Teachers are integral part of every learner’s academic development and overall individual growth. Our teachers become our second mothers or fathers, our guides, our mentors, our friends and our role-models. They dedicate their time and energy in ensuring every learner receives the care and education each student deserve. They challenge us, encourage us and inspire us to become a better version of ourselves and for that, we thank all the teachers in the world and recognise they’re doing, especially at this of crisis.
In 2020, World Teachers’ Day will celebrate teachers with the theme “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”. The day provides the occasion to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, take stock of achievements, and draw attention to the voices of teachers, who are at the heart of efforts to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind.
GFF HELPS PH WEBINAR: ‘TRANSITIONING TO A NEW NORMAL IN EDUCATION AMIDST LIMITED RESOURCES: THIRD WORLD SETTING’
The GFF HELPS Philippines facilitated a 3-hour webinar on Education with Mr. Christian Gopez as the Resource Speaker to more than 30 School Principals and ICT Coordinators from the Department of Education, District of Banga on July 24th, 2020 at 9 o’clock in the morning in Banga, Aklan, Philippines.
To address the COVID-19 home quarantine protocols, the mode of education has been changed. Schools were scheduled to open on August 24th and challenges are up as we come closer to that date. School administrators, teachers and stakeholders are getting ready for the big transition in education, from the basic face-to-face teaching-learning process to blended learning: modular, radio/TV broadcasting and online learning resources, with the parents assisting their children at homes and with the teachers facilitating from the beginning until the end of school year. This is a great challenge to schools especially to the provinces like Aklan and having the webinar about all of these brought understanding and ideas to the participants.
The School Principals and the ICT Coordinators who had attended the GFF Webinar were grateful to be part of it since there were the ones most suitable with this kind of webinar. As Mrs. Herline Teodosio asked
”How about the future situation of the kindergarten and the first grade learners if they would be taught at home by their parents [with the aid of the Department of Education’s resources] and if that would be successful since teaching these kinds of learners need to have face-to-face and hands-on approaches by the teachers?”.
Mrs. Teodosio, a leader principal in elementary level and a school principal at the same time, leads 55 teachers in Banga Elementary School with approximately 1,000 students so it was really a great challenge for her and her teachers to face this new normal in education especially because some of her leaners’ resources needed for this kind of adaptation is still a problem. The questions were quickly answered by our knowledgeable speaker, then more and more questions and ideas amongst the speaker and the participants came in.
The GFF HELPS Philippines also conducted a free webinar about teaching online to speakers of other languages. This webinar on Online Teaching aim to help Education Graduates and Licensed Teachers to get a great job amid pandemic and to experience the joy of teaching other nationalities — with different background and culture.
As known to all, teachers who pour their hearts to teaching can easily adapt to every change and surpass every challenge wherever and whenever they are. The GFF HELPS Philippines appreciates the teachers’ selfless love to their students and we are here to honour you, our dear teachers, whether you are teaching other nationalities online or serving your own country.
by Lady Peace R. Remaneses, Philippines Local Representative
