Change is simply inevitable. It is part of life. The only thing that is permanent is change itself. This life is ever so challenging as the world is ever changing so as for schools to be able to cope up with the fast-track pace of this revolutionary step of either societal or technological change there must be something that needs to be done in the way lessons in schools are delivered. Upgrading the curricular programs in all levels, in which the curriculum must have to be geared towards social and technological advancement. So that learners would be exposed to a set of learning experiences that would generate lifelong learning, for them to cope up with the needs of the modern world. Consideration on enhancing the curriculum design is of great advantage not only to every institution but for the whole community it serves. The curriculum change considers many factors. Indeed, they specifically provide differing curricular programs that cater to the competencies and skills of every learner. With the ideals of realistic changes of the curriculum for the 21st century the study envisioned the following: computer-based, environment-focused, research-oriented, technology-enriched, value-laden, community-involved, and industry-linked. All are equally significant in achieving and transforming graduates who would not only become academically well versed but also made them able to undertake their goals and dreams in life as an efficient and effective person. Recent developments in the region and in the Philippines have prompted the Philippine government to push for a new basic education curriculum. Along with these changes is the adoption of the new English curriculum known as the Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum (LAMC).

Globalization has opened limitless doors of opportunities, both national and international. However, employment is still scarce for high school graduates since companies would prefer degree holders or people with years of experience, thus, the birth of the 12-year new primary curriculum (Calderon, 2014).

Since its implementation in 2012, significant changes have been made, such as integrating a 21st-century learning framework to equip learners with the adequate knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the 21st century. (DepEd Order No. 55, 2015; SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012). Along with these changes is the enhancement and revision of the English curriculum. However, issues arose as teachers tread new waters regarding implementing the K-12 English curriculum. The teachers and some textbook writers found it confusing to create a cohesive and solid lesson plan based on the suggested competencies per week (Valerio, 2015). I believe the new English curriculum should be crafted clearly and cohesively, aligning it to the pedagogical principles used by the K-12 curriculum and the school.

The shift from the old primary curriculum to the K-12 English curriculum was made in response to the below-average performance of the learners in their NAT (National Achievement Test) scores. The decision was necessary; however, it was instantaneous. The abrupt change led to confusion and showed the lack of resources aligned with the current curriculum's content. Furthermore, the change evoked three major loopholes: the alignment of the new English curriculum with the 21st-century learning principles, its adherence to the established language teaching and learning principles, and its specificity and coherence (Barrot, 2018).

The alignment of the new English curriculum to the 21st-century learning principles could have been made possible by using a more coherent approach by integrating 21st-century themes and skills. There is no direct mention of the 21st-century themes in the curriculum's content standards. Adding it can help guide the teachers tailor their selection of texts, topics, and tasks for the learners in every lesson. In addition, they could also use instructional approaches that would help learners develop their higher order thinking skills, like teaching them how to effectively utilize language in different contexts and purposes that they could use in the future. The feature of the K-12 English Curriculum that emphasizes the different standards (i.e., content, grade level, essential, and performance standards) is highly commendable. However, as previously stated, it does not directly reflect the 21st-century skills integrated into the new curriculum.

The K-12 English Curriculum already follows the established language learning and teaching principles like constructivism, contextualization, holistic assessment, and others. However, areas still need to be reviewed to ensure that it faithfully follows these principles. Overall, there is a need for the curriculum to be exact as to how teachers can apply these principles. For example, in contextualization, the curriculum may offer guidelines that would state what specific standards the teachers should follow in using print and digital texts that are context, age, and culture appropriate for the learners. The new curriculum also failed to integrate other significant language teaching and learning principles such as reflective learning, computer-assisted language learning, process orientation, and intercultural competence (Barrot, 2018).

The specificity and coherence of the K-12 English curriculum are also in question since there is much weak coherence in the standards across all grade levels and the learning competencies listed under each domain. An example is a requirement for Grade 2 students to summarize information without developing their skills in getting the main ideas. Teachers are crucial in successfully implementing the curriculum; however, they are facing the challenge of lacking specific processes, strategies, and approaches they should use.

Overall, the K-12 English curriculum effectively responds to the call for instating 21st-century education and answering the country's problems regarding low achievement test scores and congested curriculum. However, there is also a need to improve its clarity and coherence and integrate missed essential principles to integrate 21st-century skills and language teaching and learning. The new curriculum should be developed further to lighten the workload and confusion of the teachers who are responsible for instilling knowledge and skills in the learners.

As future educators, we must take into consideration how important the existence of a curriculum is. Without it, how are we going to come up with effective teaching plans and methods for our students? As what we’ve seen in this E-manual, The curriculum in the Philippines these past few years has been evolving and constantly changing. We should always be ready to adapt to these in order to deliver our teachings successfully. Furthermore, (Ojong, 2013) also suggests that the curriculum must be adequately formulated or structured to meet or reflect the needs of the society and of the individual learner.

According to (Granada, 2021) For a long time, the education system in the Philippines was one of the shortest in the world. Back then, formal education was only required for 10 years (6 years of primary school and 4 years of high school). But because of the evolving circumstances of the Philippines, we were able to finally come up with the K-12. The establishment of this curriculum generally prepares the learners with the knowledge and skills equipped for higher education or employment.

To sum it all up, Curriculums are the structure, the standard, and the post that holds out the entire education system. In the absence of a curriculum, the effectiveness of the teaching wouldn't be attainable. Lastly, the curriculum must and does change regularly, making it an even more essential foundation on which to base our teaching methods (Williams, 2019 ).

My reflection of a pre-service teacher on the curriculum of my specialization is that curriculum plays a vital role in education. It is a very important guide/planner that helps the learning growth of learners. It also helps them to grow up as active members of the community/society with a responsive sense of the idealistic citizen. It grants greater and more beneficial learning curves wherein learners are given more challenges and critical analysis problems to master concepts and skills proficiently and efficiently. I intend to follow the curriculum more strictly as it is a proven and repetitive course of planning that is very efficient in the learning growth of students and is beneficial for preparing students of the senior high to become responsible people of the future. As part of the English curriculum specialization, I now appreciate English as a medium of language and is considered the widely used medium of language in the world. I appreciate the Taft Commission more and I thank former President William McKinley and head commissioner William Howard Taft for the implementation of the English language as a medium of instruction in the education system.