A Greenheart’s Teach USA Filipino Math Teacher’s Story of Success in Missouri, USA!
Hiring international teachers brings a unique set of skills to classrooms, and opens the door to students to experience the world through their foreign teachers. The questions students ask about their teacher’s home country are used to supplement their learning experience. Students learn how much different other parts of the world are, compared to the United States. Host schools understand how invaluable an experience it is to have international teachers.
Greenheart Exchange recruits highly qualified teachers from all over the world to teach a variety of subjects in the United States. They teach elementary education, STEM, world languages, and special education. Many of our international teachers were recognized by their schools for their dedication, commitment and the impact they made on their host schools. Here’s what one of our teachers recently shared about his teaching and program experience in the United States. Meet Jairoh Taracina who came on the Teach USA program from the Philippines:
“I am Jairoh Taracina, also known as “Mr. Jay” at my current school. I currently serve as a high school mathematics teacher here at the Newtown-Harris R-III School District, which is located in the small town of Newtown, Missouri USA. Despite being a small town, this place is very safe and peaceful. In addition, I teach college subject to my students at North Central Missouri College, where I am a college math instructor for dual credits.
Being an international exchange teacher offers me a great opportunity to experience a different culture and share my own with my coworkers, students, neighbors, and those who have become friends. These individuals are the reason why I continue to dream and grow even more. The best part of my job is being able to share my culture of helping and demonstrating how hospitable and nice we Filipinos are. There are huge differences, but I can see that there are good things and attitudes of each one. I believe that people around me fuel my teaching strategies as well as professional, and spiritual growth, so I do not give up on any of the challenges that life brings here in the United States.
Some of the things I have discovered about the U.S. culture are food, music, and even outdoor activities like skiing and ice fishing. I have had a great time here and would like to try many things, especially the variety of foods they prepare, especially after attending their church and going straight to the Busick couple’s house where they fed me. I will never forget my Thanksgiving celebrations with the entire Purdy family, Copeland family with whom I spent a lot of time, and the Mexican Gonzales family and other student’s that invited me for a snow day skiing adventure. I am delighted to be loved by them and to be a Filipino, sharing the incredible culture I have experienced.
Greenheart Exchange is excellent because it is evident in their dedication to developing teachers from around the globe through exchange programs in the U.S. Many thanks to them, I was able to experience American life and learn about their fascinating culture, as well as demonstrate the warmth, compassion, and diligence of Filipinos.
In my perspective, the Greenheart program is key particularly when there is good communication between the host school and Greenheart. This helps put the teachers they send to good positions across the country, and Greenheart offers me a lot of guidance and support as a newcomer. My Superintendent has a lot of trust in me, so I am working hard to prove that I deserve the opportunity that they gave me. I also get positive feedback from the teachers and students I work with here and they take good care of me here, and I cannot even name them all. They have all helped me in some positive way.”
Thank you Jairoh for sharing this wonderful story with us. We wish you all the best with the remainder of your Program in the United States.
Interested in learning more about hosting an International teacher in your school? Visit HostGreenheartTeachers.org.
Want to learn more about the mission of Greenheart? Visit Greenheart.org.