VOICES

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit five years ago, Teacher Mocs Javier, Primary School Literacy Coordinator, started keeping track of how Keys students' reading and writing changed overnight. Among tech troubles, pajama-clad Zoom sessions, and surprising moments of connection, she watched Literacy take on new forms beyond classroom walls. Her honest reflections take us back to that chaotic time when kids found their voices in chat boxes. Teacher Mocs’ story is not just about teaching during a crisis—it is about how we all learned to read between the lines when the world turned upside down.

Pre-Pandemic: Keys delegation attending the Literacy Institute at Hong Kong International School with our Literacy Consultant, Maggie Moon.

Photo © Teacher Mocs Javier

At the height of the pandemic: Teacher Mocs and colleagues had an online Literacy Week Celebration with Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator of Fancy Nancy) as one of their guest speakers.

Photo © Teacher Mocs Javier

As we celebrate Literacy Week, let us take a look into the short address that she made during the height of pandemic. Let us pause and reflect—where are we now in our Literacy teaching after five years?

I would like to thank each and everyone of you for making the time to attend our sessions. I know we are all dotted across Metro Manila, and yet, this past few weeks has felt very much like a coming-together. I felt your excitement, your interest and passion. It made me feel that together, we are teachers of reading. 

Today, I will address all of you as teachers of reading. Why? Because we know that reading is essential in being a good writing teacher as well. 

Last week, we reminded ourselves what it means to read and what will help our students develop a reading identity. Our reading identities evolve. One of the most important parts of evolution is to reflect on our reading identity. 

Let me share with you a story, I never loved reading as a child, no one read to me as a child. As a child, I had fairytales that were too thick. I could barely read them independently. I studied in a trad school where reading was limited to textbooks and short stories. In highschool, I had friends who read Sweet Valley and Nancy Drew, of course I read those too and felt proud that I am finally a reader. In college, I had friends who read Nicholas Sparks and I enjoyed reading. Back then, reading meant story. Then I worked with schools that required me to read Professional Development Books to be better at my craft. I said, this would be easy. I love reading–I can make my way through. Guess what? It wasn’t easy. I realized I wasn’t used to nonfiction text where I had to read and reread and analyze and put things together. 

When you read fiction books, you create a mental movie, when you read nonfiction text–you create mental images and I was like–I need to slow down. I need to understand how it is applied. I need to draw it to understand the flow. Those kinds of things….But when I started that self-reflection and started SPYING on myself as a reader, things became easier. Now I know which strategies will actually work for me. 

Since then, every year, I have a stack of books that I reread, reading it using a different lens and understanding it more. I also read nonfiction books that challenged me as a reader and asked myself–what did I do with the main idea? What could I infer from this information? How is this applied? 

Becoming aware of my own process has made me so much better at modeling and made teaching easier. Once the process of SPYING on yourself as a reader–you become a better teacher. 

How do you know what to teach? 

You mind the learning progression, you look at the standards and benchmarks, you read the units of the study book. But the most important part of being a reading teacher is for us to OWN THESE teaching points and LIVE it. You want to be able to speak with the confidence of an insider. Read and enjoy it and CHALLENGE YOURSELF. 

YOU WANT TO CULTIVATE THE STANCE or the MINDSET of a READER. 

In the beginning, spying on myself did not feel natural… If you ask me, I don't think metacognitive spying is an essential part of being a good reader, but it is essential in being a good reading teacher. 

I hope you have planned for a good vacation or break next week–you guys deserve it. Vacatio/Break is a renewal. Read a book that will relax you. And when you find yourself enjoying–pay attention to what you are doing right there. That is the joy that you want to bring to the classroom. 

Fast forward to Literacy Week 2025: Teacher Mocs as Fancy Nancy with her son Pablo as the Smart Cookie

Photo © Teacher Mocs Javier

In conclusion, Teacher Mocs' journey reminds us that reading is an evolving process, shaped by reflection and growth. The pandemic taught us that literacy goes beyond the classroom and is about resilience and connection. After five years in celebration of Literacy Week 2025, let’s remember that being great reading teachers means embracing both the challenges and joys of reading, continuously reflecting, and fostering a love for learning in our students.