You operate a very promising educational center. It can be a “fertile ground” where the seed of the culture of unity can be sown. Can you tell us something about your endeavor to form your teachers in the life of unity?
Alyn: Together with my husband, Jenny, we opened Kumon Dumaguete in May 2004 with only one assistant teacher. As the number of students increased, we hired more teachers. More teachers meant more challenges, especially in their personal relationships at work.
Factions arose and this affected their work. To reduce the tensions due to the different personalities of the teachers, I thought of sharing with them something about our life of unity. So, in one of our training sessions, I presented to them some Gospel-based thoughts and experiences, hoping in my heart that this would help create harmonious relationships among them.
Then, in collaboration with the local Focolare community, we started regular formation for teachers in our educational center.
Why opt to introduce your teachers to a formation that is typically spiritual, rather than go for the more common team-building seminars that promise optimum results in the teaching and learning process?
Jenny: Yes, that is true. We prefer to send our teachers to a more spiritual convention like that of the summer gathering of the Focolare, the Mariapolis. We don’t even consider the costs involved in bringing them with us, as we see here an opportunity to nurture good relationships, not only among them, but also with us.
In our experience, this summer gathering is like a “well” of water where we draw wisdom from the life experiences being shared, and of course, from Chiara’s innovative pedagogical ideas. We consider this to be more effective than the usual team-building activities, because it also possesses a spiritual aspect and nurtures true Christian love.
How do your teachers consider the life of unity in relation to their tasks?
Alyn: Our teachers are still quite new to the paradigm of unity but I can say that they are showing a very good improvement in handling their students and in their relationships with one another.
Due to individual differences, it is impossible not to have disagreements among teachers in terms of ideas and preferences. So we agreed that when a particular teacher has an idea to propose, she should first place this in common with the group. One day, one of them failed to communicate with the group and went directly to the coordinator. This created a conflict among them, and for several days, they did not even greet each other “Hi” or “Hello.” Then, in one of our formation meetings, the need to reconcile with each other’s differences came up.
Realizing that it was necessary to patch things up, the teachers apologized to one another and decided to begin again. In fact, one of them said: ”It is more rewarding to have your friend back than to have a heart full of pride.” Now, they work together as a strong team and they, too, are showing extra effort to strengthen the bond of unity among all.
What about you Jenny? You are an educator yourself and have been in the academe for quite a number of years. How do you perceive this formation of your teachers according to the spirituality of unity?
Jenny: I do not get too involved in formation because it is my wife who is more directly involved in here. But I see the importance of being always united with my wife, Alyn, as this is the first formation we can offer to the teachers and students: our unity. I also share the many adventures that our teachers go through.
So, I can say that I get to participate in this life of unity being practiced in our educational center. I also rejoice and share in the joys—as well as the struggles—of the teachers when they fulfill their deep aspirations in life. For example, one of them confided to us that her greatest aspiration was to be able to open up her mind and heart to welcome the differences that she sees in us all.
She even told us, “Thanks to our directors, for they are here to guide us. We also thank God, for we always feel his presence among us, not only in our happiest moments but also and even more so, in times when we stumble.”
What proof do you see which can say that your effort to introduce the life of unity to your educational center has not been in vain?
Alyn: We are aware that ours is a very demanding task. But, the signs of “new life” we see in our educational center give us hope. We see our teachers happy with what they are doing and some of them even bring this experience back home, sharing it with their husbands and children.
We can see changes in our workplace— changes in the way they relate to their co-teachers, to their students and even to the parents and their respective families. I am not saying that things have always turned out smoothly or that it’s all wonderful. No! We also struggle and meet challenges along the way.
Ours is still a work in progress. We may not see all our endeavors bearing fruit. But we can always dream. Just like Jesus who, in his wildest dream, even offered his life so “that all may be one.”
