A PROFESSOR from the Laboratory High School in Laoag City was recently named outstanding educator in secondary education by the Metrobank Foundation (MF).

Jeanette Gaoat Dials, assistant professor of English, were among the ten winners of the 2008 Metrobank Foundation Search for Outstanding Teachers.

The competition is an annual event which recognizes Filipino educators for their contributions to the teaching profession, personal integrity and character, instructional competence, and professional and community involvement.

Believing in the value of what she does, and consistently doing it well, in the spirit of serving God and humanity has been making Dials passionate in the teaching profession in the last 18 years.

She has developed instructional materials in English, Philippine literature, world literature, speech arts and journalism; written/prepared manuals on parliamentary procedure, radio broadcasting and scriptwriting, and parliamentary debating; conducted researches and attitudinal surveys on feminism and bilingual education; trained outstanding debaters who won in the International Debate Tournament of High School Champions, eloquent speakers in oration and declamation, and sensitive writers who have been perennial winners in national and international competitions; and written speeches, scripts, briefs, historical accounts, songs, and descriptions.

She has also been chosen recipient of the 2008 Japan Foundation Secondary School Educators’ Group Tours Program – a joint project of The Japan Foundation Manila and the MF. Her selection as recipient of the award is in conjunction with her being an MF Search for Outstanding Teachers awardee this year and as part of the MF Fellowships for International Understanding Program. She is the third recipient of the award and the only from this year’s batch of four outstanding teachers from the secondary education level.

The search bestows honor upon the teaching profession by according special recognition to teachers who manifest profound commitment to the development of the youth through exemplary competence, remarkable dedication to their work, and effective educational leadership. It singles out teachers who have made a significant contribution to national development by raising the quality of outcomes of education through their effective, innovative, and creative teaching strategies, materials, and devices, and their admirable efforts to bring the school closer to the community and consequently, the community to the school, thereby providing models of excellence in the teaching profession.

The group tours program, on the other, aims to give opportunities for secondary school social studies teachers in various parts of the country to observe and understand the Japanese educational system, society, and culture. This will involve visitation of schools and various institutions in Japan and is slated on Oct. 23-Nov. 5.

Dials is from Laoag City and married to an American, Houston Jr.  She graduated, cum laude, from MMSU in 1990, with the degree, Bachelor of Secondary Education, major in English and minor in social studies.  She finished her M.A. in Education, major in English, from the MMSU Graduate School in 2007.

President Gloria Arroyo presented Dials, along with the nine other outstanding teachers in the elementary, secondary, higher education levels, with gold medallions in ceremonies held at Malacañang. The winners were also awarded during the Metrobank’s 46th anniversary celebrations on Sept. 5 at the Metrobank Plaza in Makati City. Each outstanding teacher received a trophy and a cash prize of P300,000. The university also received a plaque of recognition and a cash prize of P25,000 for faculty development.