This year has been a different and difficult year not only for our country, but for the whole world. The pandemic took its toll on everything, including our education system. Some of the schools had already shifted to the August to May calendar, but there are some that still follow the June to March calendar. This has been a strange year because we had to suspend classes in January due to the eruption of Taal Volcano, and as if that wasn’t enough, we had this pandemic afterwards. Most schools didn’t even finish the school year because the metropolis and nearby areas were placed on lockdown and on Community Quarantine by mid-March.
It’s already September and by this time, all the classes should’ve started already. But alas, we have to follow the rules—no school until October. Though most private schools already started as early as August 3, following the logic that there would be no face-to-face classes and the faculty as well as the students would be doing the education process online. Now, we are presented with lots of problems regarding our education system amidst the pandemic—internet connection, gadgets, schedules, capacity of the parents/guardians to send their kids to school—all of which we have to address with our capacities as educators. We all know that this problem is faced by every educational institution—students, teachers, and even the administrative staff.
Educators are, by nature, the most dedicated people that I know. We built the foundation of every doctor, lawyer, nurse…name it, and for sure we have them on our list. Without our perseverance, can you imagine what the world could be right now? We wouldn’t have any doctor, nurse or medical technician on the frontlines if they haven’t been taught by their teachers and professors. We almost always go out of our way just to serve the students the education they deserve. Majority of educators have low morale these days for just like our students, not all of us have the means to buy gadgets and other learning materials for the “new normal” setting. Luckily some of us are already engaged in distance learning and online tutorials–they are already equipped with the basic gadgets and connectivity which are badly needed for this much needed set-up.
This is a time of drastic change and adjustments. Everyone, not only our students, are learning from this pandemic. For a fact, we know that this could be exhausting—being locked inside your home for months, not being able to teach your students during the summer. Or not being able to enjoy the summer vacation in general. If you had superpowers, you just want to use this to melt away the pandemic just like any of your typical villains.
With all these things going on, we have to keep in mind a few things—we have to keep our jobs for our families or for ourselves, we have to teach to keep the education sector running, but most of all, we have to educate our students for the future. This is our sworn duty. We have to mold our future doctors, nurses, policemen, lawyers, businessmen, accountants, even those who would want to follow our footsteps—future teachers. It doesn’t matter if you are struggling with learning online applications, most of us are. Take it as an opportunity to learn something new, and share and impart it to your colleagues. As they say, life is an endless learning process. If ever you are considering giving up, take two steps backwards, and look at the bigger picture—there are learners who are counting on us. We can do it as one; Kayang-kaya Basta’t Sama-Sama.
By: NENITA A. ALVAREZ, Ed. D. | Supervisor | SDO-Olongapo City
