Teach for the Philippines Exchange program a new experience for mentors

MANILA, Philippines -  “One who dares to teach must never cease to learn,” American librarian John Cotton Dana, once said.

Teachers, like other professionals, always benefit from continuous learning that helps them become even better mentors. This, in a nutshell, is the message that non-profit organization Teach for the Philippines conveys to its teacher-fellows.

As part of its mission of training teachers, Teach for the Philippines recently participated in an exchange mentoring program with the Boracay European International School, where teacher-fellows taught students in Boracay in an immersion exercise.

“For me, it’s all about creating that sense of possibility in the kids, giving them that sense of opportunity, so that they can have happiness, success, and significance,” said Noelle Pabiton, a teacher at the Commonwealth Elementary School, which is the elementary school with the largest student population in Quezon City.

Pabiton and two other teacher-fellows,  Delfin Villafuerte and Ja Dueñas, mentored grade schoolers of the Boracay European International School where the ratio of 15 students to a cclass proved to be a new experience as they are accustomed to teaching large numbers of Metro Manila public school students.

Boracay European International School teachers observed the fellows during the immersion activity and were impressed with how well they taught and interacted with the students assigned to them.

“Seeing the Teach for the Philippines fellows teach was truly enjoyable, it seemed like they have been teaching all their lives,” said Mathew Watkins, Boracay European International School principal. “Our students were really attentive and responded really well to their style of teaching.”

DHL Express Philippines, a proud partner of Teach for the Philippines, sponsored the mentoring exchange program between Teach for the Philippines and Boracay European International School.

DHL Express Philippines chose Boracay European International School as the ideal school for the immersion activity. The company saw the partnership as an opportunity to promote educational equity in the Philippines.

“The quality of education given to all students must be the same, regardless of their financial and social background,” said Hope Atienza, DHL Express Philippines head of marketing. “We strongly believe that a developed and progressive country comprises competent and knowledgeable citizens, which can only be achieved through quality education.”