Part 1 of 2

SPOTLIGHT: Association of Fil-Am Teachers of America (AFTA)

Pupils of Pianing Elementary School in Butuan City posing for pictures after receiving educational materials and slippers from the AFTAu2019s Adopt-a-School Project, which was spearheaded by Dr. Roxanne Cajigas, president of AFTA, on 5 August 2018

We may have read Benjamin Franklin as having said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”; or come across Albert Einstein quoted as saying, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death”; or even referenced Lao Tzu with his famous quote: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

AFTA members during one of their first BalikTuro series in the 1990’s held at the Philippine School for the Deaf

As the Balikturo has been in operation for almost three decades now, the desire to share their wealth of talents and resources have already been ingrained at the very core of the dedicated Filipino-American teachers, who, year after year, continue to return to the Philippines not only for the fulfillment they get from teaching, but also for the sheer joy of giving back to their home country and fellowmen. This tradition of giving back has been passed on to the younger members of the organization from its pioneers. True to form, this batch of around 30 educators from New York made use of available resources to continue the mission, despite, but precisely because of, the pandemic.

During the online Balikturo in July, CFO Chairperson Sec. Francisco P. Acosta lauded the AFTA’s innovativeness in fulfilling its commitment to deliver its annual missionary project in bringing the learning of Filipino educators abroad back to the Philippines amidst the distance and travel restraints. He urged attendees to “follow the AFTA’s spirit and fortitude in moving on despite the limitations imposed by the present pandemic.” The Secretary also encouraged the participants to ‘pay it forward’ to their respective communities by sharing the knowledge and skills they acquired from the webinar series.

Continuing community development

The conduct of the BalikTuro does not stop at teachers, who are the initial intended beneficiaries of the program. In 2015, AFTA launched its Adopt a Scholar Project to fund the four-year academic scholarships of bright but underprivileged students enrolled in the BS Education program in state colleges or universities in the Philippines. They are currently supporting 14 deserving scholars who dream of becoming outstanding teachers and educators in their lifetime.

In addition to helping disadvantaged students, the AFTA also started a program called Adopt a Classroom in the Philippines. Since 2015, the organization has been donating learning supplies to public schools of several municipalities and cities nationwide. And through its Gawad Teknolohiya project, the organization donated audio-visual materials such as projectors, scientific calculators, and some instructional software.

Part 2 of 2 to be continued next week

Source: Manila Times, May 14, 2021

Link: https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/14/supplements/pinoy-teachers-in-the-us-give-back-to-home-country-colleagues-and-community/873880/