Final Days with the group

My days of this wonderful teaching exchange are finally coming to a close. I have spent nearly two weeks with the wonderful people of Bacolod, Philippines, and I must say that I could not have asked for a better, more enlightening experience. The simple truth is that I did not really know what I was getting myself into when planning this trip, and I am coming away from it with a profound sense of respect for the teachers and other professionals and students at La Consolacion College, Bacolod. There are so many people to thank, and I wish I had the time to speak to each one of them in order to share how deeply touched I am by their efforts to make me feel accepted and appreciated.
On top of the list, of course, is Randdie Cuelo. What a wonderful human being--a true representation of all that is good in people. Randdie has been a gracious and doting host--always quick with a warm smile, an offer to help, and a willingness to accommodate the nuances of his visitors from the U.S. Can you imagine what it would be like to begin the school year with all of the responsibilities you have, and to add to the chaos, the responsibility of hosting two exchange teachers from another country? I couldn't do it, frankly. I think my stress levels would be through the roof. And while there were times that I could see that Randdie was simply tired because of his lack of sleep (he managed his school-related obligations, it seems, after he dropped us off at our hotel at the end of the day), he never stopped working to make us comfortable, and more, to have us share in the experience of the LLC. I know that I can count on him as a true friend, and I am looking forward already to the time when we shall meet and share our experiences again.
Dugal--our driver. Quiet, respectful, and always smiling. I have called him our guardian angel when we have been here. I am going to miss him looking out for me, and he is another unexpected blessing of this trip.
The teachers/staff: Marge, Nanette, Manuel, Ditos, Genevieve, Genelyn, Rodj, Anthony, JenRae, Melona, etc. How many do I have to name? Everywhere I turned, and with every experience I had, there was someone else right there to say hello and make me feel welcomed. Whether it was sharing a beer at Marge's house, or interacting with her daughter, the lovely "Princess," her son, the charming Nanette, Manuel singing and calling for the waiters and waitresses with random names hoping to land the right one sooner or later (hysterical), experiencing the charm of Ditos, the commitment of Genevieve and Genelyn, etc., each day was more remarkable than the previous one. There is a reason why the LCC is a special place, and frankly, it's rooted in the people like the ones I named, above. I should also include my travel partner, Jeanette, in this. She has been wonderful in so many ways. She made us laugh, has a wonderful sense of adventure, and, perhaps most importantly, was committed to experiencing as much of the culture of Bacolod as she could. I can see why her family misses her as much as they do, and I'm equally sure they are excited that she will soon be back home.
Bacolod is a vibrant city in the midst of transition. Among the dilapidated buildings, the signs of people struggling to live their lives, there is a renaissance occurring. I could see it in the new buildings being constructed, the rush of people in the morning as they jumped into taxis or Jeepnies on their way to work or school, the sense of dignity and pride that emanated from people when I spoke to them about my impressions of the city and this wondrous country called the Philippines. And while there are unfortunate signs of the negative influence of the West in terms of media, music, social influences and the like, the simple truth is that like any city struggling to forge a path in this day and age, Bacolod remains someplace special. I am reminded, in many ways, of my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, believe it or not. We often talk about how the people of Pittsburgh are kind-hearted and charming, always willing to lend a hand to a neighbor, offer a kind smile, do the work that needs to be done to get through. etc. There is a sense when people leave Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh never leaves the people. It is the same here. That sameness is rooted in the awareness that the city and its people bring something special to the table. If I had to put my finger on it, I would say that it is the awareness that life has a way of getting in the way when you are busy making other plans. In other words, amid the crush of responsibility--to family, to the job, to so many other things--there is nothing more special than taking to time to step away and share one's experiences with others. Something as simple as having a coffee with a friend in the morning, or a glass of wine over dinner, has a resounding impact that contributes to the pride of the people and keeps them grounded with a strong sense of place.
Similarly, the LCC mirrors North Allegheny in many respects. The undying commitment of the school community--the teachers, support staff, students, parents--nearly everyone who is involved in the functions of the school exhibit an underlying purpose and awareness--that this--all of this--is good, and it works, and the reasons why it works are both tangible and unconscious. I guess what I am trying to say here is that the culture of the LCC is very much like the culture of NA. The pride and respect comes from the shared experiences of working together to make the kids feel safe, give them a sense of happiness and security so that they continue to learn and grow, and, perhaps most significantly, to create an environment that welcomes their participation beyond the limits of their schooling. The LCC is called "A Community of Friends," for a reason. And believe me, it is not just a slogan.
In closing, I want to believe that I am now a part of the community of friends of the LCC, much like I feel a part of the community of friends at North Allegheny. Moving forward, I realize that I have changed during this experience--I suppose time away from family and friends puts one in a reflective mood. There were many times when Marge or Randdie or Nanette would see me interacting with the students in the school, or talking about my life at home, and they would comment that I must be missing Rocco and Daniele. They could see it in the way I acted--as if I was trying to channel my love for Rocco and Dani through my interactions here. And you know, they were right. The more things seemed different in ways, the more they reminded me of how lucky I am to have the live I have back home. How special it is for me to have been able to experience such an awareness.
Some day, I hope to return here with Rocco and Daniele. In truth, I hope that my connection to the LCC will open up opportunities for all of us to continue to collaborate in the future. I have made many connections with teachers, here, and I hope to have shared lessons with them in the future. How cool will it be to have a video conference between my kids at NA and the students of the LCC? One goal of the TEA is to open those who participate in the program to the idea of global collaboration. The notion is simple enough--when educators are able to make connections with educators from other parts of the world, the world of education becomes smaller. We come to recognize that the same issues affecting teachers in the United States are affecting teachers in other countries. From these experiences we learn to improve, to grow, and to truly understanding the notion that we are living in an empathetic civilization--that our true purpose in life should be one that is rooted in our connectedness to one another. What we can share with our children, in my mind, is simple: We are indeed a global community. We cannot deny it. Deep inside, we have our shared human experiences that bind us together and provide to us endless possibility.
I hope you have enjoyed my blog. I want to thank all of you for interacting with me during my stay in Bacolod. Of course, I want to thank Daniele for giving me the sense of comfort I needed to come here and not worry about the goings on back home. And yes, while she backed my truck into a wall, left the freezer open for all the meat to spoil, and while Dante spent a week in the hospital because he wouldn't eat, and while Rocco kept dropping hints about how much he missed me, the truth is that I would never have been able to experience this trip the way I have without their love and support. I also want to thank my friends and colleagues back home. From members of the school board who dropped me emails commenting on my blog, to Bob Tozier, Dan Solenday, Diane Steckel, etc., who sent me messages during my stay--thank you for following my adventure.
I leave you for now with pictures of The Ruins. Awesome.
































