REFLECTIONS

An Amazing Race in Xavier School

Posted Friday, 30-Jun-2006 3:28 PM

              How do new teachers get to know more about the Grade School?  They became students themselves and even took part in an Amazing Race!  Last summer, an induction program for 16 new Grade School teachers was held in a simulated classroom venue where new teachers were treated as students and speakers played the role of teachers.  The new faculty had a grand time being students during an improvised First Day of School, complete with encounters handled by Mrs. Jane Natividad, Mrs. Estrelle Nabua and Mrs. Arlene Choo; film viewing of Harry Wong (the noted educator), group work activities and an amazing race game.  Let’s find out what the new teachers have to say after undergoing the New Teachers’ Induction Program.       

Maria Azalea Florentino (Grade 5 English Teacher)

              The orientation for the new teachers has reaffirmed my beliefs as a teacher but this time in a different perspective. It gave me a new kind of inspiration to continue pursuing this dream I’ve had since I was a child.
                  

              Being a young teacher, I know that I still have a lot to learn from my classroom experiences, colleagues, and from the students themselves.  Most of what I am right now as a teacher can be credited to the experiences I had from the students.  The students’ innocence serves as my inspiration to continue honing the craft of teaching, and becoming a better person for them, so that they too may realize their dreams and inspire other people.
             

              Teaching is not a short-term goal.  It is a life-long process of learning how to commit and reach one’s goal for each student placed under a teacher’s care.   I am glad that I am continuing this journey with Xavier.

Celestine Tan (Grade 3 Guidance Counselor)

              The orientation made me ponder on the meaning I attach to being a teacher. What does this mean to me after everything has been said and done? I realized that my perspective on teaching has changed. I am no longer the student who equates teachers to endless assignments or difficult exams. In fact, I discovered a teacher in me. Suddenly, I am no longer who I used to be. I have gained not only a deeper sense of responsibility, but also an openness to this new role of being a giver. More and more, I realize that teaching is an act of total surrender, not to loss, nor pain, nor emptiness, but to a Father who will empower me to give more to my students than I ever thought I was capable of giving.   

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