The Poveda Center for Educators Formation (Manila) has recently offered to educators two training workshops with the objective to help them deal with mental health problems and get to know themselves better through the Enneagram.
Mindfulness workshop
The prevailing concern and issue on mental health happening in our educational milieu prompted Poveda Center for Educators Formation (PCEF) in partnership with Padre Mariano Gomez Elementary School, Division of Manila to hold a seminar-workshop entitled Mindful Being… Mindful Living.
It was conducted on January 6, 2024. The seminar workshop was attended by forty educators from P. Gomez Elementary School, Sta. Cruz, Manila.
Miss Maria Teresa Aguilar, a clinical psychologist, and a part-time psychologist at Saint Pedro Poveda College, Quezon City, was the resource speaker. She started with a video clip of a dog and a heron. She shared with the educators about the Seven Basic Psychological Needs.
Exercises
Educators were asked questions like “How do I love myself? Who am I in my loving relationship? How do I pay attention?” She also defined Mindfulness and combined it with the Science of Mindfulness.
The educators were given mindful exercises and tasks to individually draw their figures and share them afterward with their assigned group. After the group sharing, one representative from each group shared at the plenary. Educators were asked about what makes them happy and feel alive. The seminar-workshop ended with a song that challenged educators to live a mindful life amid a heavy workload and busy world.
Enneagram Experience
Earlier, in November 16-17, 2023 the Poveda Center for Educators Formation in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), Division of Sorsogon City, organized a 2-day seminar-workshop with the theme, An Educator’s Inward Journey through an Enneagram Experience.
It was attended by around forty-five coordinators and team leaders from the different elementary schools of the Division of Sorsogon City. Lucia Subaldo served as the resource speaker assisted by Marifi Geolina as facilitator.
After the participants determined their personality types in the Enneagram, they were given the chance to listen to each other as they affirmed their personality types. The varied group dynamics allowed them to discover more of themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, and other areas of growth.
Self-enriching
Distinct from the usual seminars and training educators received, Enneagram was more self-enriching according to the participants. It provided educators an opportunity to introspect and get to understand better and make meaning of their reactions, actions, and ways to face life's challenges positively.
In general, it was notable that the helper, loyalist, and enthusiast were the general profile of the participants which was relevant since they are in the helping profession as teachers. As an action plan and their concrete takeaway for the two-day process of discovering their gifts, growth opportunities, and understanding their quirks, they were enjoined to come up with a plan of action per school. They went home with deeper self-knowledge and understanding of who they are and of others that taught them how to relate well, especially to their colleagues and students.
Sheryl J. Galeno, Manila.
Published in News