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Location:Bacolod, Philippines

Student Send Off

Well, pardon the cliche, but it's hard to believe that my time in Bacolod is coming to an end. Although we have a lunch at the school later today, yesterday was, in effect, our final day to really interact with the students and staff. Jeanette and I were treated to a student show that featured the chorus and dance troupe of the LLC. The performances were excellent, and truly fun to watch. I've posted a few videos below. Another entry is soon to follow:













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Location:Bacolod, Philippines

Seminar Workshop and More Intercultural Exchanges

The days continue to fly by, and the end to this extraordinary experience is coming up quickly. My friends at the LCC are determined, however, to make sure that the last few days of our visit are filled with exciting and enlightening activities that continue to invigorate and stimulate the mind.

On Monday, Jeanette and I met with members of the H&M school. The is the hospitality and management school of the LCC College, and many of the graduates of the program are now employees in the hotel I am staying in--the L'Fisher. One thing I haven't mentioned in my blog posts is how happy I am with the hotel in Bacolod. The service is impeccable, and the employees are kind, extremely accommodating, and very helpful. It was interesting to spend some time taking questions from the students of the H&M school, while at the same time, making the connection between their preparedness and the professionalism of the hotel staff. You can see clearly that the students take the Hospitality and Management program seriously, and there is a dedication among them that is clear. Following the Q&A with the students, we headed back to our hotel for some relaxations before we met with the parent organization of the LCC later in the evening. The pictures below are from our day.






















