Star Teacher

“Thank you!” These two words were echoed by public elementary school teachers as they left the Bulwagang Tandang Sora of the UP College of Social Work and Community Development on the afternoon of July 11, 2010. It was the second and last day of the SAS Teacher Training Workshop, a component vital to the success of the 31-day Read-a-Thon. Conducted with the support of Citi Foundation and SGV Foundation, the workshop was designed to equip teachers with innovative classroom strategies so that they could become more e ective reading teachers and advocates.

The workshop benefited 85 educators from Pasig and 11 from Caloocan. The participants expressed appreciation for two days of educational activities, cheers, and exchange of insights among participants and trainers. Aside from the interesting methods shared by the master trainers and group facilitators, another highlight of the workshop was the interactive storytelling session by renowned storyteller Bodjie Pascua.

“This is a very interesting seminar because we do the activities ourselves,” commented one participant during a plenary session.

The nine principals in attendance gamely participated in every session of the workshop, and even contributed in clarifying teachers’ concerns related to the implementation of the Read-a-Thon. In fact, the group facilitators noted the cooperation and good working relationship between the teachers and the principals.

With the enthusiasm displayed by the participants and their commitment to build a nation of readers, SAS anticipates another successful implementation of the reading program; thus, SAS ended the workshop also with two words for their new partners: “Thank you!”