This year’s teachers’ day celebration was a new and thrilling experience for both students and teachers of Makati Hope Christian School. Held on Zoom on the 25th of September, it was the first-ever online occasion of the school.
With the theme “The Light in Teaching in the Dark”, the celebration garnered more than 400 participants consisting of students and teachers of the MHCS community.
“It was different, yet fun,” said Ms. Kristin Basco, one of our English teachers, when asked about her experience during the teachers’ day event and that holds true even for the students and staff of Makati Hope Christian School.
Truly a different, yet fun experience at the same time, the event gave the teachers, staff, and even students great memories to look back to in spite of the limitations brought by the pandemic and online environment.
“The fact that it can be done virtually like that (and it’s the first time for that as well), that in itself is memorable,” Ms. Basco added.
Asked about the memorable moment, she highlighted the games. Indeed the breakout puzzles were exhilarating and challenging experiences that gave both the teachers and students chances to work together and come out victorious. Especially when there were prizes at stake, the competitive spirits of the teachers and students were unleashed. Sadly, many felt that the breakout-inspired game was too short, and this thought is mirrored by Ms. Basco.
However, even if the games were too short, the program afterwards more than made up for it. Specifically, the self-care talk presented by our very own guidance counselor, Ms. Janine Sarto is an exemplary example, reminding everyone to take care of their mental health, which is especially important when dealing with the stress of online classes and the current pandemic. With other note-worthy reminders and speeches, from respected teachers and staff, the very first online teachers’ day event ended as a success.
Despite that, numerous questions still linger in the minds of many of the students, especially of the SC members who gave their best effort in ensuring the enjoyment of all the teachers, staff, and students during the entirety of the celebration. This includes the questions of whether this event was able to reach or even exceed the expectations of the teachers, whether the teachers were able to still enjoy the event even with the limited interaction, and whether the teachers prefer future events to be held online or in-person.
Luckily, Ms. Basco allowed us to share her insights regarding these questions. “I really did not know what to expect, Virtual programs can be tricky. But it was overall fun, so kudos to the SC and the overseers of the program for that.” Undeniably, no one really knew what to expect for this event, but everyone can agree that the SC was able to deliver. After all, many of the participants didn’t have any experience with online events prior to this, so as long as everyone had a blast, then we can consider it a success!
Still, when asked whether she preferred online or face-to-face Ms. Basco stated with certainty that she prefers it to be “in-person, only because that’s how celebrations of any kind should be done.” She also reasoned out that we are social beings, and given the circumstances of an online event, it’s difficult to truly have everyone engaged. Surely, many if not all teachers and students share the same thoughts as Ms. Basco. But despite that, the teachers’ day celebration was still a great program given that it was a new experience for everyone, even for the organizers!
Besides, Ms. Basco was able to appreciate and enjoy the “fun kind of different” aspect of the event. She was especially proud knowing that students were able to conceptualize such a large event that is suitable to the intended audience — the teachers, staff, and students.
Overall, the teachers’ day celebration provided everyone with the right amount of fun, but as Ms. Basco also stated, it would be much better if all students can participate in the games as well. Then again, this is the day for the teachers to shine, so maybe we, students, can have our chance in the following events to come.
Cheers to everyone, especially the SC, who were able to organize such an amazing program to celebrate our beloved hardworking teachers.
Story by Hannah Tan and Sophia Chua
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