Filipino teachers go beyond the call of duty
Without a doubt, teachers are the heroes of the education sector.
Just like medical frontliners who risk their lives to save others, teachers also put their own welfare at risk to ensure that learning will continue for millions of Filipino children amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the country celebrates the National Teachers’ Day (NTD) today, Oct. 5, which also coincides with the World Teachers’ Day (WTD) celebration, the heroism of teachers is highlighted by the opening of a new school year.
This school year, students and their parents are not the only ones who will have to adjust to the new ways of learning. Teachers, too will have to navigate alternative delivery modalities under distance/blended learning.
In the Basic Education—Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) of the Department of Education (DepEd), teachers will directly implement the different learning delivery modalities.
Without face-to-face classes, teachers need to learn new skills to effectively carry out their roles and responsibilities.
DepEd has been training its teachers. As of Sept. 28, DepEd said that 754,627 teachers have been trained on distance learning modalities.
The trainings focused on capacity-building, specifically on Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-based teaching. Many webinars on actual classroom management, teaching styles, Internet safety as well as mental and psychosocial support - among others - were also held for teachers.
A well-known example of teachers’ dedication was shown by a group of public school teachers in Davao de Oro. In June, teachers from New Leyte National High School and New Leyte Elementary School camped out along a highway in Maco to get signal coverage so they can participate in a webinar of DepEd.
DepEd lauded the teachers for “their commitment to learn new ways of teaching that will ensure the safety of our children.”
While there are existing policies from the DepEd Central Office to strictly observe health protocols and work-from-home arrangements, various situations compel teachers to physically go to schools - some were required while others went on their own volition.
Ildefonso Enguerra III, a teacher at Roxas High School in Paco in Manila, tested positive for COVID-19 in July after attending activities required by DepEd. He underwent quarantine and has already recovered from the disease.
Many teachers, pushed by their commitment to do everything to get education on track volunteered to print and sort the printed modules themselves. Some of them even had to distribute the printed learning materials to the parents. Meanwhile, others helped “sanitize the schools” as a precautionary measure against the virus.
Myrvene Joy Tesorero of Nagpayong Elementary School in Pasig City also shared her struggles as a teacher this school year. Like others, she is overwhelmed by the requirements for the new learning modalities and the pressure to deliver all these in a short period of time.
Although the new changes are overwhelming to most teachers, many continue to find joy in fulfilling their duties.
Cecilia Sadang, who has been teaching for the past nine years in San Pedro National High School in Iriga City, Camarines Sur said that despite the challenging times - teachers should remain “strong and committed” to their profession.
“We are facing a very difficult situation but I am happy with my fellow teachers because I see their dedication, enthusiasm, determination and love for their work,” Sadang said in Filipino.
Regardless of the circumstances, Sadang believes that teachers should always be a jack-of-all-trade sort of person to do anything and everything “not just because it is our duty but because that is what we should do wholeheartedly and we work because children need us.”
Despite some issues that need to be resolved, Education Secretary Leonor Briones lauded the teachers for “going beyond the call of their duty” just to deliver lessons to their students.
In these very challenging times, Briones urged everyone to continue honoring those in the teaching profession because without them “no learning will be possible.”