"How To End 2021 Strong": Finding Strengths in Threats

THREATS: Finding Strength in Threats

Threats come in different shapes and forms. Teachers are not spared from threats. Threats are intended to inflict pain, shame, guilt, and dishonor. It is given intentionally or unintentionally from whomever, wherever we are working on, and in whatever circumstances we are in. In the course of our teaching career no matter how much we endeavor to deliver instructional matters and subject matters in a more effective way for the benefit of our learners there are always moments that transpired unexpectedly. It caught our attention to deal with in a more humane and professional way. No matter what a teacher teaches as long as he actively conforms to the directives ordered by the administrative level it is inevitable that threats usually happen. Threats threatened us in different ways such as in our personal lives, professional lives, social and community involvement, family relationships, political aspects, spiritual matters, et. al.

The questions that we need to ask ourselves regarding threats are the following:

1.)What are the things that threaten you most as an educator?

2.)How did it affect you as a person and as a 21st-century educator?

3.)To what level or degree have you been threatened?

4.) What values and lessons have you learned from?

? Let us threshed out the following issues:

a. “No Learner Left Behind” – “Child-Friendly Approach”

Today, I have gotten the opportunity to ask my colleagues about the threats in the exercise of our duties and responsibilities as educators while waiting for the heavy rain to stop. Finding time to talk to them has given me more meaningful insights into the different threats they have observed and experienced. Their comments were realistic and impactful.

There will be different scenarios that I will talk about here to shed light on concrete experiences that are relevant to our teaching and learning skills.

Based on our reflection, no matter how much effort you have exerted given your expertise and knowledge on that particular subject just for learners to learn, not all of the learners were able to digest instructions given and have proven themselves to have learned it effectively in the least supervision. They need to be guided throughout the whole session to bring out the best in them. Unguided moments are quite dangerous because there are potential mistakes that will be done. Most, if not all, learners accomplished their tasks for the purpose of completion in just passing the course and not with the intention of aiming with high remarks or gaining the mastery level. Those who take matters seriously were able to exceed the expectations given. Only a few excel in their chosen field of expertise.

It threatened us in a way that is disappointing in that the level of expectations, the objectives, and the Most Essential Learning Competencies that were first discussed were not met. It devastated us that we have not produced learners more productively. Learners are half-baked. The equipping process takes so much of?our time, effort, and even money because not all learners have a good economic background. Taking into consideration that learners are diverse in nature. They have different personalities, families, and economic backgrounds. In the same way, their performance also affects our performance.

One problematic student that I handled last year caught much of my attention as she only appeared once or twice in three months to get and pass her modules. I was wondering what had happened to this child. I could not directly assume that her performance in answering the modules was her own. Some of which appear dirtied and only a few answers. There were many blanks. One time I decided to look and visit the house in order to check the child’s personal background and only to find out that at a young age she married, though not legally married, and has been consistently sick. And so I asked, “ Do you still want to answer the modules and go to school? She replied, “ Yes Maam, I will”.

Another student of mine was not able to have a PSA birth certificate at nearing age 18. For teachers, PSA birth certificates serve as one of the bases in entering their profile input into the LIS(Learner Information System) and should be taken strictly to avoid any inconvenience?in the future. This serves to validate the correctness of the details of the learners' personal background which is very much sensitive. It almost angered me then that the mother (the 2nd wife of the father) was having some fights with the original mother who was just a fish vendor in the market. I talked to them at different times to maintain the respect and privacy of the family. I visited the original mother several times in the market, and the 2nd mother as well. I came to a point of giving up the child and not enrolling her in the LIS (Learners’ Information System generated online and nationwide). Then, I lost connection that I could not contact through mobile phone. Later on, as the semester was nearing to end the child submitted her modules alone and admitted that they were not yet through processing for late registration of her birth.

Last year during the pandemic, one parent admitted to me having difficulty in initiating and facilitating to answer modules for her child. She could not understand what the modules are saying as she only graduated elementary and her husband was just a farmer. Her child (the learner my student) was the one helping them on the farm to fetch water and do some errand jobs at home. It is much better for face-to-face classes to resume rather than helping her child to answer modules. Issues like these gave us a lot of reflection on how we can be better teacher that goes beyond human limitations.

b. Provoking Situations – Teachers are sometimes threatened when learners cannot follow instructions right away, when students murmur and keep on complaining when students make provocative expressions and languages, students resort to calling their parents to increase their grades even when their academic performance does not warrant for a higher grade, and when students chose to do it on their own violating school policies and classroom management. Of course, there is nothing wrong with doing it on their own as long as the level of associations is maintained, however, there are students who cannot process instructions right away and thus cause chaos within the classroom. Students’ adherence to classroom management and school policies are matters that are of great importance to assess teachers’ leadership and performance. Students' inability to collaborate because of insecurities and feelings of insignificance can be observed from the students’ behavior. There are times that students have their own philosophical way of answering questions as least expected from us. Understanding the lifestyle of the generation of today is quite different from ours. There is a need to gauge the gap to come up with a more peaceful environment and responsible citizens in the future.

In connection to this, are we advocating so much of the policy, “No Learner left Behind” with that connotation of a “Child-friendly Approach Policy?” Where do we draw the silver lining to this? What limits do we need to practice? How far can we assess learners and consider?their limitations especially in this time of pandemic that parents are the ones initiating and facilitating the teaching and learning at home? Will we let them pass the course in spite of the fact of low performance?

c. Family Matters and Relationships – It cannot be directly denied that most often when it comes to family matters and relationships most of the issues are quite sensitive. The culture of cohesiveness and resiliency in times of disaster, financial constraints, and conflicting claims of marital issues?usually surfaced. When one family member is not in good health condition, it somehow threatens teachers to be disgruntled at times and not able to do the tasks as expected. We tend to loan money from banks and lending institutions to accommodate payments in hospital bills and other needs in the family. Asking permission to leave or to be absent is quite all right, however, the process of recovering from mental, emotional, and financial constraints is quite burdensome. The natural tendency was that teaching becomes boring and monotonous.

In situations of love, marriage, and marital issues, we see the significance of having a personal mentor, a life coach, a spiritual leader, or a guidance counselor separate and distinct individual working outside the school in order to thresh out issues that cannot be express by our own decisions. We see the importance of having a guidance counselor in the school or a psychologist, however, its necessity must be anchored on trust, integrity, and confidentiality. Trust, integrity, and confidentiality are matters that are of extreme importance if we seek to maintain mental and emotional fitness for work.

Conclusion:

As we seek to accomplish perfection, the moral values and lessons that lie behind it give a clear view of what needs to be done. Threats should be viewed in the light of understanding the deepness of the issues and their impact on our personhood. It may make us or break us. There are still many things to be done in the future. It may lead us to redesign, realign and restructure the policies and curriculum instruction as our basis for action to be initiated and implemented that requires inclusive participation in achieving great accomplishments.

? ?“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” ???????????????????????? ???Proverbs 1:7

? “It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness”.?? ??????????????????????????***Thomas Jefferson***

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