Staff Blog

Teacher Kristen is new to the CCHS team and we are so glad she is with us. Read on to find out what lesson she learned in her first few weeks on the job.

   This is my first year ever teaching and I am so glad to be at Cebu Children of Hope School! The things they taught me in college have prepared me for the classroom, but only to a certain point. I've been struggling a bit with new routines and new students. I have tried many of the strategies I learned in college to help students focus in class but they haven't helped much.

     I remember when I was a student like them. School was tiring for me as I had to sit most of the day and just listen to the teacher. Not very fun. When I started teaching this year I realized I was doing the same thing my past teachers did, things that made me, as a student, bored. In the first few weeks of school my students at CCHS taught me that I was too idealistic when it came to teaching. They taught me that I needed to cool down and start embracing their unique qualities.

     Once I realized this I made some changes in my classroom. I started to really listen to them and smile more. Very quickly I saw changes in their behavior. Now I am having fun teaching them and I love how they respond in class- showing excitement to learn!

     Teachers are supposed to be the ones to teach kids. At CCHS I have learned that often kids can be great teachers.

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.

                                                                                                                      -Ignacio Estrada

Last December our topic in science was about the phases of the moon.  My science students were confused about how the moon changes during its phases. The phases of the moon depend upon its position in relation to the sun and earth. As the moon makes its way around the earth, we see the bright parts of the moon's surface at different angles. These are called "phases" of the moon.  Aside from discussing this, I wanted the students to understand through practical application, so I looked for an idea from the internet. We did an activity to illustrate the phases with the use of biscuits.

They were excited to eat the biscuits.

Another topic in science class was about water forms. Our activity for this was about plants in fresh water and plants in salt water. The students learned how some plants grow in fresh water and some grow in salt water. They learned about the differences between fresh and salt water.

They were happy to see their plants growing.

Learning and understanding takes place in the classroom setting and through experimentation and application.

-Rhasie Gantuangco, Instructional Assistant

People enjoy music because it can be a way of expressing themselves, showing what they feel. Last week the CCHS kids expressed their God- given talents at a recital praise night. It was a very exciting and surprising night for everyone. The kids couldn’t wait to perform and were so excited for the program, even the smaller ones. As one student, Jhaycob, approached me he said, “Dugay pako teacher”? (How long will I wait?)

CSC staff, teachers, and other invited guests were also excited and wanted to hear what the kids had been learning in music class and lessons. Many of the children are relatively new to the shelter, so it was their first time playing an instrument. I can truly say that it was really something out of nothing. Earlier in the school year, the kids had no idea what music is all about or how to play an instrument. The kids were amazing as they performed their pieces in front of an audience. It was also an opportunity to really appreciate the effort of the music teacher teaching the students in order for them to play the different instruments. With proper guidance and training, the kids were able to show what they have learned with style. Everyone was entertained and excited, especially with the drummers.

What happened at the recital was not just entertainment. There is something that we need to ponder out of that event. It's really a good thing seeing our kids glorifying God with their talents. An example of this was Pretchy who composed a song about our Saviour, Jesus Christ and sang it for us. We're also glad to see them standing in front of many people with courage.

It is important for each person at the school and shelter to help build the kids’ courage because it is a positive attitude for them to have. The kids learned so much from the entire experience and we can learn from them as well. Music is pleasant to one's ear and it influences many people. We can be music also by touching others’ lives for God. As we inspire them, we're building up their courage. We can make a change in others’ lives if there is proper guidance. At the beginning, one takes a risk on how to teach the kids, but they will really excel if there’s guidance. And it was proven with our praise night.

God is working in our midst. He heals the broken hearted and blesses each one of us. Let us be music that touches others’ hearts.

-Abigail Oblianda, Instructional Assistant

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran was the last story in our theme on Imagination in reading this quarter and it was the best story I have ever heard for this theme.  When I was reading before the class started, I was fascinated with how the children in the story enjoyed their childhood life and played all day with their neighborhood friends in a village they created from stones, boxes, and desert glass.   Even after the children in the story had grown up and moved away, they still remembered the make-believe village they had created so long ago.  After reading the story, I remembered my childhood days with my brother, sister, and neighborhood friends.  We did not create a village like Roxaboxen, but we played in the mansanitas tree, rode our bicycles, and ran in our neighbor’s garden taking the fruit and vegetables.  I wish I could go back to where I grew up, full of enjoyment and excitement.

Every child has memories of his childhood days.   After we finished reading the story in class, I asked my Level B2 students to share experiences from their childhood days.  They all shared about their life at the shelter.  Similar to my experience, they have not had a Roxaboxen, but they are very happy and enjoy playing with their friends at CCHS. 

In order to experience this make-believe Roxaboxen a little bit more, we made our own small town on a board filled with beads for stones in between houses drawn on the board. 

Everyone was so excited.  While we were making our own Roxaboxen, my students felt like they were in a real place.  They used their imagination to create a great Roxaboxen of their own.  Congrats kids!

Remember!  “Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.” So never stop imagining and dreaming.  God Bless!!!!

-Clayd Verzales, Level B Teacher

On October 7, 2014 Science Groups 2B, 3, and 4 went to a Science Exhibit at Park Mall.  The exhibit had all kinds of cool science phenomenon the kids could explore.  Everyone was excited to discover new things. They tried all the different exhibits and were amazed at how science works.

Lots of Learning going on!

Exploring the Van de Graff generator. She looks cool with that hair.

Attending the Science Exhibit encouraged intellectual curiousity, sharpened the kids' critical thinking, and helped them draw conclusions about the world around them.  

-Rhasie Gantuangco, Instructional Assistant