By Alyanna Cariño

Educators play a big role in shaping young minds. The role of a teacher comes with its own set of challenges within and beyond the classroom. Not only do they bear the responsibility of providing quality education, but also become mentors and even sources of emotional support for their learners. For them to effectively teach and fulfill their role as teachers, it is only essential that their socio-emotional well-being is also nurtured.

On July 29, 2023, Cartwheel Foundation, in partnership with Pilipinas Journal, with support from Ashoka Foundation and S&P Global Foundation held an in-person workshop entitled Gabay Guro: From Safe to Brave Learning Spaces | An Introduction to Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL), at the conference room of the Barangay Hall of Barangay San Antonio, Parañaque City. This session is part of Cartwheel Foundation’s Daloy ng Karunungan, a series of learning sessions for its community teachers. The participants included our Sama-Bajau teachers from the Sama-Bajau Activity Center in Parañaque City and the Parañaque Supervised Neighborhood Play (SNP) teachers.

The objective of the workshop was not only to deep dive into SEL but also to improve the teachers’ capacity and creativity to teach a resilience-focused education to their students, while also allowing them to reflect on their own teaching journey.

The learning session was divided into four parts: Pagbabalik-tanaw, Jigsaw, Patungong Ligtas at Matatag na Silid Aralan, and the Closing Circle.

Pagbabalik-tanaw: Nagbibigay-Buhay at Nagtatanggal Buhay
To begin the first part of the workshop, one of the resource persons from Pilipinas Journal, Meggy Caparas, introduced an ice breaker activity which they called Tumayo Kung…In this quick activity, the teachers were asked to stand up if the habits, preferences, and other interests mentioned aligned with things they enjoy or engage in. The next activity was initiated by Z Santillan from Pilipinas Journal, which allowed the teachers to reflect and acknowledge what gives them strength (Nagbibigay-buhay) and what things or activities make them feel less motivated or worried (Nagtatanggal-Buhay). To better acquaint themselves with one another, the teachers had a quick sharing of what they have listed down. Most of the teachers shared similar struggles, as they try to juggle the demands of motherhood along with their responsibilities as educators.

Pagiging Matatag na Guro
During this part of the session, the participants delved into an activity called Jigsaw Puzzle, led by Genica Bucao from Pilipinas Journal, which tackled ways the teachers could develop resilience and how these can relate to SEL. The teachers were tasked to read a passage about Motivations, Emotions, and Relations, with each aspect corresponding to a puzzle piece. To know and understand these concepts more deeply, they were given the opportunity to engage in a Talakayan, where they exchanged experiences and insights with one another in their respective groups.

Among the many experiences and perspectives that were shared, was that a resilient teacher is accepting, understanding, and has a strong dedication to the act of teaching. They also shared that being a resilient teacher involves building positive connections with their colleagues, parents, and the entire community. Gen Bucao wrapped up this part of the session by leaving the teachers with the saying, “Ang pagiging matatag ay ang kakayahan na tumugon sa mga hamon ng pagtuturo sa pamamagitan ng pag-direkta niya sa motibasyon, emosyon, at mga relasyon niya.” (Being resilient is the ability to respond to the challenges of teaching by directly addressing one’s motivations, emotions, and relations).

Patungong Ligtas at Matatag na Silid Aralan
For this part, Z Santillan from Pilipinas Journal, introduced the concept of the 3Rs (Regulate, Relate, Reason) of SEL by Dr. Bruce Perry. She discussed the idea of being “dysregulated”, a state often encountered by many students, particularly the younger ones who throw tantrums and are challenging to communicate with. This state, according to her, can also be experienced by the teachers themselves. While it is quite challenging to attend to the needs of every student, she emphasized the importance of earning their trust so that they can openly share their thoughts. If the teachers show the students that they can relate and actively listen to their students’ problems, the students will learn to trust in them. This part concluded with Z sharing tips on staying calm when the teachers are faced with difficulties.

Closing Circle
To wrap up the session, everyone gathered in a big circle for a short sharing session. Most of the teachers expressed similar sentiments, saying that they were drawn to teaching because kids are close to their heart, and that the profession is something that they are genuinely passionate about. Majority of them also shared that attending the workshop is a way for them to gain a deeper understanding of SEL, and that whatever they learned in the session, they will share it to their community. Gen Bucao left the teachers with a reminder saying that if they ever feel like they are alone and are confronted with challenges, they should look back and reflect on the learnings from the workshop, as a source of guidance and support.

Together, and through this workshop, the teachers found renewed motivation and drive to fuel their passion for teaching.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible partner, Pilipinas Journal, with support from Ashoka and S&P Global Foundation. We owe our newfound knowledge on Socio-Emotional Learning to our exceptional resource persons, Z Santillan, Gen Bucao, Margarita Caparas, Sofia Magno, Rachelle Sison, and Jhona Reyes Vitor. Thank you for making this workshop possible! We also extend our gratitude to our dear Sama-Bajau teachers from the Parañaque Activity Center and to the Parañaque SNP Teachers for their active participation and dedication, and to the officials of San Antonio Barangay Hall for their generosity in providing the venue.

Here’s to continuous growth and development for our teachers’ journey!

Photos by: Jhona Reyes Vitor