Fontana (Culture of Teaching and Service)

I do not usually blog about the seminars, workshops and conventions that I have attended as a teacher in Far Eastern University. This one is the exception to the general rule. =)

In consonance with the aim of the University to develop further and produce outstanding teachers, the University has organized a series of seminars for its regular full-time teachers. And one of the said seminars is the so-called "Fontana seminar." The seminar is given to all regular full-time teachers of the University in eight (8) batches and I was luckily included in Batch 4 last July 24-27, 2014 at Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino, Clark Air Base, Pampanga.

Day 1

From SM North, Quezon City, a chartered bus brought us in a 2-hour ride to Fontana, Pampanga. Arriving at the venue, we started with Module 1 of the seminar. We were advised that there were a total of 7 modules that we were supposed to finish in three (3) days. We were grouped into 4 groups, namely: Red team, Blue team, Yellow team and our group, the Green Team.There were various activities during the seminar and honestly, I enjoyed it and learned a lot from the exercises and activities. We should have more of this kind of activities. It is very informative, refreshing and fun! 

After a productive and informative day, we were brought to our respective villas. There were a total of seven (7) persons in our villa. The villa was cozy and a refreshing sight after a day's work.

But that day did not end at the villa. It was just the beginning of our adventure in Fontana. We decided to explore the outskirts of Fontana. There was no available mode of transport that day and we decided to walk!

And with my co-teachers in FEU, we reached our destination after 10 minutes of brisk walking - The Olympic-size Swimming Pool of Fontana. 

It was even raining while we were taking our swim but we did not mind the weather that day. We were there to enjoy, relax and simply have fun! We stayed for two (2) hours and after the swim, we decided to go back to our villa.

Day 2 

Early morning of day 2, Sir Jhe Pedregosa and I woke up early and jogged around Fontana. The jog was good for less than an hour and we headed back to the villa. 

We were usually picked-up around 8 am for our breakfast and the seminar would start past 9 am. But some of the participants usually walk as part of the morning exercise.

After finishing Modules 4-7, we prepared for our cooking contest and went back to our villa. We prepared our desserts as part of the contest. While we were busy preparing our entry, I asked the permission of our group to visit the Fontana Water Fun. I needed to see and take pictures of it for this blog.

After a quick stroll at the at the water park, I went to the Fontana Hot Spring and relaxed in its hot waters for 30 minutes. After the relaxation, I went back to the villa and helped my teammates finish our entry.

Past 7 pm, we were able to finish preparing our entry and went to the convention center. After dinner,  we enjoyed the night singing and dancing. Everybody enjoyed the night!

Day 3

Winners were announced on the last day and luckily, the Green Team and our villa received some of the awards. 

After 2 days of seminar, we imbibed among ourselves the culture of teaching and service. Camaraderie, unity, and teamwork were nurtured in our minds. But most of all the spirit of excellence in teaching was rediscovered and replanted. 

Thank you FEU for this experience!

With my co-teachers