the four days in-house intensive training program to be held in Tagaytay.

That was actually over a week ago. One of the perks of my job was that I got to go with him and his mom during the training. Awesome huh?

So there we were at the Sunrise Holiday Mansion from April 1 – 4. Mind you, it wasn’t easy. We almost got lost on the way there. (Hey, I didn’t know the driver didn’t really know his way around.) We had to go through Talisay, Batangas then around to get to the main Tagaytay highway. Just the same, I was glad when we got to the venue.

We had to fall in line as there were lots of participants who got there ahead of us. Plus, we needed to register and wait till we could get a room assignment. It turned out to be a big group — over 105 participants … add the number of parents and/or guardians to that.

The schedule of the children in training was pretty packed. It left a little room for them to play around. Parents and/or guardians get the time off when the kids are in training. We did a little reviewing during the study/rest hours so my tutee would do well during the quizzes and the final exam.

During the closing program, the children were dressed in their respective school uniforms. Everyone received his/her certificate of attendance. Then we had to wait for the announcement of who will be chosen as qualifiers for the international competitions to be held in Hong Kong some time June or July this year.

At last, my tutee was one of the qualifiers for the international competition! I’m sure his mom is so proud of him! I’m quite glad too. After all, it’s not every day that I get to enjoy an all-expense paid work/vacation to Tagaytay. Who knows? Maybe I will get to join him when he competes in HK soon. Until then… stay tuned for my updates!

Teacher Rose  

Back to School Jitters

I must have been pretty geeky since I was a kid, because I’ve always remembered looking forward to each new school year. I mean summer vacation is fantastic. Plus you can always stay up late and not worry about getting up early the next day. Yet somehow I love the feeling of welcoming back school. It’s not so much that I want to see demanding teachers and do odd homework, but I find the idea of having new books and school supplies really exciting. In fact, it’s something I look forward to every time. So before all the chaos sets in, here is a guide to what your school supplies shopping list should include.

Top 10 School Supplies You Need at Home

Item #1 : Packs of Short and Long Bond Paper

Have you ever felt the feeling of panic when you need some school supplies and found out that you’ve run out, just when all the stores have closed? I’m pretty sure that’s not a nice feeling. You can avoid the “I-need-it-when-I-don’t-have-it” syndrome by planning ahead. Have enough stocks of these supplies so you’re guaranteed to have what you need for that important report or presentation.

Item #2 : Extra Ink Cartridges for the Printer

I’m sure that one of the last things you want is to be in the middle of printing a report, only to find out that you’re out of ink! Uh-oh! That can be pretty frustrating, so plan ahead and stock up a bit on ink cartridges.

Item #3 : Adhesives such as tape and glue

If there is one lesson I’ve learned from my late dad, it’s to always be ready for the unexpected. In simple terms here, it means having on hand what you need. We’ve never run out of scotch tape as far as I remembered. While I was growing up, my dad was pretty much well organized and we never had to have the feeling of panic of being out of supply.

Item #4 : Extra Blank CDs

Time was when I had a box of floppy disks on hand. Do you remember them? Nowadays, they’re probably non-existent! Extra blank CDs are especially handy for school presentations. I know it’s the era of the USB flash drives, and they are sometimes used in placed of CDs. Just make sure you have whatever you need on hand.

Item #5 : A Box of Staple Wire

Staplers are a regular part of household and office supplies. You may need to stock up on some staple wires too. Common sizes for the home and office staple wires include: 26/6, 24/6, 24/8, 13/6, 13/8 and No.10 for mini staplers. Running out of staple wires is a petty yet annoying thing.

Item #6 : 2 or 3 Packs of Art Paper or Posterboard

Depending on the student’s level in school, most would need some art papers, construction papers, or posterboards, such as the ones in the photos. Most preschoolers and elementary students also need crayons and/or markers. Middle and high school students may need illustration boards, posterboards, or Manila paper.

