Administrators, teachers, learners and parents were all thrown in a loop when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden shift in the educational system in our country. Restrictions in order to halt the increasing number of cases in our country made face to face learning impossible. However, it is the battle cry of the Department of Education to never give up on learning despite of our current circumstance. Thus, planning and implementing for distance learning in all possible and accessible forms were done and gave birth to the Basic Education Learning Continuity plan.

We started school year 2020-2021 in Ibabang Talim Integrated High School with high hopes of delivering quality education among our learners despite of the absence of face to face classes. The “new normal” in education resulted to extra efforts in Brigada Eskwela activities, literacy and numeracy programs, strengthened stakeholders participation and innovations. We, in ITIHS, pushed our limits in coming up with a plan, a pool of resources and learning materials for our beloved learners.

Distance has taught us a lot of things and made us depart from our comfort zones. Different realizations emerged from the challenges that we have experienced and in the true spirit of collaboration and passion for education, Ibabang Talim Integrated High School remained steadfast. One year in lockdown and we are now approaching the third quarter of the school year. The things that made parents, learners and teachers anxious in the beginning of the “new normal in education” are consistently being addressed through open communication, programs and projects, remediation activities, and persistent follow-ups with parents and guardians, crafting of instructional materials and learning activity sheets suited for the learners’ level.

Beyond all of the preparations of our school, the competencies to be attained every quarter, the skills to be acquired by the learners and tons of workloads and paper works to finish we have proven that the teachers of Ibabang Talim Integrated High School will always find a way because every teacher cares. Sometimes, we may feel disheartened or tired but at the end of the day, we will never stop caring for our learners. We will always find a way to make things easier for them, to make sure that they are learning and are in good shape despite of the challenges that they are experiencing.

In the cheerful faces and voices of our learners and their parents every time we talked to them through video call or phone call, we have seen a silver lining. This is how powerful hope is—it will keep us going even if it appears to be difficult or impossible.