Staff Blog
The fourth quarter of the school year was about to start and we decided to move up some students who were academically progressing to a new grade level. I was delighted, excited, and yet a little bit nervous thinking that I would have a new student who is intelligent, gifted, and of course, well-loved by everyone both in school and in the shelter.
The first few weeks were filled with many things to adapt to, and I prayed that the new student would not be too overwhelmed by the change. Slowly, with the help of the responsive classroom approach we implemented, it supports the student to have an easy transition to a new environment.
In our school, we usually do our morning routines such as greetings, group sharing activities, reading of the morning message, and praying before we start our classes. One of the best memories of my journey with this boy was when he first greeted me with my name as his "new teacher" and hugged me. He even asked me about my morning. He was so excited!
The first day with him was not as smooth as I hoped for. There were a few bumps. This was the reason why we observed him in the classroom and modifications were made to suit the student's needs. He would always choose to be the first person in the line, but I explained that we have our rules on "taking turns," and he already had his chance. When I checked on him outside the classroom the next day, he sat on his spot and patiently waited for others to come. I realized that firmness and consistency are two powerful tools to achieve successful classroom management.
Another classroom scene that made my day was when we had our group sharing. Knowing that younger students are visual learners, I added fun pictures to make our sharing more interactive and to get their attention. As I flashed some images on the screen, I heard him laugh as if he was being tickled. It went on for a long time, and it certainly gave his classmates a stomachache laughing with him which caused a little bit of chaos in the class. So, I gave him 30 seconds, and he did stop. It was effective, then we began with our sharing. Since that moment, we've been working on calling the name of the next sharer. He was very observant and quick to realize that he needed to do the same to his classmates. To our surprise, he was able to call the next sharer without his classmate's help and use the phrase "Popcorn, student's name." Everyone in the class was shocked and happy, telling me, "Teacher Lyrah, have you heard him saying popcorn? He learns so fast!" Truly, success happens not just because of one person working as "the teacher," but it includes the students and peers who help one another and have a common goal to lift each other up.
Moreover, I have noticed that he is gifted and very clever. I had set aside things each morning and prepared different materials that he would need to stay focused in our class. These things will be given after each class activity. It was essential to remind him that he needed to finish his tasks then he could use what is prepared for him. Well, being firm with expectations and setting classroom boundaries are challenging at times; however, at CCHS we always do it with love and care.
He appeared to be adjusting into our classroom setting over the next few days. He also loves to participate when being asked. Though, he needed some reminders from time to time for him to stay on track. There was one instance in the middle of our discussion he stood up and asked for his dinosaur books. We stopped, and most of his classmates reminded him to ask permission every time he stands or wants to have something. He did go back to his seat and asked permission. But it was not time for him to read a book yet. So, he participated in our reading first and answered all the activities. Then he got the book for him to enjoy. Another strategy that was very effective to him was giving him a time frame before he could get his desired reading materials. These things didn't come easy, it requires hard work, patience, determination, cooperation, and above all, love. We made a lot of classroom modifications to cater for his needs and the rest of the class.
To be successful in the classroom, as teachers, we need to set clear classroom boundaries for our students.
As Colossians 3:23-24 says: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."
Nutrition is Important
Recently, Children of Hope School emphasized nutrition along with the rest of the schools in the Philippines. There are some many benefits to eating healthy foods. The children learned many things from the basics of what foods are healthy to why some foods are good for you and some are bad for you.
Enjoy this song from two of the students!
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | School News |
God bless and Godspeed to you, Auntie Sandy!
Last Saturday, the staff, the Aunties, Uncles and children of CSC sang the traditional farewell song for and prayed over Auntie Sandy. It was a surreal experience to be saying goodbye to one of CSC's founders. Auntie Sandy has been a fixture at CSC for the past 36 years. She is a very important and real part of so many of our children's and adoptive families' stories. She has left an impressive legacy and she will not be forgotten.
There are many things we will miss about Auntie Sandy:
Like the fact, that she and only she, can put that beaming smile on Joemar's face! :)
The fact that her arms and her heart are always open for a child in need of loving.
Her excitement when passing out donations!
How she values and and encourages others.
What she means to everyone at CSC: Aunties, Uncles, staff and children.