The parent organization of the LCC is very involved in the school functions, and they have a strong partnership with the staff and students in the school. I was pleasantly surprised to see and listen to the dedication of the parents, and they easily mirrored the dedication of the PTA at Rocco's elementary school--Peebles Elementary. Very cool. We talk a lot in education about the importance of having parents involved in the schools, and it's no secret that the success of many (if not most) of the schools that are successful is in part because of heavy parental involvement. I suppose I should not be surprised that the LCC is like many schools in this respect.

Tuesday was the big seminar day. The seminars that Jeanette and I presented on Tuesday were planned from the beginning stages of our acceptance into the program. IREX requires participants to plan an extensive workshop/lesson as part of the exchange program. As such, we have been exchanging ideas with Randdie since last November. I decided to present on Robert Marzano's professional development program, "The Art and Science of Teaching," and Jeanette presented on "Authentic Assessment." My selection of the Marzano methodology was rooted in its introduction as a professional development program in North Allegheny this past year. I volunteered to be a building team leader for the high school during the school year, and attended a workshop on Marzano during the second semester.

Marzano's framework for professional development is rooted in the idea that teaching is both an Art and a Science. Teachers and principals, however, have a vast array of ways within which they assess their efficacy in the classroom. In a nutshell, Marzano promotes a system that calls upon the use of common language so that all stakeholders in the educational process can dialogue about what they are doing in the classroom in a manner that is consistent and identifiable. He also introduces the aspect of science into the discussion: The science is rooted in assessing and understanding the data that results from research studies regarding effective classroom management and instructional techniques. As such, the framework of the system takes into account the good teaching that teachers are doing, and helps to focus their energies on the ways in which they are assessing their own performance, as well as they ways in which they can collaborate to build a school-wide system of accountability and understanding.

Marzano builds the framework for development on ten essential design questions that include, "What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge," and, "What will I do to engage students." Among the ten questions are processes by which teachers can measure how effectively they are meeting these design goals--and they do this using a system and language with which they can then share with other teachers and administrators.

In covering Marzano's program with the teachers of the LCC, as well as an invited audience of school representatives from all over Bacolod (and some students as well), my focus was on, believe it or not, creativity. My position, essentially, is that most teachers want to be able to be creative in the classroom, and to use their experiences, passion for the subject matter, desire to see their students succeed, etc. to teach more effectively. To this end, if this creativity is channeled in such a way so as to invite introspection and scrutiny from other professionals, then teachers can be more effective. Ultimately, this will help teachers to engage students in a more deliberate way, and the engagement can be invigorating and interesting for the kids. By focusing our instructional strategies and approaches to classroom management, lesson design, and the like on ways have teaching that have been proven to be successful (the "science" end of Marzano's design), we can become more successful.

The audience was very receptive to my presentation. Even though it was long (over three hours--with a nice break half way through), I was asked some engaging questions when I was finished and felt a great deal of satisfaction with how it went.

We had a wonderful lunch provided for us by the school after my presentation. Sister Myrna joined us and we talked about our experiences in Bacolod and the LCC. It was again engaging and satisfying. I again cannot say enough about how well received we have been during our stay.

Jeanette nailed the afternoon session on her presentation on "Authentic Assessment." It was interesting to see the overlap between what I covered in the morning and the thrust of Jeanette's seminar. When she was finished, we were called up to the stage and presented certificates of appreciation from the LCC for our efforts, and we posed for pictures with representatives from the individual schools.








