and then there was...

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS


No, there wasn't a raging bush of fire that spelt out these items to me. But they're as important. Like cows for Hindus, grains for Sudanese refugees, or autonomy for native Tibetans, the items below must be kept sacred.



1. You shall be a student in my class. To survive the linguistic jungle where big words are fat elephants ready to pound on you, make sure you have the right weapons. An impressive short list will include your pen, one whole sheet of paper, and notebook. Jot down notes whenever you can. Do not hesitate to bug me with your questions. I'd welcome them the way evening gives way to morning – smooth and painless. I'm not going to be a perfect teacher. But you sure should expect the best that I can be every time we meet. And nothing less is expected from you.

2. You shall be responsible for your own education. We expect you to attend class regularly, but if you're only reason for absenting yourself is that there's this important basketball game you had to catch or an appointment with your hair stylist that cannot be rescheduled or your dog has just died and you were busy fuzzing over its funeral, never attempt to bug me about giving you a makeup quiz or an extension for your requirement. Unless, of course, if you are up to an hour-long homily from me about the mission and vision of this school. Considerations will be granted, yes, but not loosely to pedestrians who come and leave class as they wish.

3. You shall keep an open mind. In class, you'll be asked to argue both in favor of propositions or principles you do not personally subscribe to. There's allowing priests to marry, chemically castrating rapists, euthanizing terminally ill patients, and tons more of topics which will make you feel like toothpaste lubed out of its shelter. An open mind is always willing and ready to look into new angles. Some people call it “bula”. We refer to it as “critical bubbles”.

4. You shall practice honesty at all cost. Cheating will be meted with the full force of the school's rules and regulations. Accomplices to the crime will be penalized as well. Equally. I firmly believe that the classroom experience must resist the abominable culture of tolerating cheating which happens outside. Your insurance company is a hoax. Your parents' taxes are pocketed by cheats. Your president is a fake. But you're not going to be next in line.

5. You shall respect the law on intellectual property rights. Boy, someone's work is his work. Not yours. Just because you agree with the writer's opinion does not mean you could as easily claim it as your own and submit it to me. Cite your sources. Pen your own thoughts.

6. You shall follow format for written assessment activities. I'd issue the format in accomplishing all short quizzes in class. The most basic is that it should bear your name, course and year, date and section all written on the upper right corner of the paper. Only black or blue pen will do. For your requirements, simply encode them on a short bond paper bearing the details required. And we only use Tahoma, font size 12, double-spaced for the main text. You need not decorate your paper with buttons, laces, pebbles, fish scales, or raging crayons spread all over. I am not a fan. Your crisp ideas and basic presentation will do.

7. You shall respect your mates. You may think you're the brightest dude or gal in campus, but misplaced arrogance will be fined harshly. In class, we share our ideas, and respect individual points-of-view regardless of how weird, obscene or alien-sounding it is. We rebut arguments we do not agree with, and strongly show agreement or opposition to proposals presented, but never do we hit a person below the belt.

8. You shall abide by deadlines. When the deadline expires, you'll be given a three day deadliest deadline grace period. We do not include Sunday in the said grace period. Penalties in the form of point deductions will be applied. No mercy shall be given after this time period has elapsed.

9. You shall check this online portal regularly. Don't tell me I didn't warn you. I shall post everything you need here. We have several computer laboratories in school. Make those pc's do some intelligent work. If the lab's full, and you catch someone shamelessly drooling over Friendster, muster all energy you can and march towards that person, then threaten to cause her a nosebleed due to a barrage of mutinous oral arguments if she doesn't yield her seat to you. This part is called “application of learning”.

10. You shall graduate from this class “with honors”. There's no Dean's List for a moral life, but I prayyou take it seriously. I hope that from this class you learn not just to verbally wrestle with your mates, but also the responsibility that goes with it. If you patiently scour the pages of history, you'll discover how the power of speech has been used and misused by many. From tyrants like Hitler to Marcos, words have been transformed into persuasive tools of propaganda that saw man descend to the pits of civility. I hope you help write a page unlike before, and use the same powerful tool to become better human beings.