Who is Mr. Harry?

Institutional Orientation on Harry Wong for Inductees
1:00-:3:30pm
May 13, 2005
Boardroom 1

Last Friday, May 13, we were invited to the Institutional Orientation on Harry Wong for Inductees. Based from the way people mentioned the name Harry Wong inschool, I could tell that he’s one important person. It seems everyone knew him except the new teachers, like me. They mentioned the LRC would lend us a book he wrote. I was curious. Who is Mr. Harry? How is he connected to being an effective teacher?

While watching two short film clips on him, Mr. Harry’s big idea was slowly revealed to me. Each insight he was saying was not something new. In fact, I think I’ve heard some of his tips before. When we were grouped together to share our insights, a co-teacher said how she agrees that the first day of school is important in determining whether the class will be successful or not. It’s when perceptions are built. Mr. Wong emphasized on the importance of classroom management for learning to take place in the classroom. “It was common sense that was not that common.” If students knew how to behave well in class, then the learning will be maximized. His big idea was not something complicated. Everything he said was simple and it isn’t something new. Sometimes we forget about these essential things and we take them for granted.

Personally, I found the whole session empowering and inspiring. Mr. Harry showed us that as teachers we are responsible for student learning. He threw the ball back to us. There are no helpless students if there are effective teachers. He said that it’s important to have positive expectations for your students and yourself. After showing us our responsibility, he provided us with tools on how to become an effective teacher. Every teacher can be effective.Teaching is a skill and it is possible to learn how to be effective.

As a new teacher, still unsure of my vocation, I feel happy with my decision toteach. I’m inspired with the realization that teachers can teach with more meaning. Like what Fr. Johnny Go told us, we’re not just employees here in Xavier, we’re partners in the mission of the school to form these students. Effective teacher affects lives. As Mr. Wong said, teachers should design lessons for student mastery and not just for ‘survival.’ He said how we’re all good teachers, addressing the crowd of teachers in his talk. The question is if we are successful. Do we prepare our students for the real world? Do we make any impact? I think this is where the UBD (Understanding by Design) framework stems from as a response.

I have to admit I’m still trying to catch up on things. I still get confused with the semantics of the framework and the other jargons here in Xavier. However, I believe that with the determination to put meaning into what we do everything will become clearer. It’s like answering the question: "Who is Mr.Harry?" Mr. Harry Wong is just another teacher who continues “to beg, borrow and steal” and then own his learning’s.

“The mediocre teacher tells, the good one explains, the superior one shows, the great one inspires”

“You can teach a lesson for a day but if you teach curiosity, you teach for a lifetime.”