Diary of a SPED Teacher

Gina S. Quiambao

SPED Teacher I

“Beautiful…beautiful…Jesus is beautiful.” that was the first song I’ve learned in sign language which was taught to us by our professor in college. Since then, my passion to teach special children started.

I was 23 years old. Fresh, young, and full of hope. I was appointed to different schools as a substitute teacher. My last assignment was for a permanent position. I was about to sign the contract, but I knew a piece of me is missing. I promise to teach special children. I had to look for the right path to fill in the missing piece. A door opened for me, I believed it was destiny that led me to follow my passion. 

I finally went on an interview and made it. I was asked to pass my credentials in Mabalacat Elementary School. I was determined. On my way, I had to go through circumstances like, the rain was pouring hard, it was my first time to travel, a bridge was not passable due to lahar, so we had to take a reroute passing by an old cemetery. Despite of all the things I must go through, I was persistent. I got the job, and the rest is history.

Important lessons in this journey:

Determination – There is no reason to give up on your dreams if you are determined to attain your goals and passion. 

Involve unconditional love – To love the unlovable child is a gift. Special children may not know how to express their gratitude to their teachers. But the opportunity to be a part of their learning is a blessing.

A diversity –Each learner with special need has different learning styles. One of the challenges encountered by a SPED teacher during this time of pandemic is how to train parents in teaching their own child. To resolve the situation, we often meet our students together with their guardians to guide them with their lessons. 

Resilience – Awareness of a situation to maintain in control to resolve a problem. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have enough knowledge in a particular course, if you are resilient, you will find ways to perform and learn at the same time.

Your Commitment – We are dedicated to serving children with special needs. We have the obligation to serve them no matter how slow the child learns, what matters is we continue to teach. No matter how profound the situation of a child, it is our duty as a teacher to search for the hidden talent of each child. If found, nurture it. Even it is as simple as self-help skills. What is important is we teach them to become productive and functional individuals of the society.

Children with special needs are angels in disguise. When we cater to special children, we do not give them a favor, instead, they do. Because when we teach or assist them, they heal our wounds. They help us become patient and loving. 

Be part of the inclusiveness of special learners in the society. Let us address their learning needs by providing them appropriate learning environment and opportunities to help them achieve their full potential.

STRESS-RELIEVERS FOR TEACHERS IN THIS PANDEMIC

By  Maricel C. Alayan

In this troubling pandemic, we might find ourselves to be so stressed with many things—opening the news, hearing sad stories, challenges in and out of the house, etc. It is unsettling to experience the uncertainty of until when this global health concern will last. However, as teachers of vulnerable students, we must be strong enough to be the source of our students’ strength. Therefore, it is vital that we find ways how to cope with these stresses. Part of our vocation is to take care of ourselves and realize our huge impact to our students, whether negative or positive. Here are some ways to cope with stresses:

1. Balance everything. Time management is important in all aspects of life. Staying on the right pathway towards life success is not forgetting to live and have fun while being employed. Life is so short to be just working for success. Find that equilibrium in your life.

2. Find a hobby. Have heard plantitos and plantitas? What a green hobby, right! Search your core and engage in pleasurable and fun-filled activities that lighten up your mood and ease your thinking.

3. Go for a vacation. Find a spot where travel restrictions in this pandemic is not so strict. Being in a new environment with the mindset to enjoy with that thrill of disconnecting to the reality of work and daily life is an amazing rare experience. It is not a seen to indulge once in a while in trips you feel pampered and valued. Remember self-love increases confidence, and confidence often leads to high level of personal satisfaction that eventually results to effective productivity.

4. Have a “barkada” time. Physical distancing is good but not emotionally with the people you need and love. Being in a group of confidantes creates a place to vent that help to lessen the weight of problems. In some instances, especially when you find the right ones, you will be encouraged the more to fight your battles with good spirit.

5. Have a deep sleep. Not getting enough sleep leads to a poor body and mind performance. It does not mean that when you have a complete or long sleep, you are more likely to perform greatly. What you need to learn is to train your mind to find a way to savor sleep and rest restoratively.

6. Learn to meditate. Sometimes our busiest moment is when we think. You should learn to relax your mind. Being able to rest leads to a quieter place where we could decide and feel clearer and better.

7. Pet an animal. Some studies show and it has been proven with many testimonies that being with an animal to pet helps to lessen the anxiety level of an owner. This is not only true to adults but also to the young ones.

