Teachers from Philippines get rousing welcome at McCarran

Eric Leake

Monday, Aug. 1, 2005 | 10:54 a.m.

Elmer Potes' three years of teaching in America began with cheers Sunday evening.

Passport in hand and a smile on his face, Potes arrived to the welcoming applause of friends and fellow expatriate educators at McCarran International Airport.

"It's a very warm welcome. A Philippine style welcome," Potes said, plastic welcome beads draped around his neck.

Potes, 34, will teach math at Eldorado High School. He is one of 51 teachers recruited from the Philippines by the Clark County School District for a three-year contract to help meet a shortage of teachers, especially in the areas of special education and math.

The Filipino additions to the district's teaching roster are fully credentialed by the state having met the requirements for teaching licenses, said Lina Guiterrez, executive director of licensed personnel for the district.

Potes and 34 other Filipino teachers arrived Sunday in Las Vegas on a flight from Manila. They are part of a group of 51 Filipino teachers coming to Clark County to teach.

"This is my very first time to go out of the country," Potes said.

He said he chose to come to Las Vegas to learn about the American educational system and share that knowledge with his colleagues in the Philippines when he returns.

"I know that the culture here is very different that in the Philippines," Potes said. "I hope that my service will be good and they (the students) will be nice to me."

Jo Anne Schlekewy, the district's director of recruiting, traveled to the Philippines in the district's first overseas recruitment effort. She was among the welcoming crowd at the airport Sunday.

The district is still short hundreds of teachers with school opening in a month. Schlekewy recognized that the Filipino recruits are not a solution to the shortage.

"It won't come close to what we need, but it'll be welcome," she said.

Rozita Lee, regional chair of the National Federations of Filipino American Associations, said the ultimate solution to the teacher shortage will have to be domestic.

"I would prefer that they stayed here and recruited within the U.S.," she said.

Lee said that the transplanted teachers will face many challenges in adjusting to life in Las Vegas but already have friends here.

"These teachers that are coming, they've sacrificed a lot. Many of them are leaving their families," she said. "We have a large Filipino community. We're going to help them as much as we can."

Schlekewy said a few of the teachers had arrived early and that the remainder were expected in about two weeks. The teachers have a minimum three years of experience and will be on the same pay scale as their American counterparts.

Schlekewy said all but 10 of the Filipino teachers have made arrangements to live with relatives or friends in Las Vegas. The school district will help the rest locate apartments near their schools.

"I think it's important to get them started on the right foot and make them feel welcome," she said.

The teachers pushed carts full of luggage through U.S. Customs on Sunday to be greeted by welcome signs in English and Tagalog. They were met by friends, school administrators and members of the Las Vegas Filipino community.

Sandy Brody, principal of Roger Gehring Elementary School, waited in the lobby to greet a special education teacher assigned to her school. Brody said the welcome is one she would not miss.

"I mean, she's coming all the way from Manila," she said. "You know what it is like to move to another state, let alone another country."

Lumie Bagaporo is a retired teacher and one of many members of the Asian American Educators Service Organization of Nevada that greeted the arrivals.

"We're going to let them know how things are here, lessen the culture shock," Bagaporo said.

She described herself and other experienced teachers as "mother hens" and said the organization would help mentor the new teachers.

"We'll be around to help them, pick them up when they fall," Bagaporo said. "This is the first step."

Perla Mendoza, 36, will be a special education teacher at Marion Earl Elementary School. She arrived in Las Vegas for the second time Sunday.

"I've been here before as a tourist. I really find the people very warm and kind. From that day on, I thought that I'd be coming back to teach," she said.

Sunday's welcome left her speechless, Mendoza said, though she knew she would miss the Philippines.

"Especially my family. My family's still there, my husband, my children," she said. "Hopefully they will join me soon."

Villa Jean Avilla, 34, said she is she is ready to teach and ready for a cross-cultural experience. She had a message for her math students at Clark High School.

"I would like to tell the American students, especially the high school students, that we're here to help them," she said.