Friday, December 20, 2013

Red, the color of love

Most of the time this blog shows my perspective on being here.  That makes sense, as it is my blog and I'm the one writing it.  But I thought it would be fun to give a different viewpoint, and as the school newspaper came out this week with an article about me in it, I thought I'd share.  This was written by a student at Easter School, and although the teacher running the newspaper let me read it first to approve it, the only changes I made were to correct the spelling of certain programs.  It's certainly not Johan's fault that Americorps is spelled differently than it sounds.  



Red, the Color of Love
By Johan Golucan

                On the ___th day of ____, 2013, a new teacher was introduced during the flag ceremony. Fair complexion, red hair, thick eye glasses, and an American accent; having observed all these made me realize that standing in front of us was a foreigner.  

When I first found out that she was going to be teaching in Easter, I thought I would have to make some major adjustments like getting used to her American accent and her foreign teaching style. But I guess it’s just water under the bridge now because I discovered that despite her differences with us, she’s a great teacher!

                 Her name is Margaret Ann Clinch, a 27 year-old native of Ohio, a state located in the Midwest of the U.S. She has an Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s degree of Science from the University of Evansville. Though her chosen course is not related to teaching, her passion in educating young minds earned her a year of tutoring in the Americorps Program. 

                Smart and quiet. These are two words that her co-teachers use to describe her. But underneath that silence lies a fountain of knowledge. According to the other teachers, when they start a topic with her, especially if it is an intelligent one, she can go on with the discussion without running out of ideas. She is a proof that in silence, there is wisdom.

                It is no secret that Margaret is a volunteer teacher. And because of this, the students have a high amount of respect for her.

                When it comes to her relationship with the other teachers, she says they are very welcoming to her and that she enjoys working with them.

                “I find the students here in Easter to be the same as all the other students anywhere in the world. There are times when I yell at the top of my lung but mostly I enjoy the students,” Margaret says with a big smile on her face. 

During her time, she had to go through a lot of debt to get through college. Having experienced this, she wishes to tell the students a piece of wisdom. And that is, “Enjoy this time now because you’re never going to have as much of an opportunity to learn as you do at this point of your lives. Everything after high school you have to work for.” 

Having been so curious how Margaret got here in Easter College, I took the interview as an opportunity to ask this question that had been nagging me for quite a while. According to her, she volunteered at the Young Adults Service Program. It was basically a program where they send you somewhere in the world and have you do something. In her case, she was sent to the Philippines   to teach. Originally she was to be sent in the southern part of the Philippines but the program decided against it because of the recent warfare and disasters.

                “Life is short and we do not have too much time to gladden the hearts of those we travel along the road with. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind.” This was actually a prayer that was taught to Margaret by the head of her program. It is a beautiful piece of literature that reflects her kind-heartedness.     

Her love in teaching is a ray of sunshine to us, her students. She says she loves the point where somebody captures that spark of interest that she is so passionate about. Personally for me, she makes learning seem so magical, so much different from how I used to see it.

                The only question that is left for us now is, will she continue teaching? The honest truth is that even she herself doesn’t know. She hasn’t decided whether or not she will be going back for a master’s degree in education or if she will try to work for her local diocese. So part of her being here is because she wants to decide whether she would pursue education or ministry. Well, whichever she chooses, I think that it’s safe to say that all of is here in Easter are ready to support her all the way.

 Good luck, Ma’am Margaret.

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