Mabuhay! I am joyful to be a part of the Centennial Celebration of Filipino Migrants to the United States. The Pinoy Teachers Network played a vital role in making this possible. Pinoy Teachers Network, what a fitting name to an excellent electronic media helping Pinoy teachers everywhere to get to know and learn from each other.
I am surprised and overwhelmed to receive such an award, "Exceptional Teacher Ulirang Guro." What did I do? I helped Kathy communicate with her friends by teaching her to type without looking. I taught Charlene cook safely. Now she has a vending stand at the Department of Education. I helped Ian transition from a self-contained classroom to the mainstream. Now he is an accounting student at Prince George's County College. I was so happy when little Heather learned to sa "hello mommy" for the first time. I could not forget the day when Tyler finally learned to say his name correctly. I felt like I won a million dollars when out of a long-time silence, Delonte said his first clear word, "cookie". When little Christian learned to read with his fingers, he read these words, "The animals got wet." He exclaims, "Let's find out what happens next". At That moment I was beginning to make a difference in the boy's life. One day my principal saw a boy reading a book to his class in a mainstream classroom. "Is that Ms. Donalvo's Steven?" he asked. "No, that is Ludlow-Taylor's Steven", his homeroom teacher replied. That was my Steven; I am proud of him. He is now in Junior High School. I like teaching and I love my special students!
Thank you to the Pinoy Teachers Network and the Philippine Embassy for this honor. I wish to share it with my mother, Fidela, my American mother/ mother-in-law, Leta, and my best friend/ husband, Donald. They have always been supportive in my career and all of life's ups and downs. I will always remember many others who have helped me along the way to get to where I am today. Most of all, I praise and thank God Almighty, through him, all these things were possible.
There is a young lady in our midst working like a busy spider. She is actively collecting, building, sharing a bit of information in the world-wide-web. You know who you are. Keep up the good work! As a Pinoy teacher, myself, I hope that we continue to work as a team so that we can meet and exceed the expectations of our jobs. I dream that Pinoy Teachers Network will keep growing, and in the future we will have an organization called, "Pinoy Teachers Network Inc." Mabuhay!