After we finished, Jeanette and I were invited to dinner at a wonderful and trendy restaurant in Bacolod--21. Dani would be jealous. I'm going to have to take her to some place nice for our wedding anniversary in July :-)

On our way out of the school, I was struck by the scene being played out on the playground below us. Students were running around and having fun--some of them were going to evening classes, and others were being picked up by their parents to go home. The light was perfect and I snapped some good pictures:
















The scene that played itself out below me as we left the school served as a reminder that all of this is for the kids. When you see children playing--and have a sense of their unbridled innocence in doing so, I cannot help but wonder how any teacher doesn't feel compelled to make a stronger connection with their kids. This connection is what produces the inspiration and desire to continue to work, to push to explore new ideas, and to never give up on the critical work we do as teachers. What anyone outside of education fails to understand is that any model for educational improvement must take into account this very real connection that educators make with children. We can not process kids as if they were cartons of milk. We cannot ignore the dynamics of the interpersonal relationships we develop with children, and how these relationships provide the cornerstone by which we build our educational systems. It is insulting to all good, dedicated teachers, principals, and support staff to assume that we can be taught how to love and care for our students any more than we do--this is the dynamic that separates those who have a passion for teaching and those who cannot do the job. If you do not believe me, then have a look at the number of Teach for America teachers who leave after three years because they cannot make this connection, and, under the guise of fabricated excuses, leave. The truth is that they cannot take the emotional commitment required to develop empathetic relationships with kids and with their colleagues. The truth is that good teachers can. And this connection cannot be measured in simple ways.

One more day to go. Wow--I MISS Rocco, Dani, and my dogs!

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Location:Bacolod, Philippines

The Art and Science of Teaching

Please click on the following link for a PDF of my presentation on The Art and Science of Teaching:

https://files.me.com/acaruso/yg34st


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Location:Bacolod, Philippines

Saturday: Writing Workshop

I conducted a Writing Workshop on Saturday. Students from the high school, college, and the journalism program attended the session. The three hour workshop focused on understanding rhetoric, invention techniques, and the role of the writer in culture. It was another awesome experience with very attentive and enthusiastic LLC students who were eager to learn, ask questions, provide insights, etc.

To start the day, Arturo, one of our LCC students, lead the group in a prayer. Have a look:



He was amazing.

I always enjoy speaking to students who are serious about writing. There is a kinship I feel with such students because I see so much of me in them, and I always hope that the feeling is mutual. About the only thing that separates me from these kids is age. The passion for writing--it's value in terms of thinking, learning, experience, etc. is something that only those who truly value the craft appreciate. I often think about the writers I teach at North Allegheny and how their collective skill level is so high. As such, I feel a tremendous degree of responsibility as a teacher to nurture this skill, and press the students to take their work to an even higher level. I felt the same degree of responsibility during the workshop. While I was speaking to the students and sharing with them the presentations I put together for the workshop, I could see how interested and excited they were about what we were discussing.

Of course, so much of what goes into being a good writer requires time, effort, and the desire to explore writing along various genres. To this end, I often steal from Stephen King's wonderful book, On Writing, and I remind the kids that good writers are also good readers. In his book, King writes about having at least one book with him at all times, and he encourages his audience to do the same. Reading broadens one's exposure to different writing styles, techniques, voice, etc. And as such, I references King's advice during the workshop. I also talked to the students about the importance of keeping a writer's notebook, and how ideas for writing can strike at any time, and it's always helpful to be able to put down on paper whatever ideas come about during the day to day goings on in life.

A few years ago, the National Commission on Writing released a lengthy report entitled "The Neglected R, The Need for a Writing Revolution." You can read the full report here: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2523
In a nutshell, the authors of the report concluded that writing instruction as a focus of teaching has suffered in large part during the school reform movement associated with NCLB. The most significant reason for this is that teaching good writing requires time and effort--it cannot be done in a vacuum, it cannot be done quickly, and it requires that teachers take time to conference with students, provide extensive feedback, and be versed in writing instruction. You may be surprised to know this, but in the United States (and perhaps other countries, I am sure), English teachers are not required to study writing instruction to become a certified English teacher. What's more, there are very few opportunities for teachers to study writing instruction in their professional development programs. Crazy, isn't it? The reasons are simple: In order for good writing to be taught according to the standards set by the National Commission on Writing, classes must be smaller, and teachers must be given more time to provide feedback, conference with their students, etc. There is no way around these facts. It's plain and simple. And if someone tells you otherwise--that good writing instruction can be homogenized and taught to classes of thirty, forty, or fifty kids, they are lying to you.

