Celebrating the Teacher in Us: Journeying as Teaching, Teaching as Journeying
Teachers, educators, and administrators of Teacher Education Institutions from different parts of the Philippines gathered last 30 September 2015 at the Pearl Hall of SEAMEO INNOTECH to celebrate the National Teachers’ Month. The celebration was held through a forum entitled “Celebrating the Teacher in Us: Journeying as Teaching, Teaching as Journeying”.
Dr. Ramon C. Bacani, SEAMEO INNOTECH Center Director, opened the celebration. In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of teaching. He also mentioned about the Strategic Dialogue of Education Ministers (SDEM) that the Center has facilitated. The dialogue yielded seven priority areas of SEAMEO for 2015-2035, one of which is on teacher education and making teaching a profession of choice.
Mr. Aniceto “Chito” Sobrepeña, President of the Metrobank Foundation, was also present in the event. He talked about the Annual Search for Outstanding Teachers and some of the Foundation’s awardees for the past years. He also mentioned that the National Teachers’ Month is the longest celebration in the Philippines as this celebration does not end by just thanking the teachers but continues as long as we recognize teaching as a noble job.
The forum was facilitated by Dr. Allan de Guzman, President of NOTED (Network of Outstanding Teachers and Educators), Inc. and Dean of the College of Education, University of Santo Tomas. It was a fun and interactive event where participants were able to rekindle their passion for teaching.
The panelists—Dr. Hilda C. Montaño, 2012 Outstanding Teacher for Higher Education; Ms. Amcy M. Esteban, 2015 Outstanding Teacher for Elementary Education; and Ms. Milagros C. Banan, 2015 Outstanding Teacher for Secondary Education—shared their teaching experiences by answering prepared questions from the worksheet. They were asked about their beginnings as teachers, their struggles, the classroom innovations they have introduced, and their fulfilment as stewards of learning. They also shared some tips for the pre-service teachers present in the forum.
The event concluded with two video tributes for teachers. Ms. Josephine C. Calamlam, 1999 Outstanding Teacher for Elementary Education, gave the closing remarks. She emphasized how important teaching and teachers are for the future of the nation. She finished her remarks by asking everyone to rise and say to the teachers next to them: “Stand up teachers and the world will stand for you!”
“Celebrating the Teacher in Us: Journeying as Teaching, Teaching as Journeying”, is a forum jointly organized by SEAMEO INNOTECH and NOTED, Inc. in celebration of the National Teachers’ Month and World Teacher’s Day.
SEAMEO INNOTECH previously published a book entitled, “Passion for Teaching” which can be downloaded for free on the SEAMEO INNOTECH iKnow portal.
