Staff Blog

A week from today Cebu Children of Hope School will be having their annual Sportsfest. The kids have signed up for their events and are anxiously awaiting. They are excited to participate in track and field events. The teacher are busy preparing the ribbons and getting the equipment ready for the big event. The Kids along with the teachers are preparing a banner and cheer for each team. Everyone is excited! 
Here are some photo of the teachers getting ready.  Check back next Friday to see pictures of the kids in their events and to hear more about Sportsfest 2016! The Teacher's of CCHS are very busy making awards!The venue is ready for the Sportsfest 

Uncle Edwin is preparing the hurdles. 

Christmas is coming! All of the children are becoming more excited as each day passes. During Christmas, we remember the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. We think about giving and receiving gifts as we remember the most precious Gift to this world.

Each of the students at the Children of Hope School were asked what they want to give Jesus for Christmas. Here are a few of their responses:

"Dear Jesus, My gift for you Jesus is I will dance."

"Dear Jesus, My gift for you is a flower."

"I will give Jesus my heart."

"Dear Jesus, I will give my love to you."

"I will give Jesus a house."

"love my friends"

"Dear Jesus, I will honor you with my voice."

"obey the teachers"

"I will give Jesus my life. I will also give Him my talent to draw."

"My gift for Jesus is I want to be a missionary and to spread the word of God."

"I will give Jesus a crown."

            Books are the source of knowledge and one of the fundamental tools in imparting knowledge to learners. This is how I define books and I experienced a memorable and significant lifetime event that I will treasure forever.

            Level B Group 2 students were preparing to share their learning during the morning meeting, so they decided to present a poem titled, “If You’re Not From the Prairie”.  Everyone was able to memorize the poem and they presented it in the front of everybody.  This poem left a strong impression of all of the students, especially the Level B1 Group 1 students.

            Later on in the afternoon, I opened the door to the classroom for my last class.  This is the toughest class each day.  When I walked in, I was surprised and puzzled.  Everyone was holding their reading books, but this was science class! All at once, the students started reading in a loud voice, “Teacher Lyrah, if you’re not from the prairie, you don’t know the sun!  If you’re not from the prairie, you don’t know me!” 

            This group of kids have just started using this particular reading text and are on the first unit in the book.  The prairie poem is in the last unit of the book, so is challenging for the kids to read and understand.  But somehow they had been inspired by the poem when it was presented during the morning meeting. They wanted to share their excitement. 

            I smiled and praised them for reading the poem. One student said,” Teacher Lyrah, we have your book!  Remember? If you’re not from the prairie, you don’t know the sun.”

            I encouraged them to continue to read and learn from their reading. There are a lot of moral stories that they can learn from the book.            

            I learned something that day.  Kids have many talents and thoughts.  We, as teachers and adults, should look for and encourage the children to grow, knowing they have innate and hidden talents.  And the children are just starting to bloom.

“No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.”

            At first I was unsure and nervous about how to establish a teacher-student relationship with this sweet little girl.  I had noticed she sometimes got upset when a lesson was hard for her.  But with proper encouragement, motivation, and guidance, she now seems to have developed a readiness to face the challenges of our lessons.

            It started off one day in Math when she called to me, “Teacher, ale.”(which means please come over here).  I was puzzled about what she wanted.  She whispered to me and said, “Can you sit beside me?”  This gesture helped me realize she was having a hard time with the lesson.

            As the days have passed, this has become our routine.  When she needs me, she just calls my name and nods her head.  Calling my name and nodding her head is our sign language and we both understand.

            Recently one day during our Math class, I tried to sit beside her without having received the sign.  She resisted and said, “No teacher, I know this.” I learned that day to wait for her signal.

            Establishing a teacher-student relationship is very significant.  It is how we as teachers establish trust and boost a student’s confidence.  Perhaps, we are not only a teacher, but also a friend.

We are halfway through the year at the Children of Hope School!  This past week marked the end of second quarter. Students were diligently reviewing and preparing for their quarterly exams at the end of the week.  Teachers were busy writing tests and helping their students review content they had learned over second quarter.

The idea of taking quarterly exams can be stressful for some students.  Still, they persevere.  Below is a picture of a student finishing her science test.  The test was challenging for her, but instead of giving up, she took the time to review each question carefully. She asked questions when she needed clarification. This student has come a long way since the beginning of the school year.  She is learning to be patient with herself when she doesn’t understand the material.  She is learning to ask for help.  When she finally came to the last question on the test, she looked at me and exclaimed, “Oh! Teacher! I know this one!”  Ending her test with confidence was the best way for her to end second quarter.

This school year seemed to fly by so quickly! I can hardly believe how far we have come since June!  Please continue to pray for teachers and students as we begin the second half of the school year.