Anyways, the workshop on Saturday was a success, and I so enjoyed working with the students and teachers at LLC once again.

I was able to enjoy some free time following the workshop on Saturday, and I had a free day on Sunday. I went to the mall, did some shopping, worked out, and relaxed. I also had a chance to have a video chat with Rocco and Dani on both days. I miss them so much! Sunday was especially calming. I had coffee on the top deck of my hotel and enjoyed the bright morning. The view was spectacular, as you you can see:






Week two begins tomorrow. My big presentation on the Art and Science of Teaching is on Tuesday, and I wouldn't be surprised if the day tomorrow is shortened in order to provide some extra time for Tuesday. We'll see. :-)

As always, thanks for reading.


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Location:Bacolod, Philippines

School Days Three and Four

First off, my apologies for not updating over the last two days. Our schedule has been so packed with activities that updates are difficult. Additionally, Jeanette and I have been asked to present more lessons than we planned to deliver, as well as a workshop on writing this Saturday. Instead of updating our blogs, we've been planning lessons. It feels like the regular school year, :-) Regardless, it's an honor to plan and deliver these lessons, make no bones about that. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, the collegiality of the faculty of La Consolacion is truly remarkable. The fact that they want us to teach more classes with their kids is quite flattering. What's more, the students have taken a shine to us, and they have asked their teachers to have us in the classroom more often.

Yesterday, I presented a lesson for English Education majors on T.S. Eliot and his poem The Hollow Men. My lesson was about 90 minutes long, and it included a brief biography of Eliot, a reading of Sam Hazo's powerful essay on poetry, "The Power of Windblown Leaves," and of course, a reading of Eliot's poem. It was a great experience. I especially like reading Hazo's essay to students who are jumping into poetry for the first time. His poignant assessment of the power of language--especially his comments about informational prose (what most of us read and hear most of the time) being, "the ground floor of language," really strikes a chord. It invites students to consider the kind of language they are most familiar with, and how to expose themselves to more powerful examples of language and craft. I could tell that the essay had a strong impact on the students.

Of course, Eliot's brilliant poem serves as an even more poignant example of the power of language. His use of Dante's Inferno as a springboard into the human condition resonated with the students. We talked about Eliot's intensions with the work--the message he wanted to portray, and how his final lines--

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang, but a whimper

--serve to remind all of us how important our interactions with other human beings really are.

As is often the case for me after reading the poem, I found myself in a reflective mood. I had some time to myself following the lesson and I was soon considering the significance of this visit, and how it has already changed me in some very important ways. For one, this visit has made me realize even more clearly the critical role that teachers play in the lives of their students. This trip, so small in the scheme of the larger goings on around the world, has helped to remind me that what I do--indeed, what teachers all over the world do--is so vital for kids. Teacher's play such important roles in societies all over the world. To see their efforts diminished in any way is disheartening. Secondly, this trip has made clear to me that teachers in the U.S. do not have a monopoly on the art of teaching. Teachers should do more to harness the technologies and the like available to us to more deliberately invite the world into our classrooms. I hope I can use this experience in Bacolod to network more fluidly with the teachers here. I love the idea of using Skype and other social networking tools to connect the students in Bacolod with my students at North Allegheny next year. It should be a very cool experience.

We ended the day on Thursday with another Q&A with students. This time, the students were from the high school and college, and their questions were excellent.

Friday began with a mass celebrating the start of the school year. Jeanette and I were asked to read portions of the responsorial prayer in honor of our visit. We were also invited to the altar with the other teachers in attendance to receive a blessing. The church was beautiful, as you can see.












Following mass, we traveled to the Department of Public Education and had a meeting with the Assistant Superintendent and other department heads for the public schools in Bacolod. The Filipino school system is transitioning from a 10-year to a 12-year system in the coming years, and there were many questions for Jeanette and me. We finally ended our day with a lunch that was provided for us by one of the teachers in the college (ugh-I hate that I cannot remember his name. I'll get it tomorrow and add it to the post). His son passed his board exams and he held the lunch in honor of the event. Isn't that so cool?

