I am an instructional assistant, in which my primary job is to assist the preschool teacher
in handling his class. Here at CCHS, I organize the learning materials, preparing supplies for the lesson plan and straightening up the classroom, helping the preschool teacher in managing the class and supporting him in planning and presenting lessons. To be one is such a great privilege. With those devoirs, I am also given a wonderful and special task – handling 7 adorable and endearing toddlers (ages 2-3). I've been teaching these little ones since November 2021 up until now.
I've wanted to be a teacher ever since I can remember. For 4 years, I was a teacher to more or less 25 pupils (ages 9-10) in a 4 th grade class at my previous workplace. So, this is my first time to teach toddlers. I love my job and learn more each day. I've read many books about handling toddlers and how to teach these young ones I am passionate about what I do and my day would not be complete if I would miss seeing them and not able to spend time with them even just for a couple of minutes. Their smiles are precious and I love the fact that having them is as sweet as a honeycomb.
Whenever I teach toddlers, I just feel the moment and enjoy every second with them. I love to teach when I am enjoying. I do my best just to make them feel comfortable while they are learning. We all know that these babies love to play and explore a lot of things, even though they cannot communicate well using words. As a teacher, I consider every single minute with them like having a family time which must be filled with genuine laughter and lots of exciting and fun-filled activities.
To be a teacher to these kids is not easy. It is not just simply a responsibility by profession. It is a dream of anyone who is seeking for a joy through shaping young minds and hearts. Yes, toddlers sometimes are not easy to handle with. To be more specific, whenever one of them gets into tantrum, it is not easy to handle him/her especially during class discussions. Good thing, in CSC, we have childcare workers to assist and help deal with these situations. For the child to not disturb the class, they can pull him/her out, of course, with proper and gentle assistance to make sure the kid is still under monitored and well-taken care of. When the child gets better, he/she can join the class again.
There is beauty in teaching. I may face different phases of difficulty about it, but God's strength is enough. His wisdom enables me to do my responsibilities and His love teaches me to see the real beauty in it. And if God has given me the greatest gift a person could ever have, "Salvation through Christ," I can say that He has a purpose for me with this job that I have right now. He had impressed my heart with a desire to love kids and to shape the lives of these adorable young ones. I praise the Lord for giving me this wonderful favor of being a teacher – serving for His glory, His kingdom and for Him alone.
First Day of School
Everybody is excited when the schoolyear is about to begin. CSC kids love school!
On the fifteenth day of this month, school was officially opened to all the students of CCHS. The students walked to school with big smiles that told everyone how happy they were to be back at school and how ready they were to learn new things. They were accompanied by their house parents, aunties, and some members of the staff. The adults, too, were so glad to see all of the students march to school with cheer.
Upon arriving at school, the students were welcomed with wide open arms by their loving teachers. The teachers had thoughtfully prepared everything to give the students a great kick off for the schoolyear 2019-2020. True enough, the first day went really well. The teachers and students worked together to begin creating a positive community in which to learn.
At the end of the day the students went home feeling loved and excited again for the next day of school.
The Cebu Children of Hope School is an important part of the larger CSC ministry. Students not only gain academic skills but, with the help of their dedicated teachers, also learn equally valuable lessons like responsibility, problem-solving, cooperation, and self-control.
Thank you supporters for enabling us to impact these great kids to be the people God made them to be!
What's New @ CCHS?
Today is the first day of school at Cebu Children of Hope School!
With the start of the new school year, we wanted to let you know about some great new parts of our school.
New Students
We are excited to have five new students join us this school year, four in preschool and one in second grade. We can't wait to have them in school!
New Teacher
We are happy to welcome Teacher Kristine to our team. She will be an Instructional Assistant for this school year. She is a fresh graduate from Cebu Normal University, one of the top universities in Cebu. She has her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Special Education.
New Curriculum
We are extremely grateful for our supporters for their generosity! Because of YOU we were able to purchase a new reading and writing curriculum to replace our 15 year old curriculum. Special thanks to Shari Reasoner who helped us research different curricula to find the best one for our students. It was purchased in the States and, with the help of many visitors, the materials were brought to Cebu, suitcase by suitcase. We are thankful for everyone who made it possible!
New Technology
Starting this school year every teacher will have the opportunity to use the newly installed overhead projectors and document cameras in their classrooms. This equipment was donated by a longtime supporter of CSC and we are incredibly grateful for his contribution! This upgrade will greatly help our teachers present their lessons in a very systematic and creative way, bringing the lessons to life!
These are just a few glimpses of the new things that we have at CCHS. We encourage you to rejoice with us as we experience God's abundant blessings through our faithful supporters. Join us in welcoming the new school year and journey with us this school year 2019-2020!
All Our Days
This video kind of sums up the feelings of Marlys and me about the history of CSC. For 14,600 days, He has been with us. He is the God of all our days!
Summer At CSC
As a school administrator I get a little excited for summer break. It's a time to reflect on the past school year, celebrate the great things God did, and dream about "what could be" for the next school year.
Class at CCHS is out for the summer, I'm sitting at my desk planning for the upcoming school year, and I still hear kids. What's going on?
I peek my head out of my office and I smell a wonderful aroma. Auntie Lourdes, a longtime house mom, is leading a cooking class in the school kitchen. She is teaching our older kids how to cook a delicious Filipino meal.
After sitting and eating with them (I just had to have a few bites) I walk into the Big Room. Our Program Director's husband, John, is facilitating guitar lessons with an excited group of girls. He is leading several different guitar groups during the week. Everytime I see Rovilito at the Shelter he talks about learning the guitar. This morning he ran up to me and said he knows how to play two songs already!
In another classroom violin lessons are taking place. Cris has been super excited to learn how to play violin and a CSC volunteer is making it happen.
I have the pleasure of leading a small group of budding marathoners in our Summer Run Club. We meet twice a week and have fun running and playing games together. They love running up the road from the school though they quickly learned downhill is much more fun!
If you walked into the new Banawa McDonald's recently you would have been greeted by some CSC kids who were part of McDo's Kiddie Crew. Many of our kids took part in this yummy summer "job" and they did everything from take people's orders to make cheeseburgers to tell departing customers, "Thanks for coming to McDonald's. See you again soon!"
Summers at CSC look different from year to year but they are always well-planned and filled with lots of fun! Just ask the kids!