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."
First Tears
Level A class has one girl
and six boys and that lone girl is a sweety. She always wears a beautiful smile every day.
But one day during the first week of school, her smile turned to a frown and she
eventually shed some tears. The reason she was crying was because she got tired
of writing her name! The class kept on encouraging her to do it, but it didn’t
help. She was then brought outside the room to calm down. After a few minutes,
she was back with her beautiful smile again.
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Basketball!
The kids like games, sports, activities and visitors. Right before school started, a visitor shared his love of basketball with the kids.
Every morning for a week, the driveway was full of bouncing balls and kids learning new skills in basketball. Dribbling, passing, shooting, and rebounding were the focus, of course.
Basketball is not a new game at all in the Philippines, but all kids need to start learning at some point. This past week was the time for some of the CSC kids to learn a bit.
Some terms that are used in basketball vary from one side of the Pacific Ocean to the other. In the US, a made shot which hits only the net, not touching the rim or backboard, is called a “swish.” In the Philippines, that shot is called “ringless.”
Different cultures’ coming together always opens doors to learning new things, from new terms to different approaches to a game.
Check out the video of the basketball fun.
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Twin Babies Arrive
Today was fun at the shelter. Twin babies arrived!
The little boy and girl were born at Glory Reborn maternity clinic. So many loving hands and hearts have already cradled these precious children in their few short days. CSC is excited to continue the loving care which Glory Reborn started.
As the twins came in the gates of CSC, aunties from all the houses were buzzing, “Are those the new twin babies?” Hundreds of babies have received loving care at CSC and still the arrival of two more babies is an exciting event.
The little twins are settling into the Eicher nursery. The other toddlers are peeking into their crib. In the evening, the older children in Cherne home crowded around a camera to see a picture of the two new children.
The love and care for the new twins will come from everyone—toddlers to adults.
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When is snack time?
School opening is one of the most exciting events of the school year after weeks of summer vacation. Teachers and students have been waiting for this day to come.
For the teachers, this day marks the new adventure they will have with their students. On day one the teachers try to present the new school year with enthusiasm and anticipation that the students will learn their lessons in school.
For the students this day will be the confirmation of who they think their teachers are and their classmates in the morning and afternoon sessions. For the younger students it’s time to remember where they are going and figure out what comes next.
Here is an experience of one of our students:
At 9:30 the bell rang when it was snack time. All of the students were in the snack room to eat their snack. A new student asked for more snacks, but the teacher explained to him that one helping of snack was enough. So the student went to math class. The next time the bell rang for the start of math class, the new student asked, “Are we eating snack again?” He'll get the hang of it and figure out there is only one snack time in the morning.
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The Five Dollar Bill
A cool thing happened the other day. I was unpacking a box of math workbooks Tammy Vosika had brought over to Cebu. I had actually packed the box of books myself in Minnesota and taped it up, ready to go, and dropped it off at Tammy’s house. In Cebu as I unzipped the travel bag around the box, I noticed the tape was gone from the box. That was not surprising as boxes are often inspected at some point during the travel route. As I was taking the books out of the box, there was a five dollar bill taped to one of the books! I was a bit surprised and wondered out loud if Tammy had taped the money in between the books just to see if the inspection guys were honest. Tammy came around a bit later and I asked her about the money. She said she had not put any money in the box! So that meant an inspector at one of the airports, most likely Minneapolis or Chicago, had taped the five dollars to the box, contributing to the shelter and school. Maybe that person read the name of the orphanage on the outside of the travel bag. Maybe he had a connection to the Philippines. We’ll never know, but what a sweet and powerful reminder of God’s work. Thank you to that anonymous donor!
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