Hez DabaHez

Grade 11 STEM 5 First Summative Test

           This week has given me lots of things to learn: from handling a class, managing one’s time, being creative and extending help to others. I know that I have been experiencing so many circumstances on the course of my journey, but I believe everything will be paid off in the end.

          With the seven weeks of exposure in the field, I must say that I can now handle a high school English class, especially in the higher levels. My training in both in- and off-campus are helpful in building the foundations of this career.

          Time management was also an issue this week. I learned to balance my time more efficiently and prioritize things wisely. Even if my body felt that I had to rest, I really made sure that I could accomplish all the tasks before the due. Of course, I wouldn’t want to compromise my health, that’s why I always look for ample time for relaxation and recreation.

          During my teaching demonstrations, I was able to create an effective motivational activity which made my students get hooked. Since my lesson was all about first time experiences, I gave them this activity which let them share some of their memorable and valuable first time experiences. What I did was I cut rolls of paper with scenarios written on them (e.g. first time you fell in love). Then, I asked somebody (one learner for every paper) to answer what was written on the paper. The entire class, especially in G-10 Archimedes, was really out of control when a classmate shared her experience when she met her first love. With their laughter and merriness at the onset of the class, I was then able to establish a fun lesson all the way through.

         On the other hand, assessments were done using both written works and performance tasks. These written works include short tests, pre-tests and assignments that will assess their knowledge and understanding of the topic. Performance tasks (PT’s) include a variety of activities beyond writing: role play, creative illustrations, recitations and many more. As of this week, I differentiated the product so as to come up with assorted outputs. So, I am expecting that by Monday, I can already witness their tasks accordingly.

           Compared to what I have experienced in the in-campus training, my practice teaching in the public school is what I consider the real battle arena of this profession. I am not saying that the private school has not challenged me at all, but it’s the situation of the public school that has really tested my passion in teaching.

           In the public school, I have learned to be more sensitive to my learners: their learning styles, interests, strengths and difficulties. I also realized that there is a need for me to at least have a little background of them. Doing this may seem so tedious knowing that there are a lot of them, but if I try to reach out to them, I can start building our trust to one another.

          The facilities in the public school taught me to be more innovative especially if my resources are few. The use of ICT media in the school became a challenge for me since I had to do reservation beforehand. So, what I have been just doing is to produce my own instructional materials and utilize the blackboard as much as possible. In this way, I am not only practicing resourcefulness, but I am also letting myself immerse in the public school system of teaching.

          As for my teaching demonstrations, one effective strategy that I have applied in my classes is doing group or cooperative activities. The huge crowd (approximately 60 students) in my classes is so big that I had to chunk them into groups during the learning process. The groupings have helped every learner to be more cooperative and confident. Through the assistance and collaboration with the fast learners, this strategy also helped the slow learners to cope with the lesson in their own pacing.

          When we speak of trust, some student teachers doubt that building trust with the students may be so difficult in a short period of time. Yet I have been trying to eliminate that pessimistic thought. In my classes, I have been building rapport between me and my students to create a friendly learning atmosphere. I did this last week by sharing my personal experiences both in academic and some personal struggles. Afterwards, I asked them if they could also share their feelings and opinions, stressing out that learning is a two-way process. This helped me to put a positive impression to my students as a serious teacher with a heart.

            In my educational life journey, I was really grateful to the Lord Almighty for bestowing upon me showers of blessings. And there is one particular blessing that I am really thankful for – quality education. How can I say that my education in the past years was of good quality and different from the rest? Let me share to you what I have learned during my first week of exposure in the public school.

           Let’s start with the time. Time is a very essential aspect in every action that a human does. In the public school, the first shift starts at 6 AM. That may just seem normal in the Philippine setting, but in reality, there is a problem lying under that. Studies have shown that a student’s mind is not yet totally prepared for information early in the morning simply because our brain cannot absorb heavy instruction in that particular time. And, here goes our public schools starting the first period at 6 AM. Considering the lack of classrooms, there is really a need to adjust the class program. But does the government also consider the child’s physical and mental preparation?

           The second thing that I have noticed in the public school is its pedagogy. There is no doubt however that our government hired the most competent teachers in the land who are willing to serve even the poorest of the poor. But their mission in providing the most relevant education looks like fading. During their English classes, I could hardly hear the students speaking the language. The teacher does not even bother to encourage them to practice. Pathetic! In cases like that, it is certain that a teacher cannot force his/her students to respond in English, but at least encourage them to practice speaking it.

