I would not say change; rather it rekindled the burning passion inside me to make a difference. I acknowledge that it’s only God who could change one person and uses people as instruments to help one change or make that person accomplish his calling to serve. In that aspect, MS PIL became an important instrument in my life.
Winning as the most innovative teacher in my country makes no difference as to who and where I am now because I am still the me. However, what I liked best was that it gave me a platform to talk boldly and share about my innovative ideas in front of my fellow educators. It gave me reasons to make my vision for the students a reality. Allow me to flashback scenarios few months before PIL came to my senses.
I was sent to attend a three-day workshop in Fit-Ed’s organized project with European government which was called EU-Asia Learning Bridges Project last year of May 2005. The project aims to create synergy of partner schools through telecollaborative projects, to be created by teachers. I have met a participant who then later became my partner in My Personal Encounter with the Little Prince Telecollaborative Project. He is Adrian Asis of Xavier HS of San Juan Manila, an active, committed and an enthusiast teacher who I really look forward to work with to make the project successful. We brainstormed for few hours and agreed to refine the rest as soon as we get back to our respective schools. We implemented our agreement on the first quarter of the SY 2005-2006. Later, both of us were able to invite a European collaborator and agreed to finish the end phase of the project in the end of November.
It was a struggle then for a public school teacher like me to integrate the use of technology in teaching especially in English Language and Literature class for several reasons:
our school has very limited resources in IT with around 9000 enrolled students and only one computer laboratory with less than 20 working desktop PCs;
I handle BEC (regular class) and students have no access to the computer laboratory;
I have limited skills in the use of IT as well as my students;
the strategy needs to be understood first by the community (school administrators and parents) to gain support and approval since most have reservations on change particlulary on technollogy.
In spite of those struggles, God provided wisdom and perseverance to beat the odds. I exerted efforts in gaining the support of the community for few weeks and tapped an internet café owner to give us access on his establishment with a special discount to my students and I am grateful that I did it!!! As for the skills, well, I believe that I need not be an expert in IT to make my project work because there are resource people around who could help me. The computer laboratory in-charge, Mrs. Aida Abad, taught my students to create email accounts and oriented them with the basic parts of the computer for 3 hours (one special session) and another session about joining a virtual class session by Dr. Gilbert Gayrama, a Math teacher. As for the publishing of the outputs on line, it was the co-owner of the internet café who taught the students. I am blessed indeed to have these resource friends!!! My students never thought that I too lack the IT skills, I was learning with them as we both venture the new path of collaborative learning with the aid of technology.
In the middle of August, public school students were able to work collaboratively with exclusive private school students in Manila which later led them both to work with international partners from Europe.
As for PIL, one of the participants in the Fit-Ed training sent me a text message in the last week of September 2005, telling me to include my project on line at PIL website. She is Shirley Daguisonan, who happened to be my room mate for two nights during the Fit-ed Training and never had I known that she was the ITLA 1 winner. The funny thing was she has been talking about her winning and her IT experiences but it was completely fleeting story for me that time because I am more concern to know her private life and how she manages her career and family. Until I opened the site and read it, then I understood about PIL.
It took me a while to join PIL Community because I spent time pondering my reasons in joining the ITLA. God made it clear to me the night before the announced due date. It seemed a whisper from my heart said that I should join because I would like to share what difference I made in my teaching, what were its good effects to my students and how possible it is for a public school teacher to produce globally competitive students through the aid of technology. Then that was the only time I completed my portfolio, it was October 14, 2005 at an internet café.
I was surprised when I was included among the 25 semi finalists and never had I expected I need to have trips abroad when you become a winner. Honestly, I did not read much about the prizes at stake. I am just blessed to have my passport processed in one working day. Thanks to PIL for assisting me and the rest of the top 5 Finalists.
I believe my experiences led me to be more committed to reach out to my fellow educators (locally and internationally) and share with them that sometimes one need to be brave in innovating things and making those “ideal thoughts” a reality... and if one acts upon it and one commits to be part of it, then change towards better and quality education will be achieved without replacing values on humanity, diversity and respect.
Lord Chesterfield was right when he once said, “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.”
…and I think I just did.
