Teacher Training 1

Tenth Month 23, 2011

This has been a very busy week. The pupils were preparing for the second quarter periodical examination and I was preparing to facilitate my first teacher training at my permanent site.
The topic for this training was basically working together to make English fun. 45 of the 52 teachers, the principal, and the district supervisor participated in the training. Before we got down to the business of learning how to work together, the school Filipino Dance Troupe honored us with two performances.

Filipino Dance Troupe

Filipino Dance Troupe

I started off the day by presenting the teachers with a silent challenge. 45 teachers and the principal had to arrange themselves in a line in order of their birthdays (month and day) WITHOUT TALKING. I am proud to say that they accepted and met the challenge. It was a great fun way to start the day and it made it easy for me to segue into my expectation that throughout the day we would all  listen when someone was speaking.

Birthday Line

 We spent the first half of the day exploring ways to work together to better serve the pupils. I presented information on the Myers-Briggs Trait Indicators. We completed a cognitive inventory, analyzed the results and completed amazing personality trees. We learned about ourselves, each other, our different preferences, and the effects of our preferences in work situations. I was impressed with how each teacher approached the activities. They consistently produced conscientious and thoughtful work. The personality trees exemplify the seriousness with which the teachers undertook the tasks of the day. Each tree was unique and truly reflected the fundamental beliefs (roots and trunks), skills (leaves), achievements (fruit), strengths(flowers), and challenges (thorns) experienced by the teachers at my site.

hard at work

Personality Tree

Personality Tree

Personality Tree

The second half of the day was dedicated to strategies to make English fun. This included a lecture and presentation on library development because convincing a child to read is much easier when they have access to a variety of interesting and provocative literature. The activities that the teachers enjoyed most were human scrabble and the closing read aloud, a planned oral reading of a book or print excerpt, usually related to a theme or topic of study. I always enjoy conducting a read aloud, and the teachers enjoyed discovering all of the fun English activities that can be planned around a carefully selected book.

Human Scrabble The winning word(s) Mountain Bike

I am pleased to report that God blessed all of my planning and preparation. The comments that the teachers took the time to write were very reassuring, and I look forward to future trainings with this dedicated group of educators.

One Month at Site

Tenth Month 17, 2011

I think this is an appropriate time for me to describe the school where I am assigned, and to share a little about the schedule and practices that I find interesting.

The School

The school has a total land area of 10,000 sq. m. Its location is the main contributing factor to high participation rate of 157% Parents from nearby barangays send their children to the school because most of the parents work at a nearby university.

The school is a complete elementary school in a second class municipality in the province of Laguna. It is a science and math pilot school (since 1990) which serves as training partner of four local universities in many projects and extension services.

The school is managed by a Principal III with 2,227 pupils, 53 teachers, one utility worker, one clerk and traffic aid.

 The Office

Teachers clock–in (an actual time clock and card) and sign an attendance book in the office when they arrive. The time cards are on a wall placed behind the teachers’ pictures and identifying information. Each teacher has a space on the wall with his/her picture, along with the following information:

Name Regina Renee Ward

D.O.B. 3-23-1971

Address Lopez Avenue, Los Banos, Laguna

Blood type: B positive

Degrees Earned: B.S. EdM MLIS

PRC No (teaching license number)

Original Date of Appointment 9-17-11

TIN No(Tax account number)

Phone # / Contact #

All of this information is on display and is placed on top of the time card which is concealed. Interesting.

The Schedule

Every morning when we enter class after the daily flag ceremony (7:15-7:30), we follow an established routine.

The morning routine: Prayer, greetings, lessons, recess, lessons, prayer, lunch.

Prayer: Let us pray. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord God, You made the world and promised to love and care for us. You sent your only son Jesus to save us, that whoever trusts Him will not be lost, but will have life that lasts forever. Thank you Lord for the kindness and generosity you have showered us. (Not a typo)

Bless us today with intelligence and wisdom to understand our schoolwork and activities; love, patience, and humbleness for our parents, teachers, classmates, and others; and peace, joy, and happiness may reign in our hearts forever. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Greetings: Good morning Ma’am Ward. Good morning classmates.

Lessons:             07:30 English

                            08:30 Math

Recess:               09:30 The students purchase snacks and drinks 

Lessons:             09:45 Filipino

                           10:45 HEKASI (Social Studies)

Prayer: Let us pray. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Angel of God my guardian dear. To whom His love commits me here.

Ever this day, be at my side, to light and guide, to rule and guard. Amen.

Before we leave to go home for lunch, the students recite in unison:

Good afternoon Ma’am Ward. Good afternoon classmates. See you this afternoon.

