SF Blogger – Balasbas Says

I quit teaching

Today marks my last summer vacation—the end of my teaching career. I honestly don’t know if I would go back even though I could. But I’m not sure how worth it the pay and treatment a teacher gets would be later on in life. The decision came down to a common motif I’m seeing inContinue reading “I quit teaching”

I got a camera

Prologue: Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My parents always had a film camera available. It was something I looked forward to on the weekends when we went to Costco. It almost became our responsibility as their sons to go to the “Photo” area and lookContinue reading “I got a camera”

Celebrating Six Years

Prologue: Kind of shocked I haven’t posted about any of the ABxAM anniversary videos. When I think back to the most recent years, I’m usually so caught up with the end-of-year festivities, the holidays, Aya’s birthday, and the end of the semester. I almost rush stitching a video together between Christmas and New Years. ButContinue reading “Celebrating Six Years”

ALHS c/o 2022

“Who’s your favorite class?” One of my students would constantly ask me. I told him I didn’t have a favorite, but if I did, it wasn’t them. It was the class above them. He still asked me every day, for the next 2 years. Each class he was in lowkey pushed my buttons. It testedContinue reading “ALHS c/o 2022”

Red Rocks & Champagne

Prologue: I get so caught up in using writing as a tool to expel toxicity in my brain. I often put bright spots on hold or are in my drafts. Though I post about it on my private accounts for friends and family, I often find it difficult to find time to celebrate because writingContinue reading “Red Rocks & Champagne”

28

Prologue: I had planned to post this the week of my birthday. At least before the end of February, but I got sick after my trip to Seattle and Aya leaving. Luckily, I tested negative for COVID and didn’t get Aya sick either. But it’s more like a UTI turned bladder infection? My physician can’tContinue reading “28”

It’s not as bad as I thought: Progress as Department Chair

It’s been about four months since this semester started—four months as department head. At the onset, I was pretty nervous. As soon as I got the position in the spring, I was ready to take on responsibility. Though the previous chair did not want to put anything on me since I was not getting paid—IContinue reading “It’s not as bad as I thought: Progress as Department Chair”

Shelter-in-Place Log #4

School has been closed since March 13th, 2020 and Governor Gavin Newsom ordered a Shelter-in-Place on March 17th, 2020. Despite other pandemics in recent decades (H1N1, SARS, Ebola, etc.) there hasn’t been a global pandemic or even state-wide shutdown during those times. And in accordance to SFUSD’s Continuity of Learning Protocol, all assignments at thisContinue reading “Shelter-in-Place Log #4”

Shelter-in-Place Log #3

March 25, 2020: Today the superintendent announced that six Bay Area school districts will extend the closure through May 1st and SFUSD being one of them. Like I mentioned in one of the previous logs— I am surprised and not surprised that they have extended the closure. I’m glad they did keeping in mind public safety, but now whatContinue reading “Shelter-in-Place Log #3”

Shelter-in-Place Log #2

Currently, SFUSD has put out what they define as the “Continuity of Learning” to address what [at least our district is doing, not so sure across the state] students could be doing and what teachers should be doing. Before the city-wide lockdown & shelter-in-place, I already anticipated that closure was upon us, especially with theContinue reading “Shelter-in-Place Log #2”