8. Schedule an exercise. An everyday and regular moving of the body builds up a positive mind and healthy body. This helps one to be more at the moment of his or her reality.

9. Seek a mentor. They say that experience is the best teacher, and time helps to collect learning from them. Thus, having people to confide with all your worries will surely lessen the risk of failing or committing a mistake. You cannot live a life by just trusting your own voice. To weigh for best decision, there must be a louder voice or an offensive one.

10.  Stay healthy. Always find a way to eat and drink with health consciousness. Be mindful of what you enter in your body because they will surely affect your mind and emotions. Avoid junk foods.

TALATURU KU, PAGMARAGUL KU!

By Maria Bettina S. Dayrit

Inyang malati ku, agad ikutang da kaku

Potang dagul ka, nanu ing buri mu?

At agad isagut ku , mag mestra ku!

Ibat ing inspirasyun kareng pengari ku.

Anyang tinuru na ku, kareng istudyante ikutang ku

Ninu deng bisang mag mestra o mestru

Mapilan la mu deng makibat at magtas gamat

Keng kutang a bakit, salat la keng ipakibat.

Siguru atin la ikit a inspirasyun kareng mestra da

O baka naman talaga nasa da ing maging mestra

At pane naman sasabyan ku karela

Dapat biasa  at masipag ka pag bisa kang maging mestra

Sabi da bokasyun ing pamag mestra

Dakal din naman sasabi na ali ka mikwalta

Ing sweldu mababa at pane magkulang

Pane abonu para kareng estudyante masasalang

Obra da tutung mabayat at mapagal

Pamanurung mamasa at mamilang antimo balamu sugal

Ibie da ing oras at panahun para anak a tuturu mabiasa la

Pag ali na ikwa ing lisyun, karela pa ing sisi at parsala.

 Iyabe pa deng imposibling  ibat kareng mamuntukan

Dakal a pagawa malabug a planu at patakaran

Kababang lub tuki ya ing mestra at kayang gawan

Makauna pa din keng pusu pamanuru kareng kayanakan

 Kanita pa man pati ngeni panahun ning pandemya

Dakal a pamagbayu I sir at mam panigaralan da

Pero dakal man ing pagsubok a haharapan da

Bukal pusu a apabiasa karelang tuturu

Ngeni mesabi ing aldo da deng talaturu

Maswelu na la kareng amanung makatabang pusu

Pag mikt kata keng ordinaryong aldo

Maswelu ku sanang asabi, Talaturu ku, Pagmaragul Ku.

THE ROLE OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

By: Emil S. Macapayag

As a student taking Masters in Public Administration at Don Honorio Ventura State University, I was tasked to report a topic from Article XI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which is about “Accountability of Public Officer”. It is stated in Section 1 that: “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”. The charismatic, visionary and hardworking president of DHVSU, Dr. Enrique G. Baking was our professor then. He advised us to relate our topic to our current job in our respective government agencies. At first I was hesitant to report this topic but upon reading the complete texts of Article XI, I have realized that the topic that was assigned to me is just an easy one and I can definitely relate it to my job responsibilities and duties as an Administrative Officer II in Mabalacat Elementary School.

In a public school, we serve the public by providing services and support not only to our school heads, but to every stakeholder like teachers, parents, learners, and other community partners. It is our responsibility to serve them with courtesy, efficiency and integrity. We should be transparent and accountable in everything we do. Transparency and accountability are critical for the efficient functioning of any organization. They go hand-in-hand and shouldn’t be taken lightly. If a school is transparent, people can be held accountable for their actions. We can demonstrate transparency and accountability by providing information to all stakeholders about the organization’s status and performance.

Public institutions like our schools should be transparent by enabling others to see and understand how we operate in an honest way. We can achieve this by providing information about our activities and governance to stakeholders that is accurate, complete and accessible. One of the ways a school can demonstrate transparency and accountability to stakeholders is by posting documents, reports, and financial records through a transparency board that is located in a conspicuous place. There are different information that can be found in the transparency board such as MOOE Liquidation Reports, Canteen Financial Statement, donations, income generating projects, Teachers’ Club and PTA Reports, etc. This way all stakeholders are fully informed where the school funds and donations are being used and they will know the accountable person or team for each project. Of course, there are certain type of information that may not be provided publicly in compliance with Republic Act 10173 otherwise known as Data Privacy Act of 2012.

