The following are narration of events of how one kind soul gave my kids a chance for a better learning experience by showing me that a commitment in teaching also means believing that my students deserve the very best; no matter the circumstance:
Sunday (day before the visit): I was concerned and anxious for my kids and a certain Teach for America corps member. Being immersed to my school community—to the point of submersion—made me believe that there can be certain limitations with working with kids. Especially if you handle the 11th section out of the twelve sections in grade 3, certain bloodletting sacrifices will be made.
Monday (recess time): While I was in my corner of peace, Teacher Shalea walked around my classroom eager to meet every one of my students with her barely passing “Anong pangalan mo?” (What is your name?) Tagalog spiel. It immediately put my first day of meeting with my students to shame. I was completely capable of communicating with my students yet; I chose to sit in my corner silently profiling each one of them.
Tuesday: We decided to explain different emotions with my students. Surprisingly—for me that is—it was a success. Fast-forward to now; my kids have a wide range of vocabulary of emotions rather than the very extreme “masaya” (happy) and “malungkot” (sad). When my kids get into trouble, it now helps to ask them how they feel or how someone might feel that allows them to understand the outcomes to their action.
Wednesday: I tried the getting-to-know-what-you-feel activity with the other section that I also teach. I found out that, in general, my kids have no idea what hunger feels like. I usually get mad at my students for not being able to explain the reason for their actions, I now understand that sometimes they actually just don’t know; its my job to define these complex feelings for them.
Thursday: The day of the dreaded classroom management strategy that I have been planning to do even before the collaboration; but I was deliberately avoiding thinking that it is utterly impossible. At the end of the day Teacher Shalea commended that my kids did great on our little experiment. Heck I thought they were awesome; which again, surprised me. The guilt is now sinking in, it’s been two months and it appears that I don’t know my kids well or that I have misjudged them
Wednesday: It was my time to surprise my LMU partner teacher with how generous my kids are. The day before our meeting we had a letter writing lesson and my kids unanimously decoded to write a “liham ng pasasalamat” (thank you letter) to teacher Shalea. The letters were unedited, yet the letters showed how thankful my kids are for having teacher Shalea.
Thursday: Teacher Shalea taught Math armed with Manila paper and cutouts of blocks, sticks, and dots out of scratch papers. No fancy and colorful materials, no games that requires running around in chaos. Nevertheless, my kids had fun and they were able to learn. The best part about it was that we were able to show our kids that there are different ways to solve math and it really depends on what is easier for the student. Unknowingly, teacher Shalea achieved my goal of independent learning and freedom in learner’s individuality.
Friday: The whole day my kids and I kept looking at the small corner where our visitor-turned-awesome-teacher sat. One kid asked, “Teacher, babalik pa ba si teacher Shalea?” (Teacher, will Teacher Shalea come back?). I just smiled and internally replied, “It doesn’t matter, I know that in short time that she spent with you, what you learned from her will perpetually stick.”
Present day: I still hesitate sometimes, I still doubt if I’ll be able to pull it through or that my students would make it. The past two weeks however proved my it-would-not-work-with-my-kids mentality wrong; we just did it and I have no more excuse on why I cant do even better. What I learned is that my students don’t need me to show them what they are not yet capable of, I am there for my students to make them believe of the greater things they can be. My short encounter with teacher Shalea made me the student this time. I hope that opportunities like this would be made accessible with more TFP fellows so that all Fellows would have a chance at quality learning too. As a Teacher-Fellow I, too, am learning through my teaching.
Sunday (day before the visit): I was concerned and anxious for my kids and a certain Teach for America corps member. Being immersed to my school community—to the point of submersion—made me believe that there can be certain limitations with working with kids. Especially if you handle the 11th section out of the twelve sections in grade 3, certain bloodletting sacrifices will be made.
Monday (recess time): While I was in my corner of peace, Teacher Shalea walked around my classroom eager to meet every one of my students with her barely passing “Anong pangalan mo?” (What is your name?) Tagalog spiel. It immediately put my first day of meeting with my students to shame. I was completely capable of communicating with my students yet; I chose to sit in my corner silently profiling each one of them.
Tuesday: We decided to explain different emotions with my students. Surprisingly—for me that is—it was a success. Fast-forward to now; my kids have a wide range of vocabulary of emotions rather than the very extreme “masaya” (happy) and “malungkot” (sad). When my kids get into trouble, it now helps to ask them how they feel or how someone might feel that allows them to understand the outcomes to their action.
Wednesday: I tried the getting-to-know-what-you-feel activity with the other section that I also teach. I found out that, in general, my kids have no idea what hunger feels like. I usually get mad at my students for not being able to explain the reason for their actions, I now understand that sometimes they actually just don’t know; its my job to define these complex feelings for them.
Thursday: The day of the dreaded classroom management strategy that I have been planning to do even before the collaboration; but I was deliberately avoiding thinking that it is utterly impossible. At the end of the day Teacher Shalea commended that my kids did great on our little experiment. Heck I thought they were awesome; which again, surprised me. The guilt is now sinking in, it’s been two months and it appears that I don’t know my kids well or that I have misjudged them
Wednesday: It was my time to surprise my LMU partner teacher with how generous my kids are. The day before our meeting we had a letter writing lesson and my kids unanimously decoded to write a “liham ng pasasalamat” (thank you letter) to teacher Shalea. The letters were unedited, yet the letters showed how thankful my kids are for having teacher Shalea.
Thursday: Teacher Shalea taught Math armed with Manila paper and cutouts of blocks, sticks, and dots out of scratch papers. No fancy and colorful materials, no games that requires running around in chaos. Nevertheless, my kids had fun and they were able to learn. The best part about it was that we were able to show our kids that there are different ways to solve math and it really depends on what is easier for the student. Unknowingly, teacher Shalea achieved my goal of independent learning and freedom in learner’s individuality.
Friday: The whole day my kids and I kept looking at the small corner where our visitor-turned-awesome-teacher sat. One kid asked, “Teacher, babalik pa ba si teacher Shalea?” (Teacher, will Teacher Shalea come back?). I just smiled and internally replied, “It doesn’t matter, I know that in short time that she spent with you, what you learned from her will perpetually stick.”
Present day: I still hesitate sometimes, I still doubt if I’ll be able to pull it through or that my students would make it. The past two weeks however proved my it-would-not-work-with-my-kids mentality wrong; we just did it and I have no more excuse on why I cant do even better. What I learned is that my students don’t need me to show them what they are not yet capable of, I am there for my students to make them believe of the greater things they can be. My short encounter with teacher Shalea made me the student this time. I hope that opportunities like this would be made accessible with more TFP fellows so that all Fellows would have a chance at quality learning too. As a Teacher-Fellow I, too, am learning through my teaching.