the day is here. the time is now.
i know how examinations are seen as a chore, a bore and a sore. i myself disliked taking exams when i was in college. i mean, who wants to memorize all those principles, those formulas and those stories? wouldn't it be better if we spent our time playing our DotA's, fantasy basketball leagues, ragnarok's and final fantasies? don't even get me started on the delight of our ds's and the whee(!) of our wiii's.
for some, the most meaningful and painful question they hurl to the cloudy heavens (apart from "why are they airing those political commercials?") are "why are there exams? why? why? why?"
since we have been holding exams for over a millenia (did you really think you were the first students to complain about tests?), heaven has answered with finality. to our ceaseless "why?!!!", heaven responds with an enigmatic "why not?"
while it may seem that heaven is being deaf to our cries and supplication, the heavens are actually being sensible. exams are part of the rules of the game called "school life." you can't participate in a game and then all of a sudden question its rules. imagine a basketball player suddenly hugging the ball in the middle of the court and demand that "hugging the ball" merited 5 points in his opinion... or a DotA player suddenly saying, "you know what, instead of attacking the enemy's frozen throne/world tree, i just wanna bash my other teammates"... or a fashion designer suddenly saying, "i wanna be unconventional and unique. for my next runway show, there will be no models! clothes will be paraded using moving hangers on a wire!"... to complete the picture, let's imagine a theater director who is supposed to mount a musical suddenly say, "I'm the director and I say for this musical, actors should be silent and mime their lines! This should snag me a Tony!"
for our class, we had just finished the final stretch of the oral exams last tuesday. i must say, i am very impressed with students who really made their own outline and gave a relatively concise presentation of the discussion so far. i was equally impressed with the answers i received for the follow-up questions i sent your way. lastly, i was edified by how people handled their nerves by just speaking in front of an instructor and several members of the class.
which brings me to our points of discussion for this blog entry.
(1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
(2) did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
(3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
reactions, comments and what-have-you are most welcome. post. reply. share.
remember: you're not the only one making the journey towards understanding.
all of us are.
17 comments:
1) I was terrified! I PROMISE!I felt like going to the bathroom.:| I hate standing up in class and talking.I scares the s--- out of me. :)
(2) Yes! I had my own interpretation of it so I understood better :)
(3) Not really. Time limited kasi eh. I felt that I could've said more if we had the time.
Bye. Work. Happy birthday to me. :)
Who would ever thought that I'd hear those from someone whom I take my hats off to? Well, sir, it is so amusing to hear those kind of sentiments from you. It's true that for students like us, taking tests and having tremendous school works punish us alot. But then, through your blog i found a place to settle. I guess, with it, you made me thought of the probable answer to the endless "why's" we have for those kind of bombardments. CHALLENGES. And yes sir, it has always been a part of every endeavor. And it makes us stornger, better, and a winner in the end. Schooling is a battle, like playing DOTA, it is something that i often ponder on. What to do? What strategy will i use? Like playing baskteball, it is a game. It's either you win, or you loose. It's in us whther we take it in a positive way or just joke around. Anyhow, Your oral exam wasn't easy, but in the long run, i know i'll come back to you and thank you for it. For after that, i felt satisfaction and i knew that i could, not only for that moment, but also for the next time.
great comments ging and christian. i'm glad that people are finding both the activities in class and this blog a great help. i hope more comments are posted within the next few days.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS. BARTOLOME!
to all those involved in the play, GOODLUCK and BREAK A LEG!
actually sir, i really had fun :)seriously.. I learned a lot from my classmates who came before me.I felt so terrified before coming in haha, i thought wala ako masasabi kasi hindi ko maexpress everything in 3mins but then woohhoo. Thank God I did it, and finally faced my fear which is to... explain these things to you :)
-Joeanne Pelo
>>indeed we are stuffed up with things to do.. school, outside life blah blah.. but hey.. it is really up to us to make time for everything.. its life..
>> i remember hearing a sort of quote.. no excuses, only challenges.. and.. pushing yourself to the limit towards perfection.. ( i think its the theme of the intramurals of dba-pampanga..haha..) simple but sweet.. helps me get through everyday..
