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

Some facts about my Math classes this term: since unlike my load last term these classes are also taught by other teachers, the quizzes and exams will have to be departmental. For Math 1 there’s no problem since both classes have the same schedule, but for Trig we will have to look for a common time outside of class hours where he can hold the exam for all classes simultaneously.

For the Math 1 class, which is the first time that I will be teaching the six hours – four days a week schedule (it was only three hours a week three terms ago when I last taught it), I told them that they are only allowed a maximum of 10 absences, excused or unexcused.

For Trigonometry and mechanics lecture (at 240pm) they only have 5 allowable absences. For the one meeting a week mechanics laboratories on Wednesday, they only have two and a half allowed absences.

For all those subjects and the others that I will be checking attendance, telling them that perfect and near-perfect attendance is considered as a bonus to class participation, so that they could get a maximum of ten out of five percent. This is actually something that I’ve been practicing for years now, and so far it has been effective in getting students to show up, especially if it will help their grades.

I don’t have to tell them that the Commission on Higher Education has warned against making attendance as part of the 100% grade computation.

There were, in fact, some students who are my students in both math classes. These are all Engineering students though, because they failed both subjects. Those who are my students in Math 1 now but were my students in Trig last term passed my subject but failed Math 1.

Finally those of the other courses who are in my Math 1 section are those who failed last term, while those in my Trig classes are those who passed. This is because for non-Engineering courses, Math 1 is a pre-requisite of Trig.

Only those who passed in Trig are also in my mechanics class, including some who are also in my Trig class. Also there is David’s brother Daniel.

I thought that those who failed under me in Trig would be taking some of the other teachers in repeating the course, but those who also failed in Math 1 do not have a choice but be in my class if they don’t want to postpone taking the course again next term.

This is because the two other Trig classes are at the same time as the Math 1 classes. So if they are taking Math 1 again, their only recourse is to take the section I’m teaching, which is after the Math 1 class on Mondays and Thursdays.

When I met the students in mechanics lecture yesterday, I also warned them against not going to class for the first lab session if they do not want to risk not being groups with the classmates they like, because I told them that if they do not show up on the first day, I will be the one to assign them their group for the next meeting.

Today I started with the lecture on Math 1 (which I’ll detail next time), and I also helped the teacher in Graphics Two prepare for his first session tomorrow. That’s all for now though.