Distance doesn’t matter!

By Paolo F. Esguerra

W

  hen we do anything that extremely satisfy ourselves and others we said that it is the best, the best among the rest. If I ask myself who is the best for me except of course To God, to my family and friends I will answer the person who was served as my idol and my inspiration that leads me to get an education course.

For all the teachers that I was encountered during my high school days, there was a teacher who I always proud to call her the best. She was my teacher in filipino subject when I was on third year high school. She was very approachable and smart. Every lesson that she taught to us are comprehended appreciated in terms of when there are some of the parts of the lesson that we can't understand she finds another ways to understood it comprehensively and completely.

I was remembered that her curriculum planned on every lesson were using lesson plan that she got the competences on the book and serves as her guide. You cannot saw her and felt that she didn't know her lesson on every single part of the topics in filipino even when we were asked her about other concerns; she confidently answered it without any hesitations.

Her curriculum designed was all organized. She used subject centered design that time when she was a new teacher in Sta. Filomena Integrated School. In the way that she memorized all the content in the books and it was her way to deliver her discussion to us. But as the time passes by at the middle part of our school year, she changed her design into a life situations design wherein she taught her lessons based not only on the written in the book but she was also giving examples that we can relate our experiences on our daily living.

My best teacher was also acted to us as a mother. She was excellent in speaking the filipino language. I was remembered that during our break time, my classmates and I were copied her voice and her gestures. And one time we were not known that she were at our back and said "Sige lang ipagpatuloy niyo lang yan at masasanay din kayo sa tamang pagbigkas ng ating sariling wika" without any signed that she was angry. If you look at her, you can saw a mother that was giving you advice.

After the curriculum designed, she implemented it that puts into practice the written curriculum that has been designed on her lesson plan. She used blackboard and cartolina in her lesson that serves as her visual aids. She frequently did individual activities that more of as were cannot finished it on time. But there were also group activities but rarely. That time her approach to us was deductive teaching or teacher centered approach. She motivates us to study harder not for the sake of our grades but for the learning that we gained to her. Her class was not dull because of her funny jokes. But I noticed that we have minimal collaboration between her and us.

Lastly, her curriculum evaluation was more on quizzes for every three topics that we already finished. She had also used group quiz bees to know if the lessons that she taught to us were all retain in our mind and if we can apply it in the way that she gives questions that needs an answer in real life situations. Mostly, were tasks were role playing of the stories and literary pieces that enhanced on our cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain.

She always calls me sir because she noticed that I like to become a teacher someday even I want to explore and take a science field course. I always said to her that she was sexy every time that I saw her in the pathway so she smiled and said thank you to me. And she supports me every time I competed on every match mostly on playing badminton. And when we was in graduation ceremony, I went to her and said “Ma’am Helen thank you po sa walang sawang pagaaruga at pagintindi sa amin. Hindi ko po kayo malilimutan. Huwag po kayong magsasawang maging isang kapita-pitagang guro. Mamimiss ko po kayo."

The best teacher that act as not only my past teacher but also act as my friend and became part of my life as my second mother is no other than Mrs. Helen Umali, an excellent, beautiful, smart, approachable, and kind hearted teacher in the whole world.

Many years are passed. More unforgettable memories were gathered. Different teachers were encountered but Ma'am Helen and I were having interaction and communication same as when I was in high school. There were many changes happened but still she was the teacher that didn't forget me until now.

At first, we had conversation via messenger, then I asked her if she is available or can I observe on her class. And happily, she replied "Yes, you can come to my class and observe. I am excited to see you again Sir Paolo". November 28, 2017, 11:30 am, I went back to Sta. Filomena Integrated School to visit her at the same time to know whether Maam Helen changed her way in curriculum planning, designing, implementing and evaluating.

First, I asked question to her “How you planned the curriculum nowadays ma’am?" and she said that she now used Daily Lesson Logs (DLL) unlike before that she used lesson plan. That DLL were provided by the Deped and she checked whether the competencies were all matched with her objectives and this was based on the books and internet.

Then I was observed how she implemented the curriculum in her class in the section of grade 8. She used laptop, projector, and leads authentic learning opportunities to her students and she used mixed deductive and inductive method. She gave examples from general down to specific. Also, according to her she used localization; she said that it is giving examples near to your surroundings so that the students can easily relate on the topic that we will possibly encounter. During my observation, I also noticed that her curriculum designed were obviously used learner centered designed in the sense that she knew her students' interests and needs and problem solving designed wherein she gives a story without the ending part of it. And the students were asked to form a group and think their own ending by role playing. For that reason, their class had an interaction and collaboration between Ma'am Helen and her students that time.

After their activity, I was also observed that her curriculum evaluation was in the form of criterion- reference that uses criteria and that criterion was called rubrics. Her rubrics were holistic. And while the students were doing their activity, I asked her“why did you chose to used holistic rubrics rather than analytic rubrics?” she said ‘‘Pao, it is depends on the activity. But for me, since mostly I like a demonstration of their knowledge and I want to enhance their three domains, I was preferred to have role playing like this, of course I will use a holistic rubric. Be practical, it so hard to used analytic rubrics for many students like this”. And lastly, she said that for every lesson were done; students’ will be given five questions that serve as their formative assessment.

After all of that, I left Sta .Filomena Integrated School to go in Laguna State Polytechnic University. In my observation, there were many changes happened in the curriculum planning that Ma’am Helen used lesson plan on her previous years but know she used daily lesson log (DLL), her curriculum designed were from subject centered design and life situation designed to learner centered design and problem solving designed, her curriculum implementation from teacher centered approach down to learner centered approach that more on product based and lastly her curriculum evaluation from having a rubrics but we didn’t know down from the rubrics that shown before the activities were given. For that changes there were only one sure that never be changed and that was her approach to us especially to me. Everything happens, she always there for me even she is not my teacher and I am not his student anymore.