Technology also plays a huge role in encouraging transparency in schools. Software applications can be used to compile records, accounts, and other reports. It will reduce risk of losing information due to damage of printed documents. Soft copies of files can be easily saved to Google Drive and accessible from any computer or mobile device with Internet connection. Social media is also popular nowadays and it helps promote transparency through the different posts related to school activities, plans, projects, donations, management of resources and other vital information.

To enhance transparency and enforce accountability, all national government agencies like DepEd are now required to maintain a transparency seal on their official websites in compliance to National Budget Circular No. 542, issued by the Department of Budget and Management on August 29, 2012. The transparency seal shall contain information such as: the agency’s mandates and functions, names of its officials with their position and designation, and contact information, annual reports and plans, approved budgets and targets, major programs/ projects and beneficiaries, etc.

Transparency enables accountability, which means that authorities and public employees can be held responsible for their actions. Without transparency and accountability, trust will be lacking between the school administration and the stakeholders. Adequate transparency and accountability are therefore critical for ensuring that public resources are properly managed for the benefit of the school and learners.

Our School Mantra: "In MES, we build dreams and we serve with passion."

by Jayson Ryan T. De Leon. PhD

Adversity is an impressive teacher. It turns negative circumstances into a worthwhile encounter. With the condition of the world right now, difficulty comes in place in our every day lives and compels more challenging situations for everyone. But people always find ways to adept with the hardship the world momentarily carries. Despite difficulty, we hold on to what we call “dreams” to pursue with life.

The pandemic has become the common adversity nowadays. Especially in schools that have been dealing a lot of challenges even before, they face head-to-head the consequences of the global epidemic. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged teachers with stress and burnout due to varied reasons and the sudden change in ways of teaching to be aligned with the digital age (Robosa, Paras, Perante, Alvez, & Tus, 2021). Emphasis has been put on how teachers were slowly adopting to the aspects of moving towards online learning or e-learning (Ali & Kaur, 2020).

Schools had to innovate learning and teaching so that education continues to be carried on to the learners. On the top of that, matters even before pandemic are also needed to be sorted out. There were wide-ranging concerns that are necessary to be addressed. It must have been really difficult – imagine dealing with all these adversities at the same time.

Nevertheless, schools keep on with their mission and vision. Teachers do their best to cope up with changes. They make sure to have the right communication and give their full understanding regards the situation. Even though they struggle, they uphold to their values and beliefs for the right of children to education. Schools work together with other stakeholders to achieve continuous learning.

Like here in Mabalacat Elementary School (MES), even in this time of crisis, we are emboldened with “Education must continue.” We are prompt to turn these negative circumstances into a worthwhile encounter. Adversity is challenging, but this does not stop MES to give quality education and excellence even with the pandemic. Just like other people, we find ways to adept with the hardship the world momentarily carries.

Despite difficulty, we hold on to what we call “dreams” to pursue with our mission and vision. Our dream is to build dream and serve with passion. This drives us to ensure that our learners do not stop on dreaming regardless of the situation. MES aims to inspire them to look at the brighter side and continue to dream. We believe that, with dreams, they, too, can overcome all adversities in their lives.

Building learners’ dreams to put them into reality is what MES live for. Together with our passionate teachers, learners will never go wrong with their future. We give our all-out effort and commitment to setup up a strong foundation in reaching out for their dreams. We are not entitled with being one of the oldest public and premiere schools of the Division of Mabalacat City if we haven’t proved a lot. MES was able to established good relationship among stakeholders, to the various developments and awards received.

And all of these achievements are aligned with our dream to build dreams and serve with passion. This has been and will continue to be possible because of the humble acts of our teachers. All accomplishments began from them who serve with all their heart, mind, and soul. Imparting cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills to the learners never stop. Our teachers never fail to inspire learners of their selfless devotion to work with exemplary performance.

True enough, learners in Mabalacat Elementary School are and will be Filipinos who are developed holistically and ready to face the challenges of the world with confidence and integrity. Putting learners’ dreams into reality will give a big impact to everyone. This will drive all of us to open doors of opportunities in our lives.

That being said so, this is the legacy of Mabalacat Elementary School which will continue forever. Remember, at MES, we build dreams and serve with passion. This is our reason why we are here in this world. We dream to make our learners’ dreams come true – a dream within a dream.