Flags Magazine Volume 9 No 1: March 2014 Issue | Page 8

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PHOTO CREDIT: JIM WEBB

professional experience and
also enhanced my personal and
spiritual growth.

LEARNING AND TEACHING
BEYOND AIIAS
BY RAHEL STROECK

T

he class “Advanced
Instructional Strategies”
helped us get involved with
teaching strategies that engage
students in cooperative learning,
inductive thinking, critical
thinking, and other habits of
mind. The thrill of being able to
use what I am learning to teach
others gripped me. “Let’s go to
Mindoro for the professional
development of the teachers
at Katatubo Excel School Inc.,”
one of my classmates from
Mindoro suggested, and I

enthusiastically agreed. Mindoro
is the neighboring island south
of Cavite where AIIAS is located.
Puerto Galera is a tourist spot
on the northern side of Oriental
Mindoro. On the opposite side,
known as Occidental, hosts
more indigenous tribes. Many of
them live in remote mountain
areas, oppressed by others and
frequently without any formal
education.
Soon after the class was over,
we prepared for the teachertraining seminar. A two-hour ride
in a mini-van, two hours on the
ferry, and another hour in the
mini-van brought us safely to
Mamburao where the high school
and headquarters are located.
The primary schools serve the
remote villages of the Katatubo.
We spent two days with over
20 teachers. I gained a unique

I admired the hard work and
dedication of teachers who serve
in such remote areas, willing
to sacrifice comfort and their
lifestyle in order to live a life of
service. Teaching is by definition
challenging, even in the most
prosperous places, but with these
limited resources in a culture not
accustomed to formal education,
this places huge demands on the
teachers. I saw their enthusiasm,
especially during the hands-on
activities, it was truly a fulfilling
reward to just interact with
them. They were full of passion
and the teachers shared with me
how they plan to use what they
have learned when they return to
their respective villages.
Missionaries Jim and Moni
Webb, who run the school,
were also involved in the
workshop and I believe their
involvement will contribute to
the implementation of concepts
learned during the professional
development seminar. True
to our expectation, soon after
classes resumed, Dr. Gaikwad
received a message from Mr.
Webb: “We are experiencing our
best year ever with motivated
teachers and receptive students!”
This was one of the service
learni