Staff Spotlight: Joms Ortega - Under 2s Programme Teacher

Introducing our Under 2's Programme Teacher, Mr. Joms Ortega. Read more about this gentle giant:

Tell us about yourself:

My name is Joms Ortega, and I come from Manila Philippines, and have been living and working in Hong Kong for 8 years. I have been a teacher here for almost 7 years, teaching children ranging from 1 year to 5 years old. I taught Drama and English in my first year of teaching and have been a Kindergarten and Playgroup Teacher for the last 6 years. PIPS has been my home since 2016, teaching the Under 2s programme.

Besides being a teacher, I have also been a theatre performer and aficionado, and have performed musical shows and dramas for both children and adults the past 13 years. I came to Hong Kong when I was accepted as a vocalist in Hong Kong Disneyland for the show “The Golden Mickeys” back in October 2010, and have been doing a lot of different shows since.

What do you love the most about your job?

It has been very rewarding teaching the Under 2s Programme in PIPS as I’ve seen a lot of the toddlers grow and develop in front of my eyes. Some of the children start with me when they are 12-14 months, and some of them are now in their Nursery class, with their individual personalities shining through. I love seeing how much they’ve all grown, especially when I get to have a conversation with them. It’s so rewarding, and makes me feel proud to be part of their school journey.

What is your favourite children’s book?

I’ve always loved Julia Donaldson’s “The Gruffalo”. It is a classic children’s book that all children really love listening to. I love reading it to children while transforming my voice for each new character in the story. It’s such a beautifully made story that will always get children listening and giggling.

A quote/book that has inspired you

One of the quotes that I’ve lived by in both my teaching and children’s theatre career is “Play is the highest form of research” by Albert Einstein. It really applies to both the way I teach and me as a person. I have always been curious and whenever I act, I try to play; I explore my character, how my body should move and look, and play with different voices to create a believable character for children to watch. In teaching, it aligns well with play-based learning, because children really need to play to learn. They play with toys to develop different skills and talents. They discover themselves through playing! Ever since I read this quote by Albert Einstein, it has stuck with me, and I’ve always kept it in mind when I create plans for classes, or create characters for shows.

       Any advice for the parents?

One of the biggest things I ask parents is to really let their children explore. Let them play freely, and explore the world around them. Let them touch different things, and let them be dirty and messy sometimes. And also, let them fall, let them sometimes get bored; let them sometimes fail at a task, and through those, they’ll learn.

I do understand that many parents are afraid that their child will fail in something, but with your support, children will be motivated to learn from these mistakes. As Winston Churchill once said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm…” and it rings true for the children too.