New teachers group vows to support Filipino mentors ‘who are having struggles’
By Cristina DC Pastor
A new teachers group with an emerging presence in New York has been formed on March 3, 2025.
This brings to four the Filipino teachers organizations on the East Coast after the Association of Fil-Am Teachers of America (AFTA) was founded in the 1990s, the Association of Filipino Teachers and Educators in America (AFTEA) in 2006, and United Federation of Fil-Am Educators (UNIFFIED) in 2013.
The fourth one, IAM FAME, was established on the West Coast on March 3, 2025, but has a pronounced presence in New York. The International Association of Multicultural & Fil-Am Educators was co-founded by Dr. Archie Manalo together with Dr. Eleuterio Timbol teaching in the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety in Queens, NYC, and Dr. Myleen Legaspi, former dean of the graduate school and open learning college of Cavite State University.
According to its founders, the group was organized to support teachers wherever they may be working around the globe. It could be in Canada, the Middle East or Asia, said founding president Manalo, a special education teacher at Ann Lynch Elementary School in Las Vegas.
“We are committed and dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive, rich educational landscape of Filipino culture,” he said when interviewed by The FilAm. “Our goal is to promote Filipino culture and support other Filipino teachers who are having struggles.”
Two issues front and center of IAM FAME’s assistance is J-1 visa teachers from the Philippines adjusting to U.S. schools, and Filipino teachers in the Philippines being trained on professional development and classroom strategy by FilAm teachers. The organization said it has built a network of educators, academics, and community leaders knowledgeable about “inclusive teaching strategies.”
“It hosts conferences and training sessions focused on curriculum development, classroom instruction, and multicultural education, equipping teachers with practical tools to create culturally responsive learning environments.
One of their bylaws states IAM FAME “welcomes all teachers all over the world.” Manalo said they have chapters in Vietnam, Thailand or anywhere there are Filipino teachers.” Their headcount is almost 300 members across 10 chapters around the world.
“That number is rapidly growing,” he said.
Right now, IAM FAME’S “main concern” is to support the Philippine Department of Education in remote areas. On its immediate agenda is providing Mindanao public schools as they struggle with finances, books, school supplies and the training of teachers, he said.
On May 18, IAM FAME is hosting a webinar for participating tutors from Tangub City, Misamis Occidental. He said its conferences and training sessions focus on classroom instructions and multicultural education, making sure teachers have the practical tools to create “culturally responsive learning environments.”
Manalo who specializes in learning and intellectual disability as an educator cited “special education” where training revolves around the knowledge FilAm teachers may have acquired and which Filipino teachers could use in classrooms in the Philippines. He handles the Intermediate Autism Self-contained Class in his school.
“We are providing new formats, best practices, all the knowledge we have gained from working in the U.S. And it’s all free,” he said. “Our main goal is to help. We want to share what we have learned for which we are grateful.”
