My Rock Star Teacher

"You 'kinda' like his discussion today. Just kinda?" Val quipped at me.

"Well, yeah. I guess so," I replied.

"You have got to be kidding me. I like all of his discussions! Social Science 2 is my favorite class and, yes, he is my favorite teacher. And you just 'kinda' like today's discussion?"

Our Social Science 2 class just finished. We were walking out the Palma Hall building as we talked. I have to get to another building soon because I have a long examination waiting for me on the next period. As I walked down the avenue, I can't help myself from replaying my conversation with Val.

Val and I are classmates in Social Science 2. In this class, we talk about Western thinkers: the dead, white and, uh, Western men who shaped the political, economic and social ideologies of the world.  And we are taught by a UP alumnus who is the former bassist of the (recently?) disbanded Sugarfree.

Sir Jalton Taguibao is our Social Science 2 instructor. He uses several styles of teaching to empart to us students the each and every ideals Western thinkers can give, or as the curriculum requires. He lets us read about each thinker in advance so that we can engage into a discourse, or a very fruitful discussion about Plato or Machiavelli. He speaks in English and Filipino very fluently in class. His eloquence is one of the many reasons why I am always interested in listeing to him.

There are also times when he let us watch educational videos. Sir Taguibao picks from a wide array of documentaries and documented UP lectures about the different philosophers.

As a UP student, we are also required to be updated with the current events here and abroad. He usually relates every lesson to the issues that affect Filipinos. Just recently, he talked about James Soriano, his provoking English essay and his justifying Filipino essay.

Sir Taguibao does not only talk about the government, the country and the politics that run it as examples. He also tells his own experiences as a student, a musician, an isko and a Filipino. One notable account he told us was about an MTV party held at a place owned by the Manotocs. To make the long story short, he was there to get a picture of himself with the love of his life only to realize that he has remembered his goal a little too late. His only consolation prize were a few pictures with the European cars, which were quite rare at the time, kept in the Manotoc's two-story garage. And to that he related the main points of St. Augustine's City of God.

Updated as he is, Sir Taguibao does not miss out on gadgets and gizmos. He has a BlackBerry phone, a Galaxy Tab and a MacBook, to name a few.

With all the good stuff I have shared, I can only share two not-so-good things about him. First, he assigns us reaction papers per philosopher. It is a bad thing if you do not have any idea who the thinker is, what the thinker did and what's your stand about it. It is also a bad thing if you do not really like writing essays. Second, he surprises us with involuntary oral recitation. When this happens, he holds the class list and calls us one by one. He asks us questions and it is up to us whether we will answer him or pass it to the next person. I am not really familiar with his point system, but I am sure that you get points when you answer and none of you don't. And trust me, he always catches us somehow unprepared, more or less.

But they are not totally bad things. Essay writing can help improve your communication skills and your understanding of the subject. Class recitations can also improve your verbal communication skills. It makes you always want to make sure that you have read and understood the materials about the philosophers.

In the end, I do not wish to force anybody into believeing that he is the best teacher in the world or that everyone should take just about any subject under him. On the other hand, I do want to say that I am sorry for only "kinda" liking his discussion. I very much like his discussions, the techniques he administered to ensure that we can grasp that most abstract of concepts, and everything that he taught me.

I was "kinda" hesitant to have a former bassist teach me Social Science. I was afraid his discussions will be superficial, as most celebrities seem to be. But I was wrong. I have learned and am continually learning great things from him. So if you want a rock star with a say for a teacher, he is the man for you.