Week 6

My week is full of new experiences and happenings. Experiences make you realize all of what you have done in that day or week. Also, happenings make you know that experiences and happenings can't be brought back again but will forever be treasured and remembered. As my sixth week was, it was full of unexpected events and experiences. Being a student teacher is the hardest part, but it's a nice feeling for each person because you can do things like other teachers do and help them. You can experience how they work hard for all the students. A teacher isn't a teacher but a hero for all students. They prepare students' printed materials before next week's distribution. Teaching is not only their job; they have multiple meetings to attend for their upcoming activities.

During week 6, our deployment day, our supervisor formally sent us to VFES school to meet their principal. Our research group remained in VFES because of our action research that will be conducted. After our supervisor sent us to the school, the principal had a short meeting with us about the schedule for our second cycle and the things needed to prepare for our demonstration. She gave us a room for all interns. If we don't have class, we will go to the room or our office for the interns. We cleaned the room, fixed everything, and arranged it as our office. On the first day of week 6, I prepared my 3 lesson plans and 3 PowerPoint presentations for my demonstration in the week. My cooperating teacher is still the same. She is an approachable as well as an understanding teacher. She won't pressure you into anything. My first day was a little bit tiring but full of experiences. I know how I managed my time wisely to be able to submit my 3 lesson plans on that day and prepare a PowerPoint presentation. On my second day, I had my demo teaching online grades 4 and 5. I'm not new to them since they already knew me. They are curious because out of 13 interns, only I saw in the zoom. My cooperating teacher explained it to them, and they understood. As I started my demo teaching, I could see that they were bored because of the subject of Filipino. Not all of them like the subject because VFES students are more focused on English. Even though they get bored with that subject, they still participate in my class and can answer my questions. Like in grade 5, five students chose online classes, but I only had three students in the middle of the class. Every time I ask a question, no one will raise their hand. So what I did was every time I asked the questions and asked some examples from our topic, I called their attention, and eventually, they were able to answer and even participate with me. As my cooperating teacher said, grade 5 is the most behaved in Filipino subjects. They won't participate, and they won't raise their hands, but they will still listen to you and be able to answer the question every time you call their attention. On my 3rd day of week 6, I had my demo teaching face-to-face with my grade 6 students. It's my first time teaching face-to-face with my students and seeing them personally. When I had their demo teaching, they had fun in my class because of what I introduced to them, so they were lively in my class because they were too serious. Before starting our class, we had an energizer, and I also introduced them to a clap. They had so much fun in my energizer, they participated and even danced well, and when I introduced them to the clap, they also participated to ensure our class would be lively and fun. Some grade 6 students had difficulty understanding Filipino subjects. I couldn't have expected it when I started my discussion. They could participate in it by expressing their ideas about the topic without translating them into English. After my discussion, I conducted a review to see if they grasped the lesson. Unfortunately, they were expressive in giving examples and explaining them. And I'm happy with the result of their assessment because all of them got perfect scores. In the class of the grade 6 students, we had a pre-test on our action research. They had their silent reading and answered some questions. We find out that they are having difficulty understanding Filipino words. They kept on asking us to translate the English words into Filipino. Some of their answers only have one sentence. They can't even express it. Some of their answers are in Filipino, but some words are in English. On my fourth day, I had an online class with my grade 6 students chose online class, but my students in the online class were the students who attended my face-to-face class. I only focused on teaching those students who chose online classes, but saddeningly, in the middle of the class, some were out of the zoom because of the internet connection. And we also have a meeting together with our cooperating teachers and the principal for the upcoming VFES anniversary. On my fifth day, I Had a 7:00 am class with the advisory of my cooperating teacher, which is the grade 4 students. They are so adorable and, at the same time, very participative students. I already discussed my topic during my online class. I am so glad that they're able to remember what I have discussed with them. They explain very well and can give more examples. I am so happy with the result of their assessment. Some of them got perfect scores, and some of them made one or two mistakes. I also had a sweet student in grade 4. He gave me a snack during their snack time. He was so sweet, and he even asked me some questions. On the same day, in the afternoon, the grade 4 and 5 students had their confessions for their upcoming first communion, so we, the interns, assisted and guided the teachers and students. Some interns were assigned to the prayer room, waiting room, and confession room.After their confession, we went to the office and prepared the students' printed materials. I put their prints in their envelopes simultaneously, cutting their names and sealing them for the upcoming 4th quarter exam.

In week 6, I realized that there is a really big difference between handling online classes and face-to-face classes. You can’t see your students, what they are doing if they are listening to you or not. It’s really hard to handle online classes. I prefer face-to-face classes because you can see them and assist them if they are having difficulty understanding some words. You can even play games to ensure your class is lively and your students won’t get bored. As their teacher, I am happy to see my students ask questions for clarification while at the same time being able to participate in the class. As a teacher, it is important to have a lively class, especially when handling Filipino subjects, so they can learn in a fun way and still remember even if you are having games. It is important to look at students and help students who are having difficulty.