Staff Blog

Well, this was the day I had been waiting for, the first all-school activity I was in charge of (along with Teacher Cora) in my new job as a teacher at CCHS.  Teacher Cora and I were the facilitators of the Reading Challenge Kick-off, a contest that runs for six weeks to see how much everyone can read.  The activity started with a prayer followed by a video presentation. Next was a short skit that really made me nervous. It was not easy to talk in front of the students since it was my first time to be in charge. 

As the skit started, the students were wondering where I was going because I was carrying a bag.  I pretended I had come from the library after borrowing books.  Teacher Cora asked questions about the books I had “borrowed.”  Some of the kids were laughing and cheering.  I was still pretty nervous.  Then all the teachers started singing a rehearsed song, “I Love Reading.”  The students joined in dancing and singing the song. 

Following the skit, each reading teacher announced the reading goals for the different classes.  The students were mostly excited and a bit nervous themselves about meeting the goals.  Games of “What’s the Word?” and “What’s Missing?” topped off the activities.  The kids had to think hard and work together.

The event ended with lots of smiles on the kids’ faces.  They showed their willingness to learn, read, discover and broaden their imagination through reading. They were ready to dive into reading good books!  Reading more will help in shaping their futures.

Being a teacher implies that when I am inside the classroom, I possess various roles.  I may be a model, a facilitator, a motivator, a surrogate-parent and so on.  Being a teacher at CCHS is a fulfilling job for me because I know every student has some specific learning need.  I may not be able to totally fulfill all their needs, but I can help each child attain more. 

Young kids always love to play and be imaginative.  Recently one day in Civics class was a particularly good day of fun and learning for me and my students.  Our topic on that day was studying about the various beautiful, historical, and well-known places in the Philippines.

I told the kids we were going on a trip.  I started our class with, “Kids I want you to close your eyes.  Pretend we are going to ride an airplane to Manila. We’ll start in Cebu and go visit the beautiful places in Luzon.”  Then the kids opened their eyes and looked at the pictures of different places in Luzon.  We “visited” Rizal Park, Fort Santiago, the Rice Terraces, and a lot more.

I was amazed at the interaction during the lesson.  The students asked a lot of questions and were curious about each place.  They wanted to know more about different places in our country, the Philippines.

And as I finished the class that day, I knew the kids had learned a lot and I felt fulfilled as their Civics teacher.

Erna is helping out at Cebu Children of Hope School for a couple of months.  She is assisting in preschool while Teacher Junelyn is on maternity leave and helping out in a number of classes in the afternoons.

Erna lived at CSC years ago. She and her sister were adopted by a family in the United States in 1999.

It's great to have Erna back with us at CSC for a couple of months.  Thanks for sharing your gifts and talents with the kids at CSC Erna!

We have about forty-five minutes left in the first day of school.  Whew!  The kids came this morning with new hair cuts and new shoes, all spruced up for the occasion.  Of course, the kids were wondering who their teachers were going to be in the morning and afternoon classes.  "Who is Teacher Lyrah?"  "Who do I have for Civics?"  After the kids went home for lunch, the teachers breathed a collective sigh, thankful the morning had gone relatively well.  With six new teachers, that was a good sign.  The day has not been perfect with one minor disagreement between two boys and a couple of scheduling snafus, but everyone seems happy to be here.  Carpe diem!  

Just as the kids are finishing up summer activities and heading into the last three weeks of their summer break, the school staff is getting geared back up to kick off the new school year.  Whew!  Summer went by so fast!  The staff reports back on Monday, June 8 for two weeks of planning and preparation.  Six new people will join our staff this year, so we have lots to do to get ready for the kids on June 22.  Five of the new members are from Cebu or someplace nearby.  Each will bring a fresh set of skills, one is an elementary major, another is a math major and yet another is a special education major.  The sixth new person, Amanda, is from the US, just having completed her studies in science education.  It’s been a couple of years since we have had a teacher from North America, so we are looking forward to having a native English speaker on the staff full time. 

Amanda

More news of fun and learning will follow from the school halls in the weeks and months to come, but as we get ready for the kids, think of us and pray especially for the six new teachers, Alfie, Micillent, Lyrah, Amanda, Ethel and Ivy, who have committed to teaching at CCHS this year.