How much she loves the color blue! ;)
There are so many more things about Auntie Sandy that we miss; I cannot possibly list them all here. And truth be told, her absence is felt every day, but the shelter that she and others started all those years ago, must continue on and move forward. Because there are still children that need help. God's work is not done in Cebu. And though CSC will not be the same without her as it was with her, she has left a foundation upon which this ministry can and will build.
I have had the privilege of working alongside Auntie Sandy for the past few years. I first started working at CSC in 2011, serving as the Interm Child Development Director while Sandy had a year-long furlough in MN. What a whirlwind year of learning and growth that was! When she returned and resumed her role as the Director, I became an additional member of the Child Development team, working also with Ruth and Amy. In preparing for Sandy's retirement, I was asked to direct the Child Development department. It is an honor I have accepted. I have learned much in the 4 years I have been here and I know I will continue to learn. Thank you, Auntie Sandy, for your wisdom shared and the opportunity to watch you at work.
God Bless and Godspeed to you, Auntie Sandy!
Please pray for Auntie Sandy as she continues to serve CSC in MN over the next year and as she moves into retirement, that God will continue to use her to further His kingdom. Please pray for CSC in Cebu as well. I would appreciate your prayers as I start my new position and as the Child Development team learns to function with only three members now instead of four.
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | Staff Reflections |
Update on Julieto
Many people who are familiar with CSC are familiar with
Julieto. He hasn’t been around much the past several months because he’s been
working as a baker. It was pretty exciting news when he got his job. You maybe
read about it on facebook or heard about it from someone else connected with
CSC.
I’ve been looking through old blog posts and seeing Julieto the other day made me think about some of the posts I read. He’s had quite a journey through his time at CSC and it’s been great to get to know him a little bit. You should get to know him better and read these two old posts!
As I mentioned earlier he finally got that job as a baker. It’s common for many jobs in the Philippines for people to be employed on short contracts, usually six months or so. Julieto enjoyed his job and recently fulfilled his contract but he’s glad to have a little break. He was working very hard, often picking up overtime shifts and most of us rarely saw him.
That was last week and he’s already looking for more work. Please pray for Julieto and that God will lead him as he looks for the next thing!
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | Shelter News |
Uncle Mitch
I wanted to take this time to highlight one of our missionary staff---Uncle Mitch. It is more likely that you find him behind the camera, rather than in front of it, so I had to search far and wide to find pictures that he is actually in! ;)
Uncle Mitch cares for and invests in CSC's children. And has for quite some time, as you can see!
He represents CSC well in all sorts of occasions. And is a pro at groundbreaking ceremonies!
He is an organized, polished and entertaining emcee!
He lovingly prays over our kids at birthday parties!
These are just a few reasons why Uncle Mitch is important to CSC's ministry and to our children. Next week he will be speaking at GLOBAL, a major adoption conference, held in Manila. Please pray for him regarding his speech and his time there, but beyond next week, please pray for him as he continues to oversee so many tasks that are integral to the smooth running of this ministry.
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | Staff Reflections |
Erna and Bobong
Erna Ahlmann is a former CSC resident who returned to CSC for the summer to work at Children of Hope School, filling in as an instructional assistant for a person who was on maternity leave. Since Erna is an instructional assistant at an elementary school in Minnesota, this was a perfect fit. A number of cool stories could be shared about Erna and her time in Cebu, so here is one story:
Actually this is going to be more about Tomas Marayan who is affectionately known as Bobong around school. Bobong has worked as a maintenance man at the school since it opened in August of 1998! He does pretty much any and everything related to taking care of the facilities. If we have a question about anything at school, Bobong is the go-to guy. He also does many tasks that are probably not really part of his job description like serving morning snacks to the kids.
Well, the first day Erna was at school and we introduced her to Bobong, he remembered her immediately! I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised, but a lot of kids have come and gone over the years and Erna left more than 15 years ago. But Bobong remembered Erna and he went on to tell her who her teacher had been (Teacher Grace) and where she sat in the classroom. Wow!
Later in the day, we had a problem with the
laminator and Bobong was trying to fix it.
Erna jumped right in and helped Bobong, fanning him to stay cool and problem
solving. Right away it struck me how
significant this day was with Bobong and Erna meeting each other again. Erna went to Cebu to give back some of the
kindness she had been shown. Bobong had
helped Erna when she was a very young girl and his heart is so big he even
remembered her after all those years. Here
they were working together to help the children who are at the shelter now. Priceless.
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | School News |