>>nweiz.. with all the req's in my enrolled courses this term.. i have 24 units..:)
>> i was really happy with the "outcome" of my oral exams.. i am happy that somehow i gave at least 30 mins in internalizing everything and all.. i was scared at first.. scared of stuttering, i may not say the right things.. whew.. buti nalang when i started, ok naman pala.. then hearing that you appreciated my, uhm, explanation(?) made me really really really smile..:)
>>i think i'm am learning a lot..in a practical sense.. :)
>> thank you sir..
_lustestica,amn
1. This was no realization for me. I have long ago discovered that stage fright is something that I will have to suffer for the rest of my life. Honestly, I would rather sing in front of a thousand people than stand up and SPEAK in front of ten. I'm fine with written exams but the orals... egad.
2. Actually, the lessons DID seem clearer as I was preparing for the orals. I had expected to have trouble with continuity but once I got going, it became easier.
3. I couldn't sleep the night after the orals because one detail kept nagging at me: I FORGOT TO DISCUSS THE SCRIPTURES. I've always had trouble with expressing myself in a certain amount of time, or a certain amount of words. It's either I fall short or I rattle off in my nervousness. This time, I fell short. Self-esteem issues? God, no. (<-- blaspheme) I'm too full of myself. The Pussycat Dolls couldn't make me feel insecure... The Victoria's Secret Angels though... Well, I survived an oral exam.
i meant to type in "blasphemy", the noun.
Oops. Typo sa comment ko. "It scares the s--- out of me. :)"
Thanks, Sir! Gift ko? haha!
To those who watched the play, thank you guys sobra :) See you guys Tuesday.
*BTW sir, kelan midterms naming mga excused?
1. i felt nervous because i did not prepare and made up all the lines while waiting for my turn
2. i understood the lessons better
- james ong
(1) i wasn't really afraid.. i felt normal..
(2) it became more clear to me as i explained it
(3) at first i was like "ok, this is gonna be easy.." but when it was my turn.. i was nervous. but when i started talking. i was fine again :)
-michelle sy
Hello Sir...sorry kung late ung comment!
1)just before the announcement of the oral exam, i'm already nervous because im not used to talk infront of many people(well, just few of them!)that's why i already prepared my outline for me to have enough time to practice!!!
2) Yes, it did because i had to interpret the whole idea in my own style/understanding.
3)it helped me gain more confidence..tnx sir!
Jerome E. Jose
1. I have realized na it takes a lot of work pala to answer the orals. Pero whats nice with that is pag prepared ka madali na yung tipong hindi ka na nangangapa sa harap.
2. Definitely the lesson became clearer when I made my outline because I understood the lesson more because it showed a flow about all our topics and it made clear to me that all of it is in fact related.
3. Basta dapat alam lang nung mag rerecite yun sasabihin nila at dapat hindi mag cram.
-Johannes Christian
1) At first i was nervous to do the orals because I was the first on the list but when I stood up there and I know what to say it became very easy for me to express my feelings. The students being only 13 made it more easier and comfortable to present.
2) The lesson for me made more sense because I saw the connection in between the topics.
3)I gained more self esteem maybe because as I said earlier the people were fewer to more freedom to express my feelings and thus boosting my self confidence.
-Alexander Terol
i must admit that i was very very scared about the orals...talagang my legs were really shacking..meron kasi akong stage fright thats why i tend to get really scared kapag may mga ganitong activities..i read the handout and tried my best to explaine my view about it. ..hehehe..sorry na please..hehehe
-karren ore
I really really hate taking up exams. I'm not good in memorising stuffs! I know it is a job for a student to study our lessons.. I'm really having hard times understanding some terms.
I like your way of teaching us. I really am enjoying.
I really really hate taking up exams. I'm not good in memorising stuffs! I know it is a job for a student to study our lessons.. I'm really having hard times understanding some terms.
I like your way of teaching us. I really am enjoying.
ej castanos
1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
I feel very nervous when it comes to orals, I'm a shy person hahaha. But I don't really think orals and exams are really hard, all you need to do is to study when you have a free time and just listen to the professor and put in your brain, that's all.
(2) did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
It depends, but it's always easy to make an outline it's like you have a direction in what you learned. So I suggest you guys do an outline now.
(3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
I feel better, I know my orals were really good all you need to do is be yourself and be honest. And your confidence/self esteem will boost!
That's all for today.
Justine Philip S. Estrella
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