Co-Teaching: Round 2

Had a really great experience today co-teaching with Mr. Rivera. Even though he is in his first year, he shows a lot of poise and skill in lesson planning and lesson delivery.

The students here are extremely well behaved and respond to everything the teacher prompts them to do. They even answer rhetorical questions! I wonder how many teachers here at Mary Help of Christians would fare if placed in front of a rowdy American classroom. At my school, even honors classes can get somewhat loud and rambunctious if left unchecked, and group work can turn into a mess if proper routines have not been established. I am curious to speak to Techie about her experiences teaching while in the U.S.

A lot of the techniques that have been drilled into us as American educators are present here in Filipino classrooms. They use group work, UbD, exit tickets, inquiry based learning, and various other "American" teaching styles in their classrooms. I didn't expect to see such amazing teaching as I have the past few weeks!

Co-Teaching!

Just finished my first co-teaching session here in the Philippines. I am paired with a first year teacher named Mr. Rivera, one of the stars of Calamba City College's teacher education program.

I had a good time explaining what a radian was to the class, and I believe they understood everything. It is difficult to team teach, especially given cross-cultural dynamics. I am afraid that by jumping in, I will step on his toes.

Lets give this another try in a few minutes!

Posted via Blogaway

Q&A with student body

Just finished a question and answer session with the student government of Mary Help. It was nice to see young students taking leadership positions at their school and set good examples for their peers. The students described their goals in life, their career aspirations, their teachers, classes, and school, and asked a lot of good questions.

A question that I really enjoyed answering was when one student asked "Why did you choose to teach math?" Many Filipino students have the same math anxiety as American students, and they couldnt understand why anyone would want to be a math teacher. I explained that I see math everywhere in life, that math fluency and literacy is an essential skill no matter what vocation you choose, and math can even be fun if you change your perspective!

Posted via Blogaway

Classroom Observations

Stephanie and I just observed two math classes. The first was a 7th grade math class learning metric to standard unit conversions, the second was a 10th grade class learning about angles of elevation and depression.

Both teachers used group work, differentiated instruction, began the lesson with a motivation and do now, and ended with a summary. The students are very well behaved and very intelligent.

It was good to see the similarities between the American classroom and thw Filipino classroom. It makes me wonder what could be accomplished if American teachers had Filipino students in their classes!

Posted via Blogaway

Long Beach Presentation

Just finished a presentation on Long Beach, its local culture, traditions, celebrations, and people. Spoke about the Polar Bear swim, Irish Day, lacrosse, surfing, and how students and teachers interact around town. I felt a lot of pride speaking about my adoptive hometown!

The students were very well-behaved and asked very good questions after the presentation. They were very interested in everything both me and Stephanie had to say!

Posted via Blogaway

Assistant Superintendent Interaction

At the school we just went to (Camp Vin National HS) there happened to be an Assistant Superintendent at the school. When she found out we were there without her pre-approval, she scolded Techie and told her to "follow the proper protocol"! A little awkward, and very unnecessary.

Posted via Blogaway

Don Black School visits

Today we visited two very different schools.

The first was the Mary Help of Christians College Division, where aspiring Catholic values educators learn theor craft. These students chose to study moral declination so they could feel closer to God, and chose this route over teaching a different academic subject for this reason.

We discussed many new educational techniques with them; activities like think/pair/share, ask 3 before me, and differentiated instruction. We even did a turn and talk with the students, and they really enjoyed it!

The second school we visited was the Don Bosco Technical School, part of the Mary Help network. The all male student body learns electrical wiring, machinery, and car repair among other vocations in a private Catholic environment. What made this school so interesting was that it was a religious technical school; we dont see many of those in the U.S.!

Posted via Blogaway

First day of school

Just finished our first day of school at Mary Help of Christians College (MHCC). We met with the principal, guidance counselor, and saw the nursery school.

The students were playing in some type of color war type activity where the students were broken into teams. Each activity they completed was tied to a moral or value that the school tries to teach them.

After meeting with the guidance counselor, I find it interesting that we share many of the same issues. Differentiating instruction, reaching troubled students, and difficult parents were her main concerns. Maybe we aren't so different!

Posted via Blogaway

"Do you know what is selfie?"

It seems as though students in the Philippines are just as connected to social media as students in the U.S. I have received several follow requests on Instagram and a few Twitter mentions. Craziness!

Posted via Blogaway

Welcome!

This was the welcome poster that greeted us as Mary Help of Christians College. What a amazing feeling!

Posted via Blogaway

Today, Stephanie and I went with Techie, our cooperating teacher, along on their weekly Oratory. Every Sunday, teachers and students at Mary Help of Christians College meet with poor families in local rural areas and conduct church ceremonies with them. As described by the students, they hope to enlighten their lives by teaching poor children how to be morally just, upright citizens.

After visiting a church, we went to visit families who participate in the Oratory every Sunday. They were so excited to meet us and talk about how the work of the students has enriched their lives. They were extremely friendly and eager to talkb about their experiences.

I really enjoyed chatting with the students at MHCC. They told me knock knock jokes and took a ton of selfies. Just like American teenagers!

This is a very hectic time in my life.

In 4 days, I get married.
In 6 days, I leave the country to take part in the Teachers for Global Classrooms cultural exchange program in Manila and Calamba City, Philippines.

I am feeling a strange combination of excitement and nervousness, joy and fear, calmness and anxiety.

I look forward to new experiences, new friends, new places, new food, and learning as much as I can about my adoptive country for the next few weeks. I also look forward to spending time with my new wife at the end of my trip!

I am excited to take part in the Teachers for Global Classrooms program and represent the United States and our education system. Though I have spent a lot of time abroad, I have never had any experience educating children while traveling. I look forward to the opportunity to combine two things I am passionate about: traveling and education.