Volunteer Work as an Assistant Teacher

I woke up early and a little bit excited. It was the day of my storytelling!

August 25, 2011

I arrived at the Day Care Center at 7:30am. Teacher Daylin was already there and she told me that I'd be doing my story telling not on the morning class but on the afternoon one. The students arrived one by one. We waited for a few more minutes and Teacher Daylin started the class at around 8:30am. The first thing that the class did was the usual singing and dancing. After the first song, the students were asked what else they wanted to sing. Some of the students shouted "Bahay Kubo! Bahay Kubo!" I'm guessing that's their favorite.

Coloring time!

After the introductory singing, I helped Teacher Daylin draw shapes on the pad papers using a black marker pen. I was also the one assigned to distribute the papers and crayons to the students. I taught some of the students how to color correctly and at the same time praised those who did great. Before the students could submit their papers, I first checked their works to see if they were able to fully color the shapes.

When all the students submitted their papers, Teacher Daylin asked them to keep quiet and listen to her storytelling. This time, she shared the story of Ibong Adarna. She used the names of some of her students for the characters which made the storytelling more interesting. Questions were asked afterwards. The students were not able to answer all of her questions but overall, I could say that the students did learned something. To energize the students after the story telling, Teacher Daylin asked them to all stand up for the Follow the Leader game.

Follow the Leader / Teacher :-)

When it was time for the students' recess, I helped in the preparation and distribution of their milk drinks. I watched them drink and finish their milks as well as helped them with their food. After they finished eating, I told the kids to pick up their trash and throw in the trash can. I played with some of them and answered a lot of their questions. Honestly, most of the kids were very nice to me. But the one thing that made me smile was the way they bragged about their stuff, like this one student who kept on showing me her new shoes. The class ended at 10:30am but some kids waited for their "sundo" till 11:00am.

After my one hour break, I went back to the Day Care Center. I prepared myself for my story telling. And at exactly 1:00pm, Teacher Daylin started the afternoon class. She first sang a few songs with the students and then asked me to start my story telling.

"Good afternoon! I'm Teacher Ivory..."

I greeted the students and introduced myself. I told them that I'd be sharing a short story. It was about a dog named Clifford, a very helpful dog that gets rewarded for his good deeds. I first asked the kids if they have pet dogs and they all answered "Opo!" While I was doing my story telling, I could see that all the students were listening.  They were able to answer my questions which made my experience more enjoyable. For the moral lesson of the story, I told the kids that they should always be nice and helpful to others for them to be rewarded with toys and chocolates.

The kids listening to my story telling.

When my story telling was done, Teacher Daylin then taught the class about the letter E and made them pronounce it again and again. She also drew figures that starts with the said letter and then called on some students to pronounce the names of the figures in Tagalog / Filipino (like elesi, eroplano, elepante). When it was time for their practice writing, I helped Teacher Daylin in the writing of letter E's on the pad papers as guide and distributed the papers to the students. I guided some in their writings and also persuaded those who were too lazy to write. Most of the students focused on their seatwork, but there were also those who played and even punched holes on their paper using their pencils. I had to give new papers to the makulit kids because theirs were either crumpled, torn, or with holes.

The class ended at 3:00pm and I left after 30 minutes when I was already done with the room cleaning. But before I left, Teacher Daylin and I talked again and she told me that the 2 wall fans in the Day Care were all donated. I can't help but wonder why the local government could not afford to provide the basic needs of the students. Was there an allotted fund or not? But instead of just asking, I decided to do my part, volunteer, and serve the best way I can.

Community Service (Pag-asa Day Care Center)

I visited Bagac Municipal Hall last August 22, 2011 to meet with Ms. Ellen Bangug, Officer-I of MSWD (Municipal Social Welfare and Development). I told her about my plans and gave her the letter from my UP Professor, Ma'am Juliet Aleta Villanueva. She approved it and told me that I also need to inform the Office of the Mayor about my interest in volunteering. After the Administrative officer received my letter, I went again to the MSWD office.

Ms. Ellen Bangug explained to me some of the MSWD programs like the 4Ps or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Disaster Assistance, Feeding Program, and the Day Care Service. She asked me where I want to volunteer and I told her that I'm willing to work at the local day care center. After some talking and explaining, she assigned me to Barangay Pag-asa Day Care Center where a lot of students are enrolled.

August 24, 2011

I went to Brgy. Pag-asa Bagac, Bataan at around 7:30am to meet with Teacher Daylin Tuates, Officer of the Day Care Center. I introduced myself to her and she oriented me about their everyday activities. She told me that there are two classes per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It was raining that day, so only 15 of the 35 registered students (of the morning class) arrived.

Me, Teacher Daylin, and Ate Bhe

The moment the class started, Ms. Tuates introduced me to her students as "Teacher Ivory." I said a short hello to the kids and they all welcomed me, looking very excited. Some even hugged me and kept on calling me "Teacher! Teacher!" I sat in the back and observed Ms. Tuates as well as the students. She started the class with a lot of singing and dancing. The age range of the students in a Day Care is 3-4 years old so a loud voice, creativity, and a lot of patience are needed for the students to learn.

After the singing and dancing, Teacher Daylin shared the story of Hansel and Gretel. She used the chalkboard to draw images from the story and also acted the different characters. Afterwards, she taught the class about horizontal lines. The students were asked one by one to draw horizontal lines on the chalkboard. Some students drew very long lines which I found very funny. After the practice on the chalkboard, the class were asked to write horizontal lines on a pad paper. I helped Teacher Daylin by writing 3 horizontal lines on the pad as guide and distributed the papers to the students. I also assisted some students in their writings as well as asked some naughty kids to behave.

Free milk during recess.

When all the students submitted their papers, I helped Ate Bhe (assistant of Teacher Daylin) in the preparation and distribution of milk drinks to the students. I also helped the kids open the wrappers of their cookies and played with some of them. The class ended at around 10:00am. When all the students left, I helped in the cleaning of the room and washing of the plastic cups.

After the morning class, I stayed and talked with Teacher Daylin regarding the condition of the Day Care Center. She opened up the need of the center for some school supplies like big crayons, papers, art materials, and educational toys. I also noticed that the two wall fans are not enough for the 30 plus students. So after knowing these problems, I decided to do my donations next week. 

Clay molding time!

I went out for lunch at around 11:30am and then got back at 12:30pm. The afternoon class was basically the same as the morning one, but this time we played modelling clay. The students looked very excited. Teacher Daylin first taught them how to make a snake out of clay. And then I also taught them how to make different shapes. After all the playing and molding, the students were asked by Teacher Daylin to stick their creations on the chalkboard.

Clay creations of the kids.

When the afternoon class ended, I again helped in the cleaning of the room. Teacher Daylin also approached me and asked me to prepare for my story telling the next day. She handed me some story books that I could use. I went home at around 3:30pm.