Studendate Program Evaluation and Peer Feedbacking:

Looking Back with Gratitude and Continuing the Journey with Hope

The way we live our present life is essentially; how we learned from the lessons of the past; how we discover and appreciate the hidden graces that were and are there; and how we envision our future.

Last October 25- 26, 2010, the Redemptorist Students Community in Davao had its Mid-year Program Evaluation. It is an exercise of critically and honestly evaluating the success and the lapses in terms of the implementation and of the way students responded to the Studendate Program for the present school year. Although there were some gray areas in the process and procedure of the evaluation but the exercise was able to give them a picture of the past, with its graces and lessons.

There is a reason to be grateful since generally the evaluation on the different aspects of the program was good. The students also responded well to the program and did commendable efforts towards its implementation. They, however, are continually challenged not to be complacent. There is nothing that one can do to undo the lapses of the past- there is no reason to cry over a spilled glass of milk but there is reason to cry when one keep on spilling the glass of milk.

On the afternoon of October 26, 2010, after the formal program evaluation a co-formatorship exercise, peer evaluation, was held. The focus of this exercise was on the individual members of the community. It was a venue for the students to express their appreciations, their fraternal love and concern, and their constructive critiques to one another. Fr. Cruzito Manding, C.Ss.R., the student prefect, facilitated the activity. The process this time was different from what has been done before. Each student was still given a sheet of paper for them to write their feedbacks and for them to hand to the concerned individuals. Everyone was given an equal opportunity to give their written feedbacks to their fellow students. But instead of having the formal sharing of feedbacks done within the whole studendate community, they have it within their BEC and Batch groupings.

The Studendate Program Evaluation and the Peer Feedbacking were venues that allow the students to look at the past to discover and to be grateful for the hidden graces that were and are there while being open to be taught by the lapses that were done. It is, moreover, an opportunity to practically examine their visions for the future and a stepping stone for them to continue their journey with hope.

(Gary)