           Also in their pedagogy, some of the teachers are still hooked with the traditional method of teaching. They seem to commit their teaching life to the old school style. And, it’s so sad to see that because their head, the Department of Education, has been trying its best to make a huge difference in delivering instruction. It is really ironic that their principal leads the implementation of an outcomes-based education but the teachers themselves do not follow it.

           With these observations, I can really say that I was and have been fortunate in my studies. Even though I went to a public school in elementary, my life there was still fulfilling because I belonged to the honors’ class ever since. In high school, I had a wonderful experience studying at a university. And up until now, I am still enjoying the scholarship privilege that my school has offered.

            My in-campus journey was really a roller coaster ride. I had lots of ups and downs which truly made me stronger and wiser enough to finish the race. I can still remember the three things I mentioned when I wrote my first weekly journal: time discipline, priority management and patience. What I valued most among the three during my five-week training was patience.

           In one of my classes this week, my patience was really tested. I lost control of my temper and I considered it as the major problem I encountered. I knew that I had the authority to set my rules in the classroom because I was the captain of the ship. Yet when I walked out of the classroom and went back to our workstation, I was thinking of alternatives that I could have done in order to have a win-win solution for both sides (mine and the students’). The thing here is, it was already done and I cannot do anything about it anymore, so all I need to do now is to accept my failing part and do even better the next time I handle a challenging class.

          Speaking about pedagogy, I have learned a lot of strategies from my cooperating teacher. I made sure that I don’t only listen to his suggestions passively. Every time he gives me suggestions and tips for improvement, I have been trying my best to incorporate all of those in my classes.

           One of the things he said during our feed backing session was emphasizing the teacher’s presence. It means that the teacher ought to reach out to students in all corners of the classroom especially to students who are often not participating. He stressed that these students could be having a hard time understanding the lesson. It could also be that they are thinking of other things aside such as family, academic or financial problems. With his suggestions, I am now very keen to the behavior of my students knowing that they have varied strengths and learning styles.

           I was also reminded of differentiating my instruction in the process. Often times, teachers do differentiated instruction only in the assessment part. But, we can also do this in the process. Through the help of my CT, I was able to do this through multiple methods and techniques. And, I can say that during my five-week stay in the campus, I was able to hone effectively my inductive method of teaching which aims to let the students discover little concepts first before endig up with a generalization.

            The duties of a teacher do not only cover one single job, but a lot. Aside from the usual lectures and discussions done in the classroom, it is the teacher’s job also to conduct assessments. This includes exams given to students at the end of a term or quarter. For this week, I gained some learning that will certainly help me to embrace this profession more.

           One very important thing I have learned is to love what I am doing. I really agree that a teacher can do his job effectively only if he has given his heart for the profession he has chosen. As for me, my passion for teaching is still on fire and for many reasons, I don’t want to lose this eagerness and dedication. I definitely want to keep the flames burning to ignite my students with the knowledge, skills and values they need.

           Another thing I have realized is upholding the pride and nobility of this profession. How does this work? Well, even in little things we teachers can keep our dignities and pride by maintaining utmost professionalism at all times. And by saying professional, it does not just mean that a person has earned a degree in college nor is he renowned for his meritorious deeds. To be professional in a simple manner and understanding is to stand for integrity at all times. I may have an average performance in my practice teaching, but it does not make me less of a person especially if I have displayed the right disposition of working with my colleagues and within my workplace.

           Many times I hear how the teaching profession has been degraded. As a student teacher who is likened to an apprentice still learning his trade, I can embody the spirit and sense of pride in this profession even in the way I look. Every time I go out from my house, there are people who will really look at me from head to toe as if a lawyer has just passed by their premises. Sometimes I just laugh about it, but in reality our appearance speaks a lot to the people surrounding us. I realized that even through the uniform I am wearing, I am already carrying the name of the noblest profession, and I ought to be accountable to whatever happens to my exterior look. This is only a simple reminder, yet a serious one.

          My sister once told me, “Are you really sure that your calling is for teaching? That job does not only cover one task. It covers a lot!” Well, her viewpoint has left me hanging for a little time. I then asked myself if this is really my calling. Now, I have come to the point of realizing that what she said is so much true. Teaching is a one-man show. It’s like you’re hosting a huge event, let’s say Olympics, with you shouldering the burden of all the tasks. Simply put, it’s a challenging job.

