EFFECTIVE HABITS OF A GOOD TEACHER

ANDREA ROSE R. MANARANG

Teaching is meant to be a very enjoyable and rewarding career field You should only become a teacher if you love children and intend on caring for them with your heart. You cannot expect the students to have fun if you are not having fun with them! If you only read the instructions out of a textbook, it’s ineffective. Instead, make your lessons come alive by making it as interactive and engaging as possible. Let your passion for teaching shine through each and everyday. Enjoy every teaching moment to the fullest.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: There is a saying, “With great power, comes great responsibility”. As a teacher, you need to be aware and remember the great responsibility that comes with your profession. One of your goals ought to be: Make a difference in their lives. How? Make them feel special, safe and secure when they are in your classroom. Be the positive influence in their lives. Why? You never know what your students went through before entering your classroom on a particular day or what conditions they are going home to after your class. So, just in case they are not getting enough support from home, at least you will make a difference and provide that to them.

SPREAD POSITIVITY: Bring positive energy into the classroom every single day. You have a beautiful smile so don’t forget to flash it as much as possible throughout the day. I know that you face battles of your own in your personal life but once you enter that classroom, you should leave all of it behind before you step foot in the door. Your students deserve more than for you to take your frustration out on them. No matter how you are feeling, how much sleep you’ve gotten or how frustrated you are, never let that show. Even if you are having a bad day, learn to put on a mask in front