Tomorrow, we have a writing workshop in the morning, and then we are free for the rest of the day. Whew! Jeanette and I are looking forward to some downtime and some shopping before we jump into things again on Monday.

As always...thanks for reading.




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Location:Bacolod, Philippines



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bacolod, Philippines

Second Day of School: School Visits and Teaching

Our second day picked up where our first day ended. This update, in terms of writing, is going to be short. I think the narrative told by the pictures and YouTube links, below, will tell a much more compelling story for you than I can presently share in words. In truth, there is simply so much to uncover. It seems that each experience is more remarkable than the previous one. Just when I think that I have seen or experienced it all in terms of the way the students are reacting to Jeanette and me, the collegial discussions with our educational peers, or the moments of realization in terms of how lucky I am to be experiencing this educational exchange at this point of my career, something even more compelling presents itself.

Today we visited two public schools in Bacolod. There is a striking difference between La Consolacion and the public schools, as would be expected. But I was struck more by the similarities: The friendly and even raucous reception we received, the commitment of the teachers and principals, and the sincere desire to make the students the focus of the educational experience. Like in the U.S. the educators I have interacted with are deeply concerned about the development of their kids, and it shows in the respect that permeates the campuses. The pictures and videos below are from the first part of our day. You really have to watch Randdie introduce Jeanette and me. He whips the group into a frenzy. I thought we were going to have to sign autographs afterwards. :-)



























Below, Jeanette and I were asked to present medals to a young student who won a regional swimming competition.
















Randdie making us laugh:















Can you believe this one? 50 students to a class:






















After our visit to the public schools, we headed back to La Consolacion and prepared for our co-teaching assignments. The videos below are of La Consolacion instructor Genevieve singing the "Hero" song as an introduction to Beowulf, and there are three videos of my portion of the lesson.










Later this morning, I am going to teach a 90 minute lesson on T.S. Eliot's The Hollow Men to English Education Students. Jeanette is teaching a lesson on critical reading in the afternoon. Very cool stuff. I hope you enjoy reading my blog.

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Location:Bacolod, Philippines

First Day of School

The motto of La Consolacion College in Bacolod is "The Community of Friends." Today, Jeanette and I certainly felt the friendship of the school on our first day. We felt it from the teachers, the principals, and certainly from the students.

We began our day by attending the Flag Day Ceremony at the College. Typically, this ceremony occurs on Monday mornings, but because of the national holiday, yesterday, the ceremony was held today. In honor of our visitation to the school, the teachers and students planned a little bit extra for their program: the singing of the American National Anthem by one of the students, Crystal Santillana. Her remarkable performance of our national anthem brought Jeanette and me to tears. It was a wonderful way to begin our day.

Following her performance, we were introduced to Crystal's mother, and she was very pleased to hear the praise that we heaped upon her daughter. As you can see, the praise was more than well-deserved. I was so struck by the performance that I uploaded it to YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wJ-5Q7V6FY




I encourage you to share it with your family and friends. I'm sure you can just imagine the power and energy we felt from hearing our national anthem half a world away. With all of the problems and issues upon which we tend to focus regarding our country, there remains a powerful aura of respect worlds away. It was really something to be part of it.

After the ceremony, Jeanette and I spent the remainder of the morning with the Principal of the school, Manuel Delumpa. He graciously sacrificed his time for us for most of the morning. We toured the school, observed some classrooms in progress, and were eventually treated to a wonderful lunch. Manual is clearly an excellent administrator. It was quite refreshing to see him walking around the school and interacting with students and teachers, While he commands an aura of respect, he is also very approachable and extremely pleasant. In terms of his interactions with Jeanette and me, he was affable, charming, funny, and sharp as a tack. During our tour, I was able to snap some photos of students and teachers in their classrooms and in the cafeteria:








































Following our tour of the school, Jeanette and I held a session with a group of students--an Intercultural exchange where we were able to take questions from the students about the similarities and differences between U.S. And Filipino schools. The questions from the students were really quite insightful; they spoke to a maturity level among the kids, and also indicated to us how seriously they consider the quality of their education. I have to say that the English-speaking skills of the students is quite remarkable. Most of the kids can speak two languages, and many of them three or more.










