Raising Boys

School closing ceremonies April 2, 2006

The awarding ceremony for the elementary undergraduates of the Science and Technology Education Center (STEC), held yesterday at the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base Ampitheater in Lapu-Lapu City, was delayed for over an hour but nobody was complaining. Least of all me.

My son Dylan received four medals during the awarding: three gold medals for finishing first grade on top of his class, a certificate of recognition for being High in Mathematical Logical Intelligence, and a silver medal for placing second in a math contest that pitted contestants from some 20 schools in Lapu-Lapu City.

Below are the pictures my husband and I took of the event. I’ve also updated by son’s resume to reflect his first grade awards.

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Top of the class March 30, 2006

You stood up when your name was called, a mixture of surprise and gladness on your face. You did not expect this, although you had hoped it would be so and it was. We clapped and urged you on. Overcome by shyness, you did not look at us but proceeded to your rightful place, buoyed by our cheers.

You basked in the spotlight of our praise. You delighted in the acclamation of your peers. You are undoubtedly the best of them all.

My son, I’m proud of you. Congratulations.

(Dylan completes first grade with first honors. The first grade teacher called out one by one the pupils in the honors list during a get-together this morning in school. School closing rites will be this Saturday at 4 p.m.)

Of cheaters and cheating March 17, 2006

I’m fuming mad. I’ve been this way since 4 p.m., when I went to Dylan’s school and found out that his English testpaper for the third periodical exams had been switched with another’s. It was so cunningly done, I would have to give credit to the person behind it. He or she is the ultimate cheat.

I don’t usually go to my son’s school in the afternoon but I thank god I did. I would never have found out that someone took his testpaper and left one in its place, one with the name of the owner erased.

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Math elementary level winners

Finally, some much-deserved recognition. A streamer in Dylan’s school congratulates all those who placed in the Math Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP) challenge held last month at the Basak Elementary School in Lapu-Lapu City. My son Dylan and teammate Christ Ian (mistakenly written in the streamer as Christian Ian) Palomares represented the first grade and placed second in the math contest in the division level.

Men and their foibles March 12, 2006

My son’s teacher called us up on Saturday morning to invite my son to her daughter’s birthday party. I was asleep yet so she talked to my son Dylan and told him the party was going to be at McDonald’s at 1:30 p.m.

Dylan was already quite excited at the prospect of going to a party on a Saturday afternoon by the time I woke up so naturally I could not say no anymore.

We stopped at a nearby mall to buy a gift for his teacher’s daughter and then proceeded on foot to McDonald’s with another mom and her daughter. We met them at the mall also buying a gift for the birthday celebrant.

At McDonald’s, we received the surprise of our lives. My son’s teacher was nowhere to be found. Only her estranged husband was there accompanied by, of all people, his girlfriend. It was the longest two hours of our lives. (more…)

Math contest winners February 26, 2006

My son and his teammate Christ Ian placed second in the Math Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP) contest held on Friday last week at the Basak Elementary School in Lapu-Lapu City.

They competed against 12 other schools in the first grade level during the contest, which is initiated by the Department of Education and Metrobank. Unfortunately for my son, though, this was the first time since the start of the contest that Metrobank was not giving out medals to winners. My son and his teammate had to be content with a generic certificate, only one for the two of them, with no name and I was told wrong date.

My son, disappointed that he was not getting a medal, insisted we go home before the awarding could take place. The result: no medal, no certificate, and no picture as well. His teammate, though, said he would be bringing the certificate to school on Monday.

Might as well take a picture of that and include it in this post later.