Two Pinoys in Massachusetts Cited for Their Teaching Excellence

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Two Filipinos are among 15 teachers in Massachusetts in the United States who will be recognized for their teaching excellence.

Fred Pontillas and Jodie Reyes were named Partners in Excellence Teacher Award by the Boston-based nonprofit group Mass Insight Education, along with 13 others. They will be honored in a ceremony on March 7 at the Museum of Science, also in Boston.

The awards recognize a “top math, science and English teacher” from each of five regions in the state of Massachusetts who have contributed to its Mass Math + Science Initiative (MMSI).

Photo Credit: philippineembassy-usa.org

The MMSI is the state’s largest at-scale academic program designed to increase participation and performance in the fields of science, math, and English in the US’ Advanced Placement program, in which high school students may take college-level tests and courses.

Pontillas is a biology teacher from the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury in the Greater Boston Area.

Reyes, on the other hand, is an English Language and Composition teacher from Marlborough High School in the Central Massachusetts area.

“Pleasantly surprised”

In an email to GMA News Online, Reyes said he “was pleasantly surprised and extremely gratified by the recognition.”

The Ateneo de Manila graduate said he has been teaching in the US since 2000.

According to Reyes, choosing to teach English was a “no-brainer” decision because of his passion for the subject.

“I’ve always loved literature, and I’ve had several teachers who believed in me and inspired me with their passion for the subject,” he said.

Continue reading at GMA News