Item #7 : Correction Fluid or Correction Tape

Correction fluid is handy. It comes in various forms: correction fluid bottle, correction tape, or even correction pens. Some popular brands include: Liquid Paper and Wite-Out (US, Canada, Australia, Brazil), Tipp-Ex (Europe), Twink (New Zealand), Snopake, White Away, Pentel correction pen, Edigs.

Item #8 : Extra Ballpens and Pencils

I’m glad this is part of the list. One of my pet peeves is if someone tries to borrow my favorite pen. I don’t know why but my pens have always been that special to me. If you’re a student, there’s no excuse for not having loads of pens and/or pencils. These days colorful gel pens are also fashionable.

Item #9 : Writing Pads

Writing pads are part of a student’s life. We’ve been required to write tons of stuff even when we were in kindergarten. Perhaps my early writing experiences were nice so that I’ve developed a fondness for it. I even had my own tiny collection of notebooks to this day.

Item #10 : Folders and Envelopes

Wow! I’ve finally managed to come to the end of the list. Folders and envelopes are sometimes taken for granted. We don’t remember that we need them until we do. It’s also handy to keep some on hand. They’re perfect for organizing and arranging files and documents.

Now that you have a list, I hope you’ll never run out of school supplies that you will need during the school year.

Teacher Rose  

The chameleon is indeed one fascinating creature. It’s the first creature that comes to my mind when you talk about camouflage. It is truly interesting in its ability to adapt to its environment. Don’t you also sometimes wish we can change colors when we want to hide from others?

Apparently, chameleons change colors according to temperature and emotions. They tend to show darker colors when angered. I guess this ability to change colors is one of the reasons why the chameleon makes an interesting protagonist in this story book called “The Mixed-Up Chameleon” by Eric Carle.

If you haven’t read it, I recommend that you do. I’ve read the book to my daughter and to a few other children over the years, and they all loved the book. Plus, it teaches a valuable lesson in knowing oneself and liking who you are.

I recommend this book. This is a good book to teach children about the chameleon, about colors and different body parts of animals. It’s a wonderful story about the chameleon who wanted to be everything, but ends up realizing that it is perfect as it is. Indeed such a good lesson to learn.

The Mixed-Up Chameleon on YouTube

Eric Carle is a children’s book author and illustrator who has illustrated over 70 books. Many of his books are bestsellers, including the most famous The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Visit Amazon’s Eric Carle page for more about him and his works. Also, check out his other books below.

What’s Your Cheese?

Different people react to change differently. Some find it good. Some abhor it. The reaction is pretty much the same when you read the reviews of the different people who have read the book, “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson. I came by the book several years ago, when I still worked in the corporate world.

I did occupy several management positions in the past, but my heart is where it is right now. Anyway, that time I was into reading management books I could lay my hands on. I did want to be the best manager I could be. That’s when I encountered “One Minute Manager.” It was co-written by Spencer Johnson too.

I liked that book so I thought I’d check out “Who Moved My Cheese?” True enough, I enjoyed the book. It’s actually a short and simple book that you can read in one sitting. The message of the book stayed with me though. So much that it’s the first book that came to mind when this nonfiction quest on Squidoo came about.

I highly recommend “Who Moved My Cheese?” I find this to be a good book. Sure, we all know that change is constant. But how do you react to change? Do you welcome it at first glance? Or are you like most who reject it right away? The book is a great metaphor for what we seek most in life (cheese), how we center our life on it, and what happens when we wake up one day to find it gone. It’s great to read and re-read the book.

Who Moved My Cheese Summary & Synopsis Video

Here’s a summary and synopsis for those who have a little more time. It’s indeed worth checking out.

Check out this movie version.

Teacher Rose  

I have always loved books, esp. children’s books. I have quite a few in my collection. I’ve used them a lot when I was still teaching in a regular classroom. I’ve been introduced to the Geronimo Stilton books some years back. The series is fun to read and collect. My daughter has some of the books in her collection. She’s now a teenager so her choices of books have gone on to the young adult category. My niece, on the other hand, collects Geronimo Stilton books now. It’s her book that I was able to borrow and read during the summer while I was recuperating from my surgery.

