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

Lectured in Trig about the functions of special angles. Gave them the assignment for groupings and making the apparatus for measuring elevation (and depth). This was after I gave the answers to their quiz, and told them that they should already have an idea about their scores even though I won?t be returning their papers until Friday.

The excursion to the electronic component shops later is on hold for approval until the students submit their waiver forms for the off campus activity.

Xerxes went to work today, although he was still a little hoarse. He was already able to incorporate the links to the students? blogs to this page of articles related to the subject that Cielo wants to post and for them to read.

After all, what they were thinking looking for a central place for the students to write is not just for easy monitoring of content, but also for Cielo to determine quickly whether they are fulfilling the requirements or not.

But we haven?t posted the requirements (which I already gave yesterday) on the web page with their links.

I forgot to mention from yesterday that even though there were two students in the class who were already familiar with blogs, only one of them gave the address of his existing blog for Cielo to look at. The rest made new ones.

Cielo already prohibited them from using Filipino in their entries. When they asked me what they should write about in their first posts, I just told them to come up with something creative, expressive and in correct grammar and punctuation that would make their English teacher proud.

The question, of course, is whether they will get into the habit of posting regularly, and if it will ever mean more than just schoolwork to them.

Cielo is already worried that she may not be able to come up with enough articles a week that the students could react to, since there will still be the possibility that the students may not find any of the things she posted in their interest or something they know enough about to have an opinion they will vehemently state.

That is why we came up with the alternative (but we haven?t told the students yet) about giving well-written reactions to other people?s blogs (other than their classmates) as an alternative to commenting to their classmates? writings.

Of course another tack would be to come up with real controversial topics that they can?t help but have an opinion on, such as pre-marital sex, abortion and whether or not there was massive cheating in the recent national elections.

I just hope that the students don?t shy away from speaking up like they normally do during class discussions of that nature (outside of an assigned debate) and they realize that they are meant to try to give their side of the story.

Now, if it were only possible for me to show them this blog as an example of consistent (at least during school days) writing. But then, it might my compromise my level of honesty with what I right that they might take offense in my mention.

Of course, students who find this on their own are another thing altogether.