“BUILDER: NOT A CARPENTER BUT A TEACHER”

by: John Rick Baltazar

They are defined as: “Our second mothers and fathers who teaches us what we know.” In my high school days, I always get low grades in my Mathematics subject. Yes, that’s true! But in the present, I am taking education course specializing Mathematics. It is somewhat funny but that is the truth and it’s because of my Math teacher in high school who happens to be my favorite teacher up to the present. I want you to know who “she” is as a teacher to me/us and what are her ways in teaching doing during class hours.

          As my experience with her way back 2014, it was really remarkable. I enjoy our class with her every after lunch. Such a dizzy time that needs to break with an exciting ride. She makes our class a meaningful learning.   The way she teach goes with traditional way of teaching. She prepare lesson plan each day to be synchronized and as sort of requirements to their head teacher. She write down the details, strategies and also the activities and the type of assessment which the content of this activities and assessment are in line with the lesson objectives. Since it is planned, it will be followed (pero kalimitan ay hindi ito nasusunod at iyan ang katotohanan). She uses books and other reference materials to have variety of ideas which she connects to come up with the better and accurate concepts. Since our subject is geometry on that time, she shows figures of shapes, 2D or 3D objects. She always say that “according this book, it goes like this but in the other books, there’s another way they need to consider etc.” She makes everyone in the class to be participative by not giving the real thing but just a hint. She gives problems for board works. Giving each one of us are own problem to solve and to be explain in front of the class. She always assure that all of us will learn the lesson she taught and use it as our pre-knowledge for next higher mathematics that we’ll going to encounter in the future. All she wants for us is to be good and productive citizen of this community even that time we are in our 2nd step to success to be a professional or maybe a person with stable life.

That's not the end of the story. On my last year in high school, she became our class adviser so that's why I know her better.  Since we are graduating students on that time, she lends opportunities to us. She makes every to boost our self-esteem because in the near future we are warriors of own will. The will that we need to pass the term and make our family to be proud on what we attain. She teaches us to treasure the knowledge, the values, the memories even if it’s good or bad, the lesson or discipline and especially the things that will makes us happy.

 There is an integration of technology in teaching. She begin all is work by planning what to do and what to be done. She write her objectives on what they called DLL or daily Lesson Log. It is different from Lesson Plan. Lesson plans is a manuscript that includes all the things to happen in delivering a certain lesson but DLL comes in tables which sum up the lesson. There is space for the objective of the lesson, the topics to discuss, the kind of evaluation to use in assessing the learning of the students and etc. She also uses technology to teach the lesson.

          The way she teach was didn’t change but she only add some more for the student to learn meaningfully. The new trends affect the way she teach. It goes with spiral approarch. Letting the student to discover things by their knowledge, capability and ability. "Hayaan natin sila na gumawa on their own, doon sila mas matuto. Kahit na paunti-unti atleast nagagawa nila nang batay sa alam nilang tama which is maganda naman kasi nagtatry sila kahit pa sabihing mali. Andito naman ako para icorrect sila", she said and believe that there is always a room for improvement. If she think that it will be hard for a single student to learn, she allows the collaboration inside the classroom but making sure that everyone will learn. She assess not only in written examination but also uses performance-based assessment to test the mastery of the lesson. So that’s the meaningful one in the sense that on a single thing that she will do, learning of the students and the values they get are the most important thing to be a successful men of this society.

          The curriculum change as the time pass by. It is only for the improvement of the school, it is about the good changes that will to success. The nature of the teacher in teaching will not change but instead, there will be an additional to what is practice.

          “Kung maaari at kaya mo pang magturo, gawin mo. Marami pang bata dyan na nangangailangan ng tulong mo.” This quote of her encourages me to pursue my dreams to be like her, a teacher believing that this profession will serve as the foundation of other profession. A teacher that will build and enrich the good character of each students.

“Ang mahalaga naman sa lahat ay ang matuto”

          -Arshiela Baliwag         

          In the present, she was teaching Grade 9 students in high school were we graduated and I’m sure that those students are enjoying their class with her!