UN 'World Tales' Competition (JP's Class)

2020 has been difficult for all of us.

For us teachers, the COVID-19 pandemic has felt like a whiplash; we were faced with so many difficulties to overcome: just to name a few, we had to quickly adjust to a new online teaching platform, re-arrange all our lesson plans to best retain our Socratic teaching method, motivate our students all throughout these trying times, and so much more. But for me, and no doubt, for so many of our students, by far the hardest was our perforce having to cancel so many of our annual PEAI events.

Though we teachers often groan at the prospect of the additional burden that comes with them, in our hearts, we know just how important they are to our students: it gives them the opportunity to showcase everything they’ve learned from us, to demonstrate how much they have grown, in front of all the teachers, friends, and most importantly, their family. In such a way, it helps form our PEAI identity, for us to be proud of our own accomplishments in providing for students a cherished vision of what we consider true education.

I, of course, didn’t want to miss out on such prime opportunity for my students. So, when Arah (8DWA-M2) came to me asking whether I could help her with this competition, I jumped at the chance to change my upcoming lesson plans, catered around this marvelous international event.

And now that the official submissions have been finally completed, I couldn’t be prouder of my students — they went above and beyond to craft stories that stem from the bottom of their hearts, and resonate so strongly because of it.

So, to everyone reading this post, I hope you’ll indulge in my moment of pride in sharing some of the best stories — at least in my personal opinion — that truly embody my students’ tireless dedication to put to words their ever-grand visions for a brighter future.

JP Jeon