We finished our day with a round-table discussion with various subject-team leaders from the school. The collegial nature of the discussion was so refreshing. We again talked about best teaching practices, curriculum issues, fighting through educational bureaucracy, etc. In short, it is clear that despite the differences in culture, the Filipino teachers share many of the same concerns about teaching and learning that we have. We are fortunately going to have more opportunities for these kinds of discussions in the coming days, and I am certainly looking forward to it.

Tomorrow, Jeanette and I are going to team teach with two instructors from the school. We spent some time in the afternoon collaborating with Genevieve and JanRae (forgive me, JanRae! I'll correct the spelling of your name later today, :-). We are going to going over an excerpt from Beowulf-when Beowulf fights Grendel. I am going to be reading the excerpt to the students and then talking to them about heroism, purpose, and other aspects of the story. How awesome is that? I will be team-teaching with Genevieve, and Jeanette will be team-teaching with JanRae. Following our lessons, we are going to get together and discuss best teaching practices and the like.


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Location:La Consolacion College, Bacolod

Our trip to Mambukal Mountain Resort

Well. Wow. I'm not sure there is much more to say. Waterfalls, hot, sulfur baths, great lunch of BBQ chicken, pork, watermelon, mangos, etc. Great conversation about teaching and learning over lunch.

We're ready for our first day in school, tomorrow. More to come. :-). Right now? I'm spent.



















































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Location:Bacolod, Philippines

Day Two. Happy Father's Day

Good day, everyone. Here is a link to a story in the Bacolod paper about our visit: http://visayandailystar.com/2011/June/18/people.htm

I awoke fairly early today--it's clear that I'm still trying to get by bearings on the time change. I had coffee at a small cafe next to the hotel, was able to speak to Daniele, Rocco,and my mom via Skype, and had a nice workout before heading off to mass and then the mall. Randdie and his friend, Marge (as well as her adorable daughter whom we call "Princess"), accompanied Jeanette and me to a local church for a father's day celebration. It has been a while since I attended a formal, Catholic mass, and I have to say that it was a wonderful experience. There were many families there, and the focus of the sermon was on the importance of fathers and their roles as members of a family unit. After the sermon, the fathers in the congregation were invited up to the altar to receive a blessing. It was all very touching, and I found myself missing Rocco and Dani something fierce. Dani and Rocco will be celebrating Father's Day with my family at my parents' house later in the day, and I do wish I could be there.

I've been thinking quite a bit about the importance of family in the context of education, and when we consider the critical role parents play in the development of their children. The sermon at mass today gave me an opportunity to reflect more deliberately on these ideas, and I'm certain to write more on the connection between family and education in future entries.

Following mass, we headed to a local mall. Tomorrow is a national holiday in the Philippines. It is called the National Heroes Holiday and it is in celebration of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Dr. Rizal was a Filipino patriot who advocated for peaceful resistance to Spanish Colonial rule. His execution by the Spanish is widely considered to be a turning point towards ultimate Filipino independence. Because Monday is a holiday, the mall was packed with people. It was a scene, frankly, very much like that of the malls in the U.S. whenever families have some extra time on their hands. With the added dimension of Father's Day woven into the mix, it was a good opportunity for our group to capture some of the more realistic aspects of the Filipino culture.

The mall itself is enormous--and again, I cannot help but make some connections to what we see in the west. There is a great deal of emphasis on fashion, here, as well as a passion for technology. I must have walked by fifteen electronic stores filled with digital cameras, mobile phones, accessories, etc. I'm desperate to buy a new shoulder bag to carry my iPad and various other accessories (I have no idea how Daniele let me leave the house with the bag I am using), and Randdie has promised another visit to the mall some time soon. Jeanette wants to buy some souvenirs for her daughters, as well as some jeans for herself. Hopefully we can visit again soon.

