I got to share ideas with 20 teachers from the English department at MORMS. They have been so inviting and open all week, that it was nice to try to give something back (including some trinkets from the USA). First, I shared some information about Chicago and our school system. We talked about shared struggles being public schools and what that can entail. They were very jealous about our work hours (they work 7:30-5pm) and our class sizes (they have 40-60 students per class and teach 5 sections). Our students move from class to class, while their teachers move from room to room, so they have to bring all of their materials with them. Next, I shared Amy Cooley’s and my presentation on read alouds. The teachers told me that they do read to their students, but this may not happen every day. They usually see one class 4 days a week. We talked about different things you could read to your students. I explained that I usually read a novel, but they could read anything that connects to what they are teaching, including articles. The head of the English department asked me for a list of books that I read to my students. We then took a little break, which means snack time in the Philippines! Someone brought me isaw, which is street food. Basically, it is half a hardboiled egg wrapped in some kind of seasoned dough, topped with a spicy curry sauce. It was delicious! I was also given pineapple juice and a cream filled donut. It was a lot of food, but it made for a nice break. When we came back from our snack break, I talked about organizing book clubs (another presentation Amy Cooley and I put together for the Illinois Reading Conference). I found out that this is not common practice for people (including adults) in the Philippines. They were interested in hearing how I run book clubs in my classroom. I gave them copies of the graphic organizers that I use, which they were very excited to get (I am the same way when I go to conferences and get a new graphic organizer!). The teachers shared some major obstacles that they have as far as trying to run a book club – they don’t have materials for it! They don’t have multiple copies of novels that they can just pass out to their students, and their school library was full of reference materials, not novels. The head of the English department said that maybe they could try this with one of their classes to see how it would work. She also thought that they could modify this to use with short stories too. I think that’s a great idea, and perhaps I’ll try to allow my students some choice when it comes to reading shorter pieces. We still had some time left over, so I shared the letters my students wrote to the Filipino students. The teachers got a kick out of them, but they probably struggled more with the incorrect grammar! We ended with a presentation of certificates for participating and of course, picture taking! When you look at the pictures, please notice that there were 2 levels in the computer lab. All of the Filipinos stood on the step, while I stood on the lower level, so I wouldn’t look so tall compared to them!!! There was a lot of laughing going on during picture taking. What a great group of teachers! The afternoon was filled with the induction ceremony for parents. This was quite a big event, especially since the school is populous. Each grade has a governing board (president, vp, secretary, etc) of parents for their PTA. Each group was called to the stage and sworn in. Then there were room parents as well. At MORMS, each homeroom has a parent in charge of it. They provide decorations for the rooms (curtains, murals, etc). They can also do fundraising for the rooms to get extra things. Some of the rooms in the newer buildings had comfort rooms (aka bathrooms) in the class. This way, students don’t have to leave the room if they need to go to the bathroom. During the induction ceremony, I was given a seat of honor just in front of the stage. Others sitting at the table were the Vice Mayor of Guinobatan, a Councilman, the principal, and the vice principal of the school. The Vice Mayor and Councilman took turns swearing in the parents. The Vice Mayor asked me questions about the innerworkings of politics in the US. He also told me about politics in the Philippines. It was very interesting! After the ceremony (and picture taking), we were invited to the principal’s office along with the Department heads of the school, for some snacks.
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AuthorJenn Henderson is a Teachers for Global Classrooms fellow. She will be traveling to the Philippines in June 2017. Archives
September 2017
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