Ariel Casimero Grijaldo Jr.
CEBU, Philippines — MAPEH (music, arts, physical education, and health) teacher Ariel Casimero Grijaldo of Lapu-Lapu City is absolutely one of the coolest teachers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the largest disruption to education in history, which is why when face-to-face classes returned after a two-year hiatus, Grijaldo made sure to welcome back his students with a bang.
One of the best strategies that he included in his lesson plan was his class energizer he called the “Kareté energizer.”
The 25-year-old teacher went viral on the internet due to this technique as seen in the video below.
In the video, Grijaldo can be seen teaching the ‘Karaté energizer’ steps to his grade 10 students at the Pajo National High School in Lapu-Lapu City to kick off his MAPEH class.
According to Grijaldo, it was the last two subjects of the day and students already looked so tired and sleepy so he came up with his own strategy to keep them engaged.
Grijaldo first taught them the step-by-step moves but little did the students know that the moves will later be incorporated with a famous nursery rhyme, “I HAVE TWO HANDS.”
Grijaldo not only spread good vibes to his students but also on the internet as the viral video racked up 175,000 reactions and 57,000 comments on Facebook.
COOL TEACHER
“I always make sure that my students are comfortable with me and they trust me and have no reservations at all. When it comes to learning, I always make sure that they are always ready and active to listen to the lesson,” he said.
He once again caught netizens’ attention with his newly uploaded video, where he danced “Budots” with his student before they entered the classroom.
“My warm welcome to my students with love and care,” he said.
This video gained over 318,000 reactions and 40,000 comments on social media.
Grijaldo continues to upload more viral videos on social media, showing more “paandar” he shares in class.
INSPIRATION
Grijaldo used to work in a BPO company and has been teaching for three years now.
“Seeing a lot of negative news around us makes me feel really bad so I wanted to show everyone that despite all the negativity that is happening around us we can still smile and that is through my little way of making my students happy and excited to learn inside the classroom,” he said.
As for his message to his students, this is what he has to say:
“To all students out there, continue to dream and aspire to become the best version of yourselves. Coupled with determination and hard work, rest assured, all your manifestations will turn into wondrous realities. We will see you there on top!” Grijaldo said.
This National Teachers’ Month 2022, CDN Digital would like to honor teachers for their dedication and passion for guiding Filipino youths to reach their dreams.
A teacher like Grijaldo is willing to introduce a new approach and strategy to cope with the challenges of the new normal in face-to-face classes.
/bmjo
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