After lunch, I returned to my hotel for the remainder of the day. Because Jeanette is having trouble with Internet access in her hotel, Randdie and Marge are going to help her locate another place with better service. To this end, I must admit that I could not be happier with my hotel, L'Fisher. It is a beautiful place to stay--clean and comfortable--and the employees are extremely gracious and helpful. My Internet service is excellent, as I have noted. What is cool is that I can access the wireless network from just about any place in the hotel. Presently, for example, I'm having coffee on the rooftop area of the hotel surrounded by the sea and looming mountains in the distance. Very cool.

Later today we are going to visit the Mambukal Mountain resort to do some hiking and swimming (http://www.mambukalhaven.com/). It is supposed to be a glorious place, and I'm looking forward to one final day of enjoyment before we get into the guts of our visit.

Some photos, including the view from the top floor of my hotel and some scenes from the church.










































































- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bacolod, Philippines

First Day Impressions, June 17, 2011

It's been quite a couple of days to say the least. I left on Thursday morning, Pittsburgh time, and flew to Detroit. From there, the plane was scheduled to depart for Nagoya, Japan at approximately 4:00 p.m. However, there was a problem with one of the tires on the plane and it had to be replaced. After a two hour delay, we were off. While waiting to depart, I received a message from Jeanette, my colleague from Colorado, and learned that her plane had mechanical problems that required her to make new arrangements for her trip. In a nutshell, we were not able to meet up in detroit and fly to Nagoya together, as was planned. We decided to meet up in Manilla once we arrived and went through customs.

I think any 12 hour plane ride is going to be difficult, and this one was no exception. I'll spare you the details, but suffice is to say that its pretty difficult to get comfortable and get some sleep when flying coach across the Pacific. I did manage to nod off a few times, but over all managed very little sleep. When I arrived in Nagoya, there was a two hour layover and then we boarded the plan for Manilla. Once we landed in Manilla, I was happy to see that Jeanette was waiting for me just outside of the gate, and while we waited for my luggage, she managed to contact Randdie (our contact person for the exchange), and he and his friend Rodjhun drove us to our hotel.

By the time we checked in and settled into our rooms, it was around one in the morning, Manilla time. Jeanette and I met at the hotel restaurant and were able to get on the wireless network for the hotel and make calls to our families to let them know we arrived safely. To this end, Skype is a godsend, but I must say that not having easy access to the Internet for email, voice calls, etc. is a little unsettling. I found myself checking my iPhone every few minutes for messages, even though it was in airplane mode and not connected to any network. We are fortunate that we will have access in our host school in Bacolod, as well as in our respective hotels. But the daily access with which we have grown accustomed is not going to be par for the course during the visit. As such, I have some feeling about this that are both positive and negative. One thing is certain: We are spoiled in the states with the ease of access to online content and the like. And while we may complain about a dropped connection, limited access, etc., we are fortunate to the reliable uptime we have come to enjoy.

I only managed about an hour of sleep before the phone rang for my 5:30 a.m. wake up call. I stumbled out of bed, showered and shaved, and met Jeanette and Rod in the hotel lobby for our trip to the airport (Randdie actually left on an even earlier flight!). Rod was great--he managed to get us a ride to the Manilla airport, was very helpful in helping us navigate through the check in process, and we enjoyed chatting with him about The culture in the Philippines in general, and what our experiences were going to be like in our host school, in particular. I'll write more about this hospitality later, but wanted to comment about it quickly, here. Jeanette and I were very luck to have Randdie and Rod helping us get settled.

Once in Bacolod, we were scheduled for a meeting with various school administrators and teachers from La Consolacion College where we would be spending the next few weeks. The meeting was wonderful, and despite our exhaustion from the lack of sleep, Jeanette and I quickly got into the discussion of the agenda for our visit. We had a nice lunch and headed back to our hotels to check in and rest and relax for the remainder of the day.

Some highlights:

Upon our arrival at the school, Jeanette and I were stunned to see the billboard below. Yeesh!
Talk about feeling like a couple of stars!





This is a picture from he front of the school (That's Rodjhul in the background):






And finally, a picture of the newspaper story about our visit (this appeared in the local paper, today. Don't worry, mom, I have an extra copy for you. :-))






Thanks for reading, everyone. There is certainly more to come.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bacolod, Philippines