WBS Institute for Asian Educators Development
Teaching Through Transition – Holding the Ground – Nurturing Seeds of Peace

Message from the President
“Every child who dreams, and every teacher who dares to hope with them, is a seed of peace in this nation.  Our work is to nurture these seeds.  This year reminded us that even amid despair, the classroom remains a sacred ground.”

Teaching in a Shifting Landscape
In 2023, Filipino educators stood at the crossroads of transition – navigating the full reopening of schools, adjusting to new learning formats, and responding to deep psychosocial needs among children and youth.  WBS stood firmly beside them.  We renewed our mission of formation, healing, and accompaniment, ensuring that teachers – especially those in marginalized and post-conflict areas – did not feel alone.

Theme of the Year:  “Magturo, Magtaya, Magpagaling”
This year’s theme reflected three vital callings:

  • Magturo – to teach not only context, but values, justice, and compassion
  • Magtaya – to stake one’s life for the poorest learners, even in danger
  • Magpagaling – to become instruments of collective healing amid trauma

Over 2,300 teachers participated in WBS’s in-person and online initiatives throughout the year.

Expanded Formation Hubs and Satellite Learning Sessions
WBS strategically launched five Regional Formation Hubs in:

  • Cagayan de Oro
  • Tacloban
  • Davao
  • Nueva Vizcaya
  • Oriental Mindoro

These hubs served as points for rotating Teacher Renewal Days, attended by educators from rural, indigenous, and coastal schools.  Each event combined theology, pedagogy, and self-care, framed within WBS’s formation modules.  Emphasis was placed on inner peace formation and community-based education.

Key Program: “Mga Guro sa Laylayan”
Through partnerships with local dioceses and people’s organizations, WBS prioritized teachers serving in what we call the laylayan – the social, political, and economic peripheries.  This included:

  • Volunteer cathechists in depressed urban barangays
  • Community teachers among the Manobo, Tagbanua, and Sama-Bajau
  • Alternative learning facilitators in detention centers and street classrooms

WBS provided them with tailored resource kits, spiritual formation, and small honoraria sourced from donor support.

Trauma-Informed Teaching and Healing Circles
Recognizing the post-pandemic mental toll on both teachers and learners, WBS rolled out trauma-informed training workshops in 7 provinces.  These sessions helped 670 teachers learn how to:

  • Recognize signs of child trauma
  • Respond with compassion and boundaries
  • Integrate healing activities into daily lessons

Teachers expressed deep gratitude, many saying that they too felt “seen, held, and healed” during the process.

Educators for Peace: Lumad and Moro Partnerships
WBS deepened its commitment to teachers in peacebuilding zones.  In Lanao del Sur, Bukidnon, and Maguindanao, we supported interfaith teacher formation sessions focused on:

  • Education as peace praxis
  • Teaching the history of conflict with sensitivity
  • Promoting cultural respect among learners of different faiths

The year’s peace caravan culminated in the Educators for Peace Assembly in Cotabato City, attended by 120 teachers from Mindanao and supported by local Muslim and Christian leaders.

New Youth Program: “Ang Kabataan, Ang Guro, at Ang Bayan”
In 2023, WBS launched a new youth program aimed at strengthening the vocation of teaching among senior high and college youth.  This included:

  • WBS summer leadership camp
  • On-site exposure trips to far-flung schools
  • Storytelling circles with retired public school teachers

The program culminated in a national essay-writing competition on “Why I Choose to Teach.”

Published This Year:

  • “Mga Guro ng Liwanag: Profiles of Courageous Filipino Teachers” – a 10-part feature series
  • Teacher Formation Manual: “Pedagogy of Peace and Possibility”
  • WBS Prayer Album – a reflection companion with teacher-written prayers and poems

Local Chapter Updates
WBS local chapters gained strength in:

  • Northern Samar – launched the Barko ng Kaalaman (Book Boat) for coastal learning
  • Zamboanga Sibugay – hosted a Mindanao-wide forum on teachers’ mental health
  • Bohol – formed a group of retired teacher-mentors assisting ALS facilitators

Gratitude to You, Our WBS Family
To our members, volunteers, and supporters – you helped us hold the line.  In every teacher you supported, you planted courage.  In every forgotten classroom you reached, you helped light a fire.  Maraming salamat po.