The Kingdom of Fantasy is Geronimo Stilton’s adventure book. It’s suited for longer reading than the original series books. Nonetheless, this new set of adventure books holds much more fun and excitement. Join me in entering the Kingdom of Fantasy.

Plot Summary

Geronimo Stilton is back with more adventures in this special edition book titled “The Kingdom of Fantasy.”

Here’s a little backgrounder, in case you’re not familiar with Geronimo Stilton. He runs a newspaper called The Rodent’s Gazette and he is from Mouse Island.He has a younger sister named Thea Stilton, who now has her own adventure stories too, a cousin named Trap Stilton, and a nine-year-old nephew, Benjamin Stilton. He’s typically a nervous kind of mouse and does not like a lot of adventures. It’s pretty ironic because he always gets involved in one.

To date, there are 53 titles in the Geronimo Stilton series, 12 titles in the graphic novels, some special edition books, as well as 14 titles in the Thea Stilton series (and counting…).

The Kingdom of Fantasy

The story started on the morning of June 21st. Geronimo Stilton was having such a bad day when he found a glittering crystal music box in the attic. It had seven precious stones set on its sides: ruby, topaz, citrine, emerald, sapphire, amethyst, and a diamond at the very top. Then he found a golden key and climbed the stairway made of golden dust. His adventure started when he entered the golden door. I won’t go into details so as not to spoil the excitement of reading this adventure book.Just know that Geronimo Stilton was brought into the magical world for a special mission — to save the Queen of the Fairies.

Travel through this fantastic world with Geronimo Stilton as he battles enemies and monsters and meets new friends around the seven kingdoms: witches, mermaids, dragons, pixies, gnomes, giants, and fairies.

Sit back, relax, and have a good read!

Characters

The main character in The Kingdom of Fantasy is naturally Geronimo Stilton — seen as the knight in shining armor to save the Queen of the Fairies. He is actually an unlikely hero as he is usually nervous and scared. Still, he manages to accomplish his mission at the end of the day.

Then, there is Scribblehopper — the Literary Frog who becomes Geronimo’s official guide in his adventure through the Kingdom of Fantasy.

The other members of the Order of the Fairy Queen:
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Shelly — a wise, generous turtle and the guide through the Kingdom of the Mermaids

Princess Scatterbrain — granddaughter of the Dragon King and is the guide through the Kingdom of the Dragons

Trick — a pixie who was ordered by their King to be the guide through the Kingdom of the Pixies; mischievous and playful

Factual — the wise and kind King of the Gnomes

Cozy — the Queen of the Gnomes

Giant — the giant with no name who is the guide through the Kingdom of the Giants

Blinkette — Geronimo’s guide through the Kingdom of the Fairies

The Villain
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Queen Cackle — Queen of the Kingdom of the Witches

There are other minor characters who appeared when Geronimo Stilton was at each of the kingdoms.

Setting

The book began at the office of The Rodent’s Gazette. Then moved on to Geronimo Stilton’s house. It was at his attic where he was introduced to a new world — The Kingdom of Fantasy.

From the sound of the name, you already know that this is going to be a magical world, one that is filled with fun and adventure. As you read on, you will be taken from one fantasy world to another.

There was the Kingdom of the Witches that Geronimo described as a nightmarish land. Travel to a world filled with black swamp, moldy mountain, and nightmare forest. It’s not for the faint-hearted.

A well-drawn and detailed map was included for each kingdom.(Awesome!)

The Kingdom of the Mermaids has an enchanted lagoon with deep blue water. There’s the rose-colored coral castle, blackbeard’s ship, and the chorus of a thousand mermaids.

The Kingdom of the Dragons is full of smoke! There’s the river of fiery lava, mount thunder, and the castle Dragonaire.

The Kingdom of the Pixies is refreshing with the green color of fresh grass. Geronimo and his friends almost got lost in the green labyrinth. No doubt this was the most mischievous world. Geronimo was subjected to riddles, optical illusions, and tongue twisters.

The Kingdom of the Gnomes has beautiful trees and colors. The King and the Queen made Geronimo and his friends feel welcome with delicious home-cooked meals courtesy of Queen Cozy.

