In the presence of the scorching heat (or intense raining) of the Philippines’ weather paradigm, ranging to more than forty students are compressed to study in a not-quite-ventilated room in their respective public schools. Data from the National Statistical Coordination Board shows that about fifteen million students were enrolled in the elementary public schools for the 2013 school year. According to Manila Times, most of these students experienced lack of classrooms. In Metro Manila, 82% of the public schools had to adopt the double shifting scheme to accommodate the student body.
In the eyes of a Math teacher, these numbers are mere understatements of what it means to teach in a third world. In real life, the level of most situations cannot be fully described and depicted using the numbers or data in a study or survey, that is, there are a lot unsaid in numbers. For example, a 45:1 student to classroom ratio does not depict how teachers sacrifice a fraction of their salaries to somehow ease the situation by contributing fans and repainting walls. As a Math teacher, this realization helps in teaching the material to the students. It is a reasoning that answers the most common question of students in a Math class, that is, “Why do we need to study this (topic in class)?” Contrary to common belief, Mathematics is not all about numbers. One must understand (this I try to impart to the students) that Math is an art of a situation—a relationship between numbers and words.
Firstly, teaching the said material in a Third World actually means being creative as a teacher. It is a job of a teacher to make the students listen, and they would only listen if they are interested. To add to this, it is hard for a student to focus in a classroom setting of a public school. This is the reason why teachers need to put an extra hand in making the lesson more interesting. Great visuals poke the interest of students. Thus, showing an interactive picture of a delicious cake sliced into eight may come in handy in teaching fractions. According to Prime Info graphics, 65% of the population are visual learners. And there are more creative measures that a teacher can explain mathematical concepts. Like, using the game of the-boat-is-sinking as a method of teaching sum and difference. As mentioned, Math is an art, and teachers of this material should be the master of the said art.
Secondly, teaching Math means making the material easier to the students, without lowering the standards of any. More than half of the study body are intimidated, just by the mention of Math. A Math teacher should not irrationally get angry when students get low scores in their quiz. Instead, the teacher must find the root cause and be able to connect the dots on why a student fails. This is what it means to make it easier to the students. It is to understand why a person does what he does, why he fails to do what he fails to do.
Finally, teaching Math in a Third World means not having the odds in terms of classrooms and facilities (see the numbers in the introduction), yet going back to the core of education—to teach Math in perspective to life. It is to impart to students that Math is a necessity that one witnesses in his daily activities. This includes the formulation of a coffee, the ratio of ingredients in pastries, the fare in jeeps and tricycles, even time is related to Math. A teacher must be able to teach with these in mind, even in a classroom setting found in a Third World country like the Philippines. Now wouldn’t it be nice to see—in the presence of the scorching heat (or intense raining) of the Philippines’ weather paradigm—a Math teacher actually knows what it means to educate?
By: ARCHIE B. ALARCON | T-I | Sto. Domingo Elementary School
