Sa Labas ng Classroom (Outside the Classroom)

Trigger warning: betrayal, cheating, gossip "If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere." - Zig Ziglar In an episode filled with heartwarming (and heartbreaking) experiences, we explore the differences of acquaintances and friends. Helene Phaye Punay, Shera Caldito, Tatziana Rebolledo, and Regie Monis share th...

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." - Michael Jordan Trigger warning: strong emotions, temper, toxicity in playing Everyone is challenged to find the right coping mechanisms during the pandemic. In this episode, Troy Caintic, Prince Braganza, Jered Frigillana, and Paul Ao-wac share how they have been coping with the situation, highlighting the role of video games...

"Sports do not build character, they reveal it." - John Wooden In this insightful episode, Aice Parrocha, William Paduit and Precious Payaket share their experiences of being student-athletes. They narrate the time they discovered their passion for their sport, and also the most memorable recognition they have received (so far). As someone who has no sport of her own, I learned a lot from my guest...

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." - Ed Cunningham Maybe you have a friend you haven't heard from for some time. Maybe you have a friend you have always felt comfortable with, but never mentioned how grateful you are for having him/her/them in your life. Maybe you have a friend you miss, and more so because of the pandemic. We hope this episode giv...

"Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Trigger warning: stress, difficult emotions The year 2020 showered us with life lessons. In this episode, I feel a sense of 'old normal' as I have a kwentuhan session with three of my former students. Tatziana Rebolledo, Regie Monis, and Branden Palaruan talk about the changes they have dealth with, the...

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." - Maya Angelou Being in the field of psychology provides a long list of options and possibilities. Though we usually get excited with the things we can do, we may feel overwhelmed about having too many choices. In this episode, we explore the option of being a Registered Psychometrician in the Philippines. Margaret...

"The students of the future will demand the learning support that is appropriate for their situation or context. Nothing more, nothing less." - Marcus Specht Finding the right classroom on your first day of classes, entering the wrong classroom, rushing to your next class in a building a hundred meters away from you etc.. These scenarios might have been insignificant before the pandemic, but when...

"Job training empowers people to realize their dreams and improve their lives." - Sylvia Matthews Burwell How does OJT change one's perspectives about a dream career? Join us in this episode as Alicia Placido, an in-store sales assistant, and Julivin Alivin, an employee in the Human Resource Department of a local hospital, talk about their on-the-job training experiences. Discover why they compare...

"The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words." - William H. Gass Aside from my excitement of reaching one of my favorite numbers, this episode features two writers I admire.  Kein Chito is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and friend. He published his first book, The 9 Secrets of Sticky Families when he was 24 years old. The said book became a finalist i...

"Have you ever thought if you have inspired someone?"  In the third installment of my conversation with Mickey Espino, we continue to talk about our memories of being a teacher. We discuss our insights about what teaching means, how our desks usually look like, and how students act inside the classroom. Mickey also shares about memorable excuse letters, how he deals with cheating inside the c...

Digression is defined as a temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing. Hearing familiar sense of humor after months of silence is healing in itself. As said by Grenville Kleiser, "Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to...

Meeting people whom you can talk to about a wide range of topics is difficult. Meeting these people in the workplace is another challenge. In this laughter-filled episode, nostalgia hits me as I interview one of my former colleagues, Mickey Espino. We talk about memorable experiences inside the classroom, and reflect on our motivation and passion for teaching. Mickey Espino is a topnotcher of the...

"Spirituality is a brave search for the truth about existence, fearlessly peering into the mysterious nature of life." - Elizabeth Lesser One of the topics people tend to avoid is spirituality. Maybe it's because of the fear of conflict or misunderstanding. Maybe there is a certain level of peace in the experience of 'not knowing' and 'not understanding' something beyond one's existence. Still, ta...

The number of mental health practitioners is significantly lower than other professionals such as accountants, engineers, and nurses. The number of psychologists you may have in your social circle is, essentially, another low statistic. Lastly, the chance to meet a psychologist whom you can have a 5 hour conversation seems to be improbable. Don't worry, this episode is less than an hour :) However...

Trigger warning for the following topics: (1) Research results (politics), (2) Ethics, (3) Mental Health Support Groups, (4) Toxic Positivity Collaboration is defined as 'the action of working with someone to produce or create something.' Moreover, collaboration, as distinguished from cooperation, coordination and collective activity, is defined as a continued and conjoined effort towards elaborat...

The pandemic has featured wide ranges of emotions and experiences. Along with the changes in our lifestyles and routines, we have seen the polarity of human behavior - from kindness and empathy to seeming indifference and entitlement. How do you describe someone who is entitled? Do we recognize ourselves when other people tell us that we are entitled? What can entitlement do to a person? This epis...

They say that men are 'wired' differently... aren't they? In societies where men are expected to be 'strong' and to be 'quiet' when they experience difficulties, how do men perceive discussions about mental health? This episode includes a trigger warning for the following topics: broken families, spirituality and religion, professional contexts. In this episode, James Casino and Justine Reyes cove...

Students are expected to do their best in school. However, not all students are given the privilege to solely focus on homework and projects. Being involved in extra-curricular activities may even be out of the question. Having been a part of the academe, I have seen how students cope and manage different struggles, but I found myself in awe when I encountered working students. Their determination...

Understanding the Self is a course that deals with the nature of identity, as well as the factors and forces that affect the development and maintenance of personal identity (CHED, 2017). Through this course, students are encouraged to discover their strengths, weaknesses and potentials. Various topics allow them to challenge their own beliefs, and explore their goals and possible changes in their...

Despite efforts to educate people about mental health, stigma about people who have mental health concerns continues to be an alarming issue in the society. In this episode, let's listen to four students discuss their observations, experience, and comments about ending the stigma. These students are not enrolled in Psychology, and their views offer a different lens as we learn more about how we ca...

Listen to  Dyryl Denil De Jesus, CJ Ramos, Ric Charles Jordan Cayat, and Joshua Seth Gutierrez as they share the reasons why they took Psychology and their experiences as they go through the course. They will also share their thoughts about particular thoughts and impressions of most people when they hear the word, 'Psychology'. Don't miss their words of encouragement for the listeners! Allow...