Maurice Jitty

It has been seven months since I was hired to my first ever "legitimate" job. Though I was connected to various companies before my university graduation, the feels are just really different when I do not need to juggle my studies and work. As what I have said in my before, I never really imagined myself teaching a class. I might be training some students for press conferences, teaching as a profession did not really come to my mind when I was still planning my life ahead. In fact, I thought I will be working on a corporate set-up: meeting some clients, writing copies for ad work, and socializing on a company-sponsored event. But destiny has another route for me. To be honest, it was not really a bad decision to take a different course. Going back home and sharing my knowledge to the students of my hometown has been the best thing that happened to me. All these will not happen without my beloved Cebu Technological University - Barili Campus. The Start of My Jour...

(This letter was submitted to Marco Polo's Love Letter Writing Contest this year. It did not win, but I just want to share what I have written. Enjoy!) 03 February 2018 Oh Romeo, akong Romeo, Ang gugma dili muhukom kung kinsa ang duyugan sa pagbati sa usa ka tawo. Wala naman lang gyud nako damha nga kitang duha magkadayon. Tinuod man gyud diay nga mupana na lamang si Kupido sa atoa. Makapamalikas na man lang ta og ahat kay dili ko andam sa panghitabo kaniadto. Kinsa ra man gud ko? Usa ra man ko ka pakyas nga mambabalak nga nangayo sa imong atensyon kaniadto. Daw langit ug yuta ang atong gintang sa usa'g usa kaniadto. Linghod ang akong panghuna-huna. Ang imuha kay hamtong. Aduna ka'y plano sa imong kaugmaon. Eskwela ug pagduwa ang adlaw-adlaw kong pagabuhaton. Apan kaniadtong naabot ka sa akong kinabuhi, daw nausab ang tanan. Nabutangan og kahulogan ang akong kinabuhi. Pila na ka tuig naman sad diay ang nilabay. Upat na ka tuig tang miduyog sa musika...

When I was young, I was mesmerized by the "talking" box called television. Every 6:30 in the evening, I always sit in front of our 14" TV and tune in to the newscast of TV Patrol. It has gone a lot of changes through the years. We have seen the changes in its logo, sound bed, name, and even hosts. This show has defined not just my childhood, but also my identity. Who would have thought that a seven-year-old child will be hooked up to just watching to an hour and a half newcast of people standing and talking? I do not really know. These people have molded the person that I am now. Their news broadcasts and tone is soothing to my ears. Their postures just pleasing to my eyes. Maybe I am just crazy when I was a child? This is the reason why I was really excited when my English teacher in high school approached me and asked if I could be one of our school's sports writer for the upcoming Area Schools Press Conference (SPC) that year. I consider myself nerdy, no...

I have lived in the urban jungle for almost half of my life. Also, I have been a probinsiyano for half of my life as well. I have had some of the ups and downs of my life in these two communities. I have played, studied, and worked both in the city and the province. I have had my elementary and tertiary education and call center work in the city. In the province, I had my primary and secondary education and my current teaching work. I have some of the partners both in the province and the city. I have also met some of my greatest friends in these two communities. This is why I am so confused why some people are comparing the two. In the online world, the so-called netizens have spoken to which is better: the city life or the provincial one. Some say that provincial life is better regarding landscape and environment, but some are convinced that education and work opportunities are way better in the city compared to the province. Since I have lived in the best of both worlds...

(The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the institution that I am connected with. The accounts presented in this article is based on my co-teachers' perspective.) Teaching is said to be the noblest profession, they say. All other jobs will not exist without the help of these unsung heroes. They work day and night just to make sure that their pupils (for elementary learners) and students (for secondary and tertiary learners) will be able to get some new information during their classes. Visual aids need to be made. Lesson plans need to be written. Books that need to be read. All these things just pile on the desk of a teacher every night, which lessens their time with their own families. Aside from the hectic teaching schedule, they also need to do a LOT (emphasis again on LOT) of other unrelated teaching activities. They need to follow their principal's directives. They need to clean their rooms so...

(Personal rant coming your way. If you don't want to read some "drama," feel free not to read this article.) I have been a student all my life. In fact, right after I finished my degree in Mass Communication, I did not hesitate to study again to become a professional teacher. I started to take some education units in a community college located in our vicinity. As an aspiring educator, I do not want to disappoint my students. This is the reason why I really wanted to learn how to effectively and efficiently teach. Thank goodness, after a few months of teaching, some of my students say that they learned something in my classes. As we start the new year, we will also be launching a new semester. Even though our second semester officially began last November, the students were still not in the mood for studying. As a teacher, I really expanded my patience by understanding their sentiments, because as cliche as it may sound, I was also a student before and I also...

Maybe this year, I will be able to fulfill this promise. Maybe. Just maybe. Some people say that I am a quitter, and yes, I cannot just argue because it is true. I have joined a lot of organizations way back in college, then I just leave when I want to. Various reasons arose in my mind when I quit. I was busy doing some paper works on a subject. I did not also feel that I belong to the organization. I could not keep up with the activities of the group to the point that it makes me feel terribly sick. I know it is just wrong to keep the people hanging, but what should I do? I was young, wild, and free. I did not understand the consequences of the things that I have done to my future. Last year, I started a blog named Yanong Bisdak. Some people said that it is just a rip off to my boyfriend's blog Basta Bisaya . Maybe? As a writer, I am still finding my place in the writing scene. I even do not know what to write. In fact, I still do not know how to write well. I admit th...