Lunch

The afternoon Routine: Greeting, lessons, prayer, farewell, dismissal

When we return from lunch, the students recite in unison:

Greeting: Good afternoon Ma’am Ward. Good afternoon classmates. It is nice to see you again.

Lessons:             12:30 Religion - for Catholics, Muslims, & "Born Agains"

                            13:00 Science

                            14:00 English (Grade 4)

                            15:00 Music Art P.E

Leader: Classmates please stand up. Are you ready to pray?

Class: Yes, we are.

Prayer:  Let us pray. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.  

Angel of God my guardian dear. To whom His love commits me here.

Ever this day, be at my side, to light and guide, to rule and guard. Amen.

When we leave for the day, the students recite in unison:

Farewell: Goodbye Ma’am Ward. Thank you for teaching us. Goodbye classmates. Cleaners today (insert the names of the cleaners for the day) See you tomorrow.

Dismissal:      Primary grades 15:30

                        Intermediate grades 16:00

                        Faculty and Staff 17:00

Miscellaneous Information that I find Interesting

Along with the core subjects, character building is on the pupil report card.

The pupils receive individual grades for each of the following:

1.     Honesty

2.     Courtesy

3.     Helpfulness and cooperation

4.     Resourcefulness and creativity

5.     Consideration to others

6.     Sportsmanship

7.     Obedience

8.     Self reliance

9.     Industry

10. Cleanliness and orderliness

11. Promptness and punctuality

12. Sense of responsibility

13. Love of God

14. Patriotism and love of country

*Class sections are determined based on grades. Rizal is the top section. In order to be in Rizal, a pupil must maintain a grade of 85 or above in each subject or they will be transferred to a lower section. Rizal sections can have no more than 40 pupils. My other sections have about 65 pupils. Seating is also based on grades. Row 1 Seat 1 is reserved for the top student.

*These observations are true for my site. They are not true for every public school in the Philippines, but are fairly common.

Host Family - Laguna

Tenth Month 9, 2011

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
Leo Tolstoy

This post is dedicated to families; happy, unhappy, and in- between. Many of us have at least two families. The families we were born into and the families we have created for ourselves. Those who are called to marriage acquire yet another family when they marry. Some, like myself, also have a spiritual or church family that we hold dear. In addition to these families that we have in common, Peace Corps volunteers also have host families; and in Peace Corps Philippines, volunteers have two host families.

After completing training in Bataan, I was assigned to a new site in Laguna and assigned to a new host family. This family compound consists of three homes with different wings of the family in each home. Deceased parents A and B had six children. Three of the now adult children live on the family compound in homes with their own families.  There are 14 members (4 children, 10 adult) in the family living on the compound aside from the neighbors occupying the rental rooms.

House 1 includes the eldest son, 49, his wife and two of his younger children ages 24 and 21. The oldest child married and has moved, with his wife, into a home of their own. This is my "official host family".

House 2 includes the widow and son, 13,  of the second eldest son in the family. Two female relatives attending university also live in this house.

House 3, where I live, includes the three children, ages 6 and 8 of the eldest daughter. The eldest daughter works as an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) and lives in the United States with her boyfriend. The children live in the house with me and a "house helper" who cooks and cleans for the children. The father is absent, and lives with his other mate and children here in the Philippines.

During my first week, the house helper left for four days to attend to matters with her own family.
Imagine eight-year-old twin girls and a six year old boy left to their own devices for a school week.

Please hold my biological, spiritual, and adopted families in the Light. Please hold both my Filipino host families in the Light. I miss my Bataan host family every day and long to see them soon. I am just getting to know my Laguna host family, and pray that we develop a healthy relationship.

Laguna host family

The youngest member of the Laguna host family

My housemates

Host Family - Bataan

Tenth Month 9, 2011

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
Leo Tolstoy

This post is dedicated to families; happy, unhappy, and in- between. Many of us have at least two families. The families we were born into and the families we have created for ourselves. Those who are called to marriage acquire yet another family when they marry. Some, like myself, also have a spiritual or church family that we hold dear. In addition to these families that we have in common, Peace Corps volunteers also have host families; and in Peace Corps Philippines, volunteers have two host families.

I miss my Bataan host family and consider it a blessing that we keep in touch. They will always be my first family here in the Philippines. I never did manage to get everyone in the same picture, but I did come close.   

Bataan host family members

You read about this amazing woman and the birth of her son

The youngest member of the family

An Open Letter to a Young Woman or 1 Timothy 4:12

Second Day, Eleventh Month 3, 2011

Anytime a group of people are put together for 24/7 under a bit of stress, cliques and poor personality clashes are bound to occur. I was tired of the petty and flirty games that certain trainees were playing, many people were extremely immature despite being over 30, sometimes I felt like I was chaperoning a youth group trip – I will give all the benefit of the doubt and believe that stress sometimes does not bring out the best in people.