           On a lighter note, I appreciated the wide coverage of a teacher’s duties. I experienced teaching classes in different levels, facilitating practices, checking papers, attending a seminar, recording raw scores and even planning for a classroom Christmas party. Wow! I somehow felt proud about what I’m doing. My actions were undeniably the manifestations of the noblest profession. I could say that the best preparatory exercise towards becoming a full-fledged teacher can be experienced during practice teaching, particularly in the in-campus training where I could have the chance to teach to my fellow Liceans.

           During my teaching demonstrations, formative assessment is immediately done during and before the period (first meeting) ends. Summative assessment then follows on the second meeting. My assessment method was a combination of written outputs and a little of performance task. Written outputs include quizzes and assignments. Performance tasks may come through oral recitations and group activities.

           If there was one problem that I encountered during this week, it was no other than my hoarse voice. During my classes last Thursday and Friday, I could not project my voice even louder due to colds and cough. I was even afraid not to be able to demonstrate my lesson well in a speech class if my health condition would not cease. Although my latest evaluation feedback with Mrs. Lagumbay stressed out the need to make my voice louder, I was still able to surpass this challenge with the aid of my heavenly Father. Thank God! I really can’t imagine myself standing in front of the class with a tiny voice. Right now, I am taking my medications and also finding ample time to rest.

           That voice problem really challenged me. I know that this is a common problem many teachers encounter. And so it reminded me to always take good care of my health, especially the voice – a significant teacher asset.

          With the seven (7) teaching demonstrations I finished within this week, I was able to realize a lot of things that I need for the improvement of my skills. This is true especially that I got varied scores in my evaluation. Partnered also in these scores are the comments and suggestions that I have to consider in order to be the best teacher that I can be.

           During my demonstrations, I knew that I was not able to achieve this one particular objective during my classes: the performing of differentiated activities. This is probably due to time constraint.

          Whenever I would have my class, I would really make sure that I have equipped my students first with the necessary knowledge and skills. And I think that is really true and important in teaching. Because of the in-depth discussions of the content, I could barely start the differentiated instruction. I have also noticed that I have planned a lot of things to do in the process that it has affected the limited time for the assessment or product. The good thing here is, my CT has always been giving me advices and tips on how to deliver instruction well without being in a hurry. His advices have constantly aided me to do better the next time.

          As to my motivation, there were really concrete evidences that could justify its effectiveness to the learners. Since I used a song as a springboard to my topic (copyreading), everyone in the class was so participative especially that the song I used was sung during their prom. Truly, they had fun in the motivational activity that it has made some students sing and even dance with the beat. It was really nice for me seeing them having a good time with the activity I prepared. I was also encouraged to perform even better as my CT complimented me with how interesting my motivation was.

        This week was only the second week yet it has marked a huge imprint on my heart. It is not just a mere imprint of an impression to the teaching profession, but rather an imprint that speaks how fun it is to be a teacher despite the challenges. I learned that it does not only take a full-packed brain to accomplish all the tasks. When the job revolves around teaching, one does not only need to have mastered his topic well (content), but most importantly the way on how he imparts knowledge (pedagogy) anchored with values.

           My initial exposure to the field gave me a lot of realizations. But for the sake of brevity, I will only share the three most important: time discipline, priority management and patience.

           Time discipline encompasses a wide range of experiences. Unlike before when I usually sleep very late at night and wake up late too (especially if my classes are all in the afternoon), this time I have to sleep and wake up early to give my body full rest and recharging for the next day. I am not used to this which is why my body clock is having a hard time adjusting. What I am just thinking is the positive impact it will give me since few months from now I will already have a job. I believe that being punctual is not only a thing to be praised, but also a thing that needs to become a habit and done regularly.

           The second one is priority management. We all have abundant priorities in life. These priorities may come through school and work obligations, family bonding, health medications and many more. As for my in-campus training, I strongly agree that student teachers have to set things in order according to their importance. I always hear the saying “Set your priorities properly” and this time, I got to feel that saying myself with the things I need to do first. With the numerous paper works and demonstrations, I may feel bombarded and over-occupied, but as they always say, “no one is really busy, it’s just a matter of priorities”, which brings us to the third one, patience.

           Before I entered the College of Teacher Education, I could always hear feedbacks from many people that taking up a degree in education is just as light as a feather. And at some point, I do agree. A degree in education is fairly easy in terms of academic level of difficulty and not as mind-blasting as others like medical technology. But one thing that struck my heart the most is the virtue of patience. They say, patience is one thing that teachers should have. For me, I should bear this virtue with me all the time to win all the challenges that confront me.