INTERACTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

At the moment, Ms. Teresa of Cengage, is demonstrating the features of Mindtap, an interactive instructional material-gradebook-etextbook-review material.....

The features are AH-mazing!!!!

I would love to listen to somebody read the book for me; define for me words and phrases I do not understand; provide me slideshow presentations; see all activities coming up; get immediate feedback to my assignments, quizzes and tests; and play games while we learn.

But still, since I still hate reading textbooks and even listen to someone intone discussions on something I do not want to hear, I would still be making notes--- and still buy notebooks and pens from school supplies stores.

Perhaps, had we had this technology way back when I was still in college, I might have had better grades.... (excuse).

WHEN DEPRESSION STRIKES....

Lady: Are you depressed (de-presd)?
Man: No, I pray everyday. I know God keeps me company, and I do not need to be sad.
Lady: No, no, no, no no! You are depressed!
Man: I am sorry, I just told you I am not. How can I be, when I serve God my whole life and goodness surrounds me?
Lady: See, you are indeed depressed!
Man: (Silently reciting the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, in an effort to control his temper)
Lady: You serve God, and you are wearing the clerical collar. You are depressed in our parish.
Man: If you are asking me if I am the priest, then, yes, I am.
Lady: I knew it!

So, when depression strikes, think of funny things, and your problems will temporarily stop bothering you.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: An Attempt to Explain Why

"Oh, God, I need to be patient NOW!"

This is one of the funniest one-liners I have ever heard, and yet this is my prayer, especially when there are trying times in my life.

Tita Rae, a very religious businesswoman, told me that I need to restrain my tongue, especially when I am angry. This is because I tend to let everybody know how upset I am and earn more enemies than I could imagine.

It is just fortunate I am not as cursed as Niklaus Michaelson or else blood would have blanketed the streets my enemies trod and I would be the most bloated vampire ever known to mankind.

Why then is patience a virtue?

Dictionary.com defines virtue as a "quality or practice of moral righteousness". From the same source, patience is "bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss or temper, irritation, or the like..."

Patience is akin to endurance, stoicism, and other similar qualities.

If one can forebear the negative effects of the situation, without uttering a word, he is being patient. Is it? 

If I will just let my superior recite degrading remarks about my person, will remain silent until he/she stops, and then, I will give him/her a flying kick straight to his/her sternum, will that make me patient enough? 

Well... it takes more than that to become patient. You should not act on that situation, without regard to morality.

In his work, "7 Secrets to Real Freedom: How to Stop Hidden Addictions and Achieve Great Success", Bo Sanchez asserts that the root cause of evil is impatience; people sin because they cannot wait for God's perfect time to be free of that perceived bad situation and so they resort to commit evil deeds to hasten their gratification. 

Therefore, it is safe to conclude that patience vanishes as soon as you made yourself the center of your being, and the absolute absence of patience in your life is also God's absence in it. When God and His teachings are disregarded, then the exercise of moral righteousness is also likewise treated. Our lower bestial instincts take over with self gratification becoming the sole purpose, and any sense of right or wrong is ignored. So, patience is a virtue.

Yes, we lose our temper now and then. We sin again and again. This is all because we are human.

God forgives us many times over because He understands our nature. After all, He made us this way. 

So, whenever the situation demands, just keep on praying for patience. 

If the road to success is always under construction, God is teaching us patience overtime because that is the only way how to do it.

WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE RIGHT

Sometimes, being right does not mean you can assert that you are right, especially when they believe that they are the ones who are correct. In this case, you need to quietly allow others realize you are right. Easier said than done!

I do not know why as teachers, we cannot go on vacation from our profession. Like a reflex, the "Teacher Mode" just comes out of the open, in an effort to "correct" some people. Just like our students in the classroom, they may resist to take lessons from us in some occasions, or show us they are not yet ready to learn. More importantly, be patient with them, as we should also be patient with our students in the classroom.

I think I need to learn lessons these people, too.

Above all, I need to pray for them.