The above underlined portion of a blog post written by another volunteer has disturbed me deeply for many days now. It disturbs me for many reasons, the primary reason (in the spirit of full disclosure) being that the trainee who the blogger is referring to is a friend of mine, the first true friend I have made here in Peace Corps Philippines. Just for the record, the trainee in question is NOT petty, immature, or flirty. Another reason that I had a reaction to this post is because of the identifying information given and the lack of constructive criticism. If you are going to be critical, then please be constructive. Finally, this portion of the post disturbs me because the rest of the blogger's post is insightful and accurate; removing the negative portion of the post would not have altered the message. 

In an effort to move past my negative feelings and to take my own advice and be constructive, since I am being critical, I am posting an open letter for my friend and using this experience as a reminder to be more careful with my own words.

Dear Young Woman,

        

     Years ago, when I was the spiritual adviser for the young adult group at my meeting for worship, we selected a scripture that would guide us in how we conducted ourselves in our daily lives. The scripture we chose was 1 Timothy 4:12 "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."

       My dear friend, you have indeed set an example for me during training. I was truly impressed with the way you spoke, behaved, and treated everyone during our time together. Thank you for looking past my serious and often off-putting demeanor. Thank you for your kindness, your manners, and your loving spirit. May God continue to guide you and may this verse encourage you if ever you become discouraged.

Blessings and Peace,

Regina Renee

Catching Up

Eleventh Month 2, 2011

First, some catching up is in order. As I stated in my previous post, I refrained from blogging during 

Pre-Service Training for a variety of reasons. At this time, however, I would like to share a brief snapshot of training and share the highlight of my training experience.

My typical schedule during training

First Day

I was able to observe the Sabbath

Second Day Fourth Day and Sixth Day
08:00 -12:00 Technical Training aka Teaching at the local public school
12:00 -1:00 Lunch
1:00 - 5:00 Tagalog Language and Cultural Training

Third Day
08:00 - 12:00 Tagalog Language and Cultural Training
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:00 - 5:00 PM Tagalog Language and Cultural Training

Fifth Day
08:00 - 12:00 Tagalog Language and Cultural Training
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
 1:00 -  3:00 Tagalog Language and Cultural Training
 3:00 -  5:00 Medical Sessions
  
Seventh Day
08:00 - 12:00 Tagalog Language and Cultural Training

The Highlight of Training (excerpt from my journal written 9- 4- 11)

Yesterday I went to the beach and spent the entire day walking along the shore and singing in the rain. Yes, it had to rain the day I go to the beach, but no matter, I had a great time talking with a friend I have made during training. As nice as my day was, my night was even better!

My host family in Bataan is so incredibly kind and welcoming. The host mother, R, calls me "ate" which means big sister and she treats me as such. A is R's younger sister and she is expecting her third child. A asked me if I would help her deliver her baby at the house. I told her I was not a certified midwife, but that I would be honored to help her as she delivered the baby. I read and reread Where There is No Doctor. I talked to a certified midwife and I prayed.

So, last night I return from my trip to the beach and go check on A. She is fine, with nothing to report. When I left earlier that morning, we had both told the baby that he (I had dreamed he was a boy) had to wait for me to return home before he could decide to make his grand appearance and he listened! I went to sleep around 8:30p.m.  and guess who was born at 12:45a.m. ? You guessed it... here is what happened.

10:48 I receive a text from R "A is not feeling well"

10:49 "I think she is giving birth now"

10:51 "I think she will giving birth now"

10:53 "Ate Regina wake up"

11:04 "A giving birth now"

Aside: Okay so lets clarify this picture. For those who don't know me, I sleep early and I sleep well. I  typically sleep from 8 - 4. I live in the same house with A and R. I am asleep in the next room. The room that has walls that don't reach the ceiling. The room that is maybe 5 steps or a bang on the wall or a loud shout away. R texts me at 1 peso per text for 16 minutes because A is in labor.  We continue to laugh about this nearly 1 month later and yes I saved all of the text messages.

I wake up walk next door and A is indeed in labor. Her water already broke and she is flat on her back grimacing, but barely making a sound. Perspiration is pouring off her beautiful face and I begin to pray. She labors until 12:45 and TW is born. I was given the undeserved honor of naming this beautiful little boy. He came quickly and quietly. A was absolutely amazing. She delivered an 8.5 pound baby in 2 hours without waking up a sleeping household. Both mother and child are healthy. Dad is on his way with the older brothers. When everyone woke up for breakfast they discovered the new member of the family. My heart is full of joy and love for this family.