Making the grade at Beacon

Lawrence M. Buck, the former headmaster of the British School Manila, was on his way to his new position as headmaster of the International School in Prague, when he received an urgent call from Leandro Y. Locsin, Jr., design consultant and administrator of Leandro V. Locsin Partners, Architects. Locsin and his wife, Maria Elena "Mailin" Paterno Locsin of Worldlab School for learning-disabled children, are founding members of the board of the newly established private international school, The Beacon School. Would Buck consider accepting the position of headmaster?

Buck did not find it too difficult to make a quick U-turn. Perhaps, his being married to a Filipina, writer Bing Carreon-Buck, helped.

The Beacon School, which is located within the grounds of the Philippine Center for Population and Development in Pasong Tamo Ext., just a comfortable distance from the heart of Makati, is unique in its approach towards student learning. "We try to get them to think for themselves." Buck explains. "Our developmental approach is to work on individual skills. It means knowing what a child can do and building on that."

"Other schools which follow the traditional approach would say, for example, all five-year-olds should accomplish this. If not, you don’t pass the grade," Buck illustrates.

"But we acknowledge that all children are different. They’re not all the same. In any one class there is nearly one whole year’s difference in age. The youngest can be eight years old while the oldest, nearly 10. Also, boys and girls develop differently–socially, emotionally, intellectually. If you don’t make those allowances in the teaching program, then you get people of a mold rather than developing them into individuals who are able to express themselves."

At The Beacon School, we are working towards developing individual skills and talents," Buck points out. "Report cards are expressions of how well they did in different subjects against their previous best. There is an external test which covers the basics–English, Math, Social Studies, Science. Known as the Iowa test of basic skills, it will show how your eight year old, for example, fairs against all eight year olds in the States."

"Our curriculum is based upon the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program especially formulated for ages three to 12 years. This will lead into the Middle Years program and IB Diploma, which is recognized by universities across the world. The IB curriculum originated in Geneva in 1971," Buck explains. "Initially, Beacon will operate up to Grade 3 but we plan to add a grade level each year until we complete the high school program. Initially, we have 63 registrants with ages ranging from two to 10 years old. Enrollment is ongoing year-round."

"We are an inclusive school," Buck points out, "meaning we also take children with special needs – with learning difficulties, as well as disabled children in wheelchairs– mixed into the mainstream, as long as we can meet the child’s needs."

Very bright children have special needs too.

"There will be times when things will be done as a group, but there will be a lot of individualized teaching," Buck clarifies. "It does not necessarily mean that one who may be more advanced gets more assignments but rather, it means developing the quality of thinking and higher skills as well as a broader understanding and applications of a subject in everyday life. The emphasis is in first hand exploration, developing individual skills and abilities, where the important thing is the child rather than the content or curriculum. We tailor the curriculum to each child. That’s why you need small classes for an individualized approach. It’s very difficult when you’ve got 35 or 40 students in a class."

"How could a teacher address your special needs if you are 40 in a class? She probably won’t have time," says Marga Binamira, mother of four-year-old Isabel, who is enrolled at The Beacon School, and wife of Joel Abueva Binamira, a management consultant and also a founding member of the board of The Beacon School. At The Beacon School, the maximum would be 15 students per class. More often, there would be only 10.

The Beacon School, which opened on June 28, was founded by a group of friends, mostly with school-age children. They wanted an educational style wherein their children would be "engaged in the active pursuit of knowledge, inside and outside of a school setting," and become "confident, free and capable of creative and critical thought and self-expression." Most of their children had gone to the Experience Center for Little Learners (EXCEL), a pre-school founded by Elizabeth Ledesma Bengzon that has been highly successful in promoting a progressive approach to early childhood education. With Bengzon as one of its founding members, the "Excel at Beacon" pre-school program adopts the same developmental method "that provide for learning through experience, while addressing social, emotional and cognitive needs for children."

The other founding members of the board are Roberto C. Benares, managing director of a domestic investment house as well as a professor and lecturer at the graduate schools of De La Salle University and the Ateneo. He is married to Judy Paterno Benares and they have three children ages 7, 6 and 3. Dina Lomongo Paterno was a teacher at The Hong Kong International School and served on the board of the PTA of the International School Manila.

Presently director of a communications and events organizing company, she is mother of three girls, ages 11, seven and two. Robert "Bobbit" Abad Santos Suntay has undertaken various responsibilities as educator and administrator while based at the Ateneo de Manila University. At one time, high school principal at Xavier School, he is pursuing a doctoral degree at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

The teaching staff is all-female, mostly in their mid- to late twenties. Rosario Felicia "Chiqui" Colet who takes charge of the early years and kindergarten class earned her Masters in Education from Harvard University. Amaya C. Aboitiz teaches grade one. She graduated magna cum laude from Boston College in Massachusettes. Trixie Heredia-Madamba teaches grade two. She also graduated magna cum laude from U.P. and went on to take her M.Ed. majoring in Reading Education also at U.P. Rachael F. Cristal, a teacher-trainer for Special Education, also graduated from U.P. and is presently pursuing her Master’s degree. She teaches grade three. Aleta Rivera Villanueva, who holds a Master’s degree from U.P. is developing the Philippine History, Culture and Values program and will teach this, together with Pilipino, to all grade levels.

Sacha Calagopi is the head teacher of the "Excel at Beacon" pre-school program. A graduate from Ateneo and U.P., Sacha was also instrumental in establishing EXCEL’s excellent reputation as a pre-school. The other teachers at "Excel at Beacon" are Jerilyn Chua, who just completed her Master’s degree at U.P.; Diana Rayo from De La Salle and U.P where she earned her Master’s degree; and Triccie Benipayo, another U.P. graduate who is now completing her Master’s at the Ateneo.

Chiqui and Rachael were trained in China at an IB center and they will be cascading this new information to their colleagues. "Our aim is for all the staff to teach the International Baccalaureate program and adopt the correct teaching methodology," Buck remarks. "We have a long term plan for staff development. The DECS has shown interest in observing and we are willing to share our method if they want to go that way. We can eventually develop into a training center for local teachers through DECS."