Art-filled World Teachers’ Day for Metro teachers
By Niña CallejaPhilippine Daily Inquirer
Around 300 teachers from Metro Manila public schools got an artistic World Teachers’ Day treat.
At the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City, the teachers experienced arts in different forms under expert guidance.
They were asked to choose which art form they were interested in—theater, film, visuals and dance—and got a one-and-a-half-hour lecture-demonstration on their chosen field.
“Since the CCP is focusing on arts appreciation, we thought, ‘Why not let our teachers experience arts?’” said Josefina Guillen, chief of the audience development division of the CCP’s Arts Education Department, organizer of the event.
The teachers, who came from different schools in Metro Manila, suspended afternoon classes so they could spend half a day at the CCP.
The event was called “Sining Alamin.”
Guillen said the teachers were so excited, “perhaps feeling like students again.”
At the rehearsal hall where the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) was practicing, the teachers interacted with the musicians and listened to the sound of each instrument.
“They were introduced to the different sections of the orchestra,” Guillen said.
The teachers learned about theater from Fernando Josef, also known as Tata Nanding, the artistic director of CCP resident drama company Tanghalang Pilipino.
Before the visit ended, the teachers joined games and raffles and watched the Cinemalaya film “Patikul,” which shows the challenges teachers face in war-torn Mindanao.
“The teachers had a taste of the different art forms. Hopefully they can transfer this new experience to their students,” Guillen said.
She said the teachers could use art to make other subjects more engaging and fun.
“For example, in teaching the history of places, the kind of art in that culture should always be discussed,” Guillen said.
Nica Bajado, a Grade 5 history teacher at Don Carlos Village Elementary School in Pasay City, said the day was fun-filled. She attended a session on the basics of ballet.
“It was really a treat. We wouldn’t have had the chance to dance a little ballet if not for this,” she said in Filipino.
Someone like her who has been teaching young kids for over two decades, she said, could use new and fresh experiences such as CCP’s offerings on World Teachers’ Day.
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