Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Because of the rains this morning, however light but continuous it was, there was a long line at the terminal in the later part of of my commute (even though there usually is no line at that time) which contributed to my being twenty minutes late for my first class today. First absence in two terms. That makes it a total of 3 hours I have to schedule extra classes before the end of the term.

I also gave the students their midterm class standings, and already there were some corrections, like miscounted scores, unrecorded homeworks, and unsubmitted exercises due to absences.

This student was absent two weeks ago when his classmates were able to finish four computer exercises. When he did attend, he made the exercises he missed. But I check their work at the end of each day, so I knew which ones are added on during the succeeding sessions, even if they try to change the date revised.

Out of convenience for both the student and the teacher, that is the reason why I have implemented the policy that requirements for which the student submits an excuse letter will not be included in their computation.

In the computer lab today, the teacher in calculus was there in the period before mine, and her class went into overtime, which was okay because the students were the same anyway. The reason she was using the computer projector was because they were checking out a website that showed ways of solving problems with limits.

And during my class, the business majors were also there. Now, this was not the first time I've shared the computers with them. But before, I just gave my class hands-on exercises while he lectured. This time we both gave exercises, and there were not enough computers to go around and there were already 30 terminals (I had 13 students present). About a handful of our students couldn't use any terminals.

What was worse was that both of our students were yelling, "Sir!" every once in a while that they needed help. And we would both turn our heads. Finally we requested that those who would call our attention to please call their teacher by name.

Anyway, my class left halfway through the period because we went to the Electronics (and makeshift Robotics) Lab for them to start their preparations for the next exhibit on Wednesday, where we will have our first inter-robot competition. Instead of devoting the whole class time for their robot construction like last time, (and have to fill out change of class forms) I have decided that today and on Tuesday the first half of the class will be in the computer lab and the second half for robotics.

I told them that they will have to use their free time tomorrow and on Monday to finish the two robots each group is supposed to make.

At least the first robot they are supposed to construct is the same one they made for the first exhibit. Only the second one will be for the competition. And this is supposed to be for the benefit of elementary and high school students, trying to entice them to join the robotics club.