The Kingdom of the Giants was covered with ice, the land of never-ending snowflakes. It was home to the last of the giants.

Finally, the beautiful and magical Kingdom of the Fairies where Geronimo is to rescue Queen Blossom. There was the rose with a thousand petals, the fountain of youth, the valley of the blue unicorns, and sleeping Queen, which kind of remind me of Sleeping Beauty. LOL!

Another putrid world was also featured. It was the abode of the Trolls who smelled horribly and disgustingly. Eeew indeed!

Conclusion

Overall, the book was teeming with graphical descriptions of the magical kingdoms. It was fun-filled and truly enjoyable to read. I felt like a kid once again, wanting to read more and more.

I love the way colors, gems, and even metals were used to differentiate each Kingdom. Plus, there’s a brief story for each one. There’s a full map of each of the Kingdom that it might have taken a long time before you could actually explore each of the places.

There are even short stories woven into the entire story. There’s the Myth of Arachne, The Little Mermaid, The Princess of the Dragons, and many more. These short stories were found within the stories of each of the Kingdoms.

The book even used a Fantasian Alphabet. It was some form of decipher codes. I remember the games we used to play as kids.

Finally, it was a story with a feel-good ending, of good winning over evil, and another bestseller for our friend Geronimo Stilton.

I highly recommend the book if you are a fan of adventure books. The good things about Geronimo Stilton books are that they’re not only teeming with action and excitement but also filled with attractive graphics on each and every page.

Don’t miss out on this great adventure book! Grab your copy today! ^_^

Teacher Rose  

This was my first lens for the Rocket Squids Bootcamp. I’m now moving this post from Squidoo to my blog. The weekly challenge said to create a lens for a word that starts with the letter “A.” What could be more basic than the Alphabet? Then I thought that I would make it a bit more interesting by adding a cultural flair to it. Join me in learning more about the Filipino Alphabet.

Evolution of the Filipino Alphabet

When the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in the 16th century, the natives had their own alphabet called the Alibata or Baybayin (see photo) which consists of 14 consonants and 3 vowels. The Spaniards replaced this with the Roman alphabet.

Tagalog was proclaimed the national language of the Philippines in 1937. In his 1940 book entitled Balarila ng Wikang Pambansa, author Lope K. Santos officially introduced 20 letters. (a b k d e g h i I m n ng o p r s t u w y) This was adopted by the National Language Institute of the Philippines in 1973. The alphabet was then called “Abakada” for the letters were pronounced with the letter “a” at the end, i.e. ba, ka, da, and so on.

From 1961 to 1987, Tagalog was known as Pilipino. The alphabet was expanded in 1976 to include the letters C, CH, F, J, Q, RR, V, X, and Z in order to accommodate words of Spanish and English origin. The Pilipino alphabet consisted of 31 letters – the 26 letters of the English alphabet, the Spanish ñ, ll, rr, and ch, and the ng of Tagalog.

In 1987 when Pilipino was renamed Filipino, the alphabet was reduced to 28 letters (Ch, Rr, and Ll were removed.) The modern Filipino alphabet now has 28 letters that include 21 letters from the original “Abakada” and 8 borrowed letters from foreign origin (namely C, F, J, Ñ, Q, V, X and Z).

ABAKADA (with lyrics)
The old alphabet

Translation of some of the Filipino texts:

“Tayo na at mag-aral ng ating A-Ba-Ka-Da” –
Let us learn our alphabet

“Ang ating A-Ba-Ka-Da” –
our alphabet

“Kung ito’y alam n’yo na, tayo na at kumanta” –
If you already know it, let us sing it together

Translation of some of the Filipino texts:

“Alpabetong Pilipino” – Filipino Alphabet

“Ulitin natin ito” – Let’s repeat this

You can also learn ABaKaDa on your Android device. These flashcards from Rena Interactive make learning the Filipino Alphabet fun. 20 letters with pictures that your kids can doodle on. Plus, it aids kids and adults in identification and pronunciation of the Filipino Alphabet.

I hope this post will help you in your journey in learning a new language.

Teacher Rose