Alen Caldeo, a member of Maranatha Christian College High School Class 1995, was recently named Westside Impact 2022 Teacher of the Year for the Buckeye Elementary School District in Arizona, U.S.A.
He received his award on May 3 during the Westside Impact Teacher of the Year celebration at the Sunset Auditorium of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.
Later, he was also honored as a PASS Awardee 2022 of the district. The PASS (Passionate About Student Success) Award is given to teachers and students who have made an outstanding contribution to the district.
Teacher of the Year of Inca Elementary School where he teaches fourth grade, he also won the award for the district which has approximately 260 teachers in its ten schools after undergoing various state-level evaluations.
“Whenever the state evaluated our school, my administrators would always bring them to my class without my prior knowledge so there would be five evaluators in my class on the spot,” he recounted. “Imagine the pressure.”.
“During my first and second evaluations, praise God they all resulted in highly effective ratings,” he disclosed. “My evaluator highlighted in my post-conference that my class was structured and the organization was amazing, that all my students are taught to be respectful in their conversation.”
“I didn’t expect to win for I was competing against American teachers,” he confessed. “This is all because of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
An elementary education graduate of STI-West Negros University, he taught at Don Fernando F. Gonzaga Elementary School in Vista Alegre, Bacolod City for 12 years after passing the Licensure Exam for Teachers.
In 2018, he was hired by the Buckeye Elementary School District along with other Filipino teachers.
His first two years of teaching were “terrible,” he admitted, adding that his students were then rude and disrespectful.
“They didn’t know how to have a respectful conversation with their peers even when sharing their ideas during class discussion,” he revealed.
“So, I introduced to them Accountable Talk, where my students are given sentence starters on how to start a good conversation.” He observed that at first, it was awkward for them since they were not used to it.
“It was a crazy three weeks for them but eventually, they learned it and began to adopt it.”
He struggled at the start since everything he had learned about teaching was “completely different.” Training from the district however helped him to improve as a teacher.
“I am so blessed to be trained and equipped by the district,” he gushed. “From the professional development to the curriculum set up for students, everything was outstanding. All of this has a huge chunk in my success.”
“None of this is worth bragging about, only the surpassing knowledge of Christ,” he explained. “Every morning before I begin my class, I read my Bible series and pray for my students, especially those who are giving me headaches.”
“I need to start the day with God or else everything is a mess,” the former deacon of Maranatha Baptist Church in Bacolod City and graduate of its Maranatha Baptist Bible College, pointed out.
“I am teaching passionately in the name of Christ,” he asserted. “I am not allowed to share the gospel (in the school) but I am living it.” He said that he works hard every day with Christ as his motivation.
“Nothing can keep me from doing my best for my students,” he declared. “They all love me.”
He acknowledges the role of his wife, Almira, his schoolmate and sweetheart at MCCHS, in his success. “Thanks to my wonderful wife for pushing me to my best.”
While still in Bacolod City, he had served for many years as the first MCCHS alumnus on the MCC board of trustees.