Education award for Elizabeth Seton School

Manila, Philippines -  Recognition of her excellent teaching methods first came to Josefina Suarez, founder of the Elizabeth Seton School, in 2001.

Named after Jose Rizal’s mother and first teacher, the Teodora Alonso Educator’s Award, Gintong Ilawan (golden light), was recently given to Suarez. She bested 15 other regional peers as the Outstanding Female Private Elementary School Principal in the Avon-sponsored award.

In the book “Pospas para sa Principal” discussing the 16 Avon principals, Bettina Olmedo called her a “maverick.”

In 2008, Suarez became a poster girl for a huge BPI Family Savings Bank ad tag-lined “A lesson in Integrity.”

With her religiosity, drive and intellect, coupled with a good dose of conscience, her school has reached the top — national winner for the Excellence in Educational Transformation Award given by the ABS-CBN Bayan Academy, the Knowledge Channel Foundation, and Rex Book Store, Inc.

“Over time, Suarez learned to institutionalize the change process” through various mechanisms, Eduardo Morato, Jr. wrote in his case studies as chairman of Bayan Academy.

“Through    innovations such as the integration of entrepreneurship, Multiple intelligences, and understanding by design into its curriculum, Elizabeth Seton sought to produce students who were independent and life-long learners with critical thinking skills, leadership capabilities, technical knowhow, as well as Catholic and Filipino values,” he observed.

Besting possibly hundreds of other private and public schools, the Elizabeth Seton School topped all five criteria for the award, with innovations in curriculum design and development; learning materials; learning methodologies and delivery systems; administrative systems and processes; and learning spaces and places.

As early as 1974 when she was a grade school teacher at La Salle, she was sent on a scholarship to the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii to specialize in bilingual education and (instructional) materials production. When she returned, she was named head of the grade school English department.

During this period, she wrote a phenomenal 71 preschool textbooks, such as “Writing — a Joyful Experience for Kindergarten,” and “Mathematics for Everyday Living.”

When she got married in 1975, La Salle’s grade school was moving to Alabang, far from their residence. She opened her own school on the prodding of her sister Evelyn’s husband. Starting with a modest kindergarten and nursery, the Elizabeth Seton School grew by leaps and bounds. 

Today, it has 3,600 pre, grade and high school students at the BF Resort Village in Las Piñas, and 1,600 more in Imus, Cavite. 

The institution was named after St. Elizabeth Seton who was canonized in 1975, the year the school was founded. Mother Seton’s school two centuries ago became the basis of the US parochial school system. She also established the first American religious society, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. 

Suarez graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education from the Philippine Women’s University. Also at PWU, she earned a Master of Arts degree majoring in School Administration and Supervision, in 1990. In 1997, De La Salle University granted her a doctorate in Education Management.