Teacher awardee: Child educator Cielo Sides

Cielo Sides with her husband Terry Sides and children Jericho, Justin, Justine Patricia and daughter-in law Taylor  McGinnis.

Our next teacher honoree is Cielo Sides who works at Christian Montessori School in Lake Norman. 

Cielo Sides is a graduate of Far Eastern University who earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology. 

Cielo is a mother of three who has been teaching in Montessori for 28 years and 2017 is her 15th year teaching in North Carolina. "I taught elementary school for 21 years and seven years in primary school,” she said.

Cielo is the level coordinator and lead teacher in primary school at Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman. 

She took her Montessori training at the OB Montessori Center in Greenhils where she had some famous students like Lea Salonga, Ruffa Gutierrez, Aiza Seguerra, Raymond and Richard Gutierrez and Bamba Leelin who later became her bridesmaid.

Cielo took a couple of refresher courses as part of her continuing education in Montessori course in Sarasota, Florida and in Raleigh, North Carolina.

When asked how she can measure a child's performance, Cielo said her Montessori training taught her that feedback and qualitative analysis of a child's performance can be achieved through careful observation of the child.

"We don't grade them numerically.We believe on a child's individual unique abilities to learn based on their natural tendencies. Working with the children for over two decades has been great,” Cielo said.

She said everyday is a challenge to impart the Montessori pedagogy to students.

" That is all that matters." she said. 

On May 20, Cielo Sides will join 20 other Filipino teacher awardees who will be given recognition in a simple ceremony to be hosted by the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas at the Asian Library on May 20 at 1 pm to 4:30 p.m./Susan Palmes-Dennis

Cielo Sides poses with her family for her son Jericho's wedding to Taylor McGinnis