Christina Marie L. Senosa | St. Thomas-St. John District Teacher of the Year Candidate
High School Social Studies
Ivanna Eudora Kean High School
I am a great believer that school has a major influence on our lives. It is where we spend the majority of our time and it is where our second home is. We develop our intra and interpersonal relationships in school more often than any other place. It is also the venue where we have been honed, groomed and influenced by our second guardians—teachers. This is mainly the reason why I decided to become an educator. It is very cliché to say, but the reason why I became a teacher is because my previous teachers who mentored me were the ones whom I looked up to and whom I tried to emulate. I wanted to be like them to pay forward the importance of education—an education that develops learners holistically.
I have been a kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school teacher by experience. As I move forward in educating these young minds, I realized that they are indeed our future. I wanted to introduce ideas that will spark interest in their souls. Our learners are our country’s future, serving physicians, nurses, pilots, engineers, teachers and many other careers that will serve our planet as we continue living, if only they are given a chance to be heard and be productive; to achieve their dreams and aspirations directed to a path stepping on their own scaffolds of success.
True enough, I have received some recognitions in the past from some levels. I have been awarded for Most Functional Bulletin Board and Most Interactive Class. I was even an Outstanding Teacher, too. Those honors were validation for my approach in teaching, but I still feel they were only more about the perceptions of my teaching. It made me understand that awards are superficial. It gives you a surreal feeling to be honored, but it is still your contribution to society that will leave a significant mark.
Being a teacher in the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education, I think my greatest accomplishment is the connection I made not only to my students, my colleagues, and to parents, but most importantly, to the community. When I stepped into the portals of Ivanna Eudora Kean high School, I felt the warm life force of acceptance and in return, I have embraced the culture of school spirit. I have been involved in many community-related programs, such as the Law and You program, which explores the laws by which our society is governed and encourages students to be aware of the program’s goals and objectives, which are to foster self-confidence and to help them make better personal decisions that will promote a healthier and safer lifestyle.
Another is the yearly Black History Month celebration and Cultural Fair activity that highlights the culture of the Virgin Islands and international cultures. It is a gratifying and satisfying experience when you have that feeling of involvement and belongingness. The local community has appreciated the time, effort and performances of the program I am involved in, as well as the presentation of the different cultures with the involvement of the students and community. Through these activities, I made the audience understand how individual characteristics differ and how culture affects one’s pattern of behavior. As an educator, it strongly served as a springboard for learning, for learning per se’ does not only happen in the classroom but also in everywhere. When people interact, learning takes place; thus, this experience helps the learners and the community appreciate more the value of sharing one’s unique culture because the impacts on the patterns of behavior of humans serves as a great catalyst of learning empirically. This is very vital for us teachers, because we link together students, faculty, families, and community members to foster the learning’s success and their healthy development.
Finally, as a teacher, you must also exhibit good rapport with your colleagues. Extending help especially to the things you are good at. Supporting each other to meet the achievement rate and to be in pace with the curriculum and its content. The nature of interaction is visible when we allow other teachers to communicate and we exert effort also to help them. I believe that the teacher has a great role in creating an environment and building relationships conducive to learning that goes beyond the traditional academic duties to include the provision of additional support and care. That is why, I had offered online tutorials for teachers, parents and students and it had helped them improve their knowledge in integrating technology in the classroom and at home especially now that we are in the virtual classroom. Thus, by developing, nurturing and supporting positive relationships with each other, we can buffer the impact of certain basic factors that may negatively affect our students’ academic achievement.
