Teachers Helping Teachers

As a school teacher, I am saddened to see my beloved country facing a lugubrious scenario where public school graduates especially in impoverished communities are drowning in the mire of half-baked education. Perhaps, some reasons lie on ineffective classroom management, lack of preparation in dealing with 21st century learners, deficiency in school resources and facilities and other factors.  

However, in the school where I am currently teaching, the situation is different; there are no problems with mentioned issues for teachers and administrators are honed regularly to become better and better. Moreover, parents are educated toward effective parenthood and Christian doctrine. Plus, the emphasis of education is not solely in academics but also in educating the whole human being. Home-school collaboration, personal formation and fidelity to the teaching of the Catholic Church are also manifested.  I hope the same scheme will be taken into consideration and will be emulated to the Philippine education system.

Hence, students here are lucky. They do not experience having classes in makeshift classrooms such as a divided covered court.  Classrooms are not overcrowded and they are using varied resources and faculties. They learn from well-trained teachers, both in content and pedagogy. Our school is conducive to learning and promotes best strategies to maximize the talents and potentials of students.

Since PAREF Southridge School is blessed and in response to Pope Francis's call to help others, Southridge Teacher Reaching Out (STRO) was born to aid fellow public school teachers. This project was conceptualized to establish a partnership, through providing assistance and services, with selected public schools in Muntinlupa area. This happened last May 31-June 1, 2017. 

STRO is intended to provide opportunities to the faculty to get involved in community affairs by way of helping the public schools; to provide opportunities to faculty to share their skills and expertise with the teachers in adopted schools that could hopefully help them improve the teacher training program; and to develop an awareness of the needs of the adopted schools, plan a program and extend to help them.

Instead of spending the summer in lucrative vacation or staycation, teachers at Southridge decided to do something meaningful. Through our initiative, we spent our time, effort and money to help the public schools. We doled out some money for the food and materials needed for the workshop of the public school teachers. In return they were grateful that they learned best practices in teaching, classroom pragmatics and handling challenging students. Done with a sincere intention of helping fellow teachers in public schools, we donated pre-loved books and several teacher materials to them. Also, we went to their schools offering manpower and volunteering services such as fixing wrecked chairs, painting, lifting cabinets and cleaning the surroundings.

The notion of teachers helping teachers, for the welfare of students and for the betterment of education, is viable. STRO is the concrete evidence. It allows us to understand that, if willing, we can create a ripple effect of positive change to the community. This also suggests that both public and private school teachers should collaborate with one another for the sake of ameliorating the quality of education in the Philippines because, at a later time, students who are benefitting from what we are doing right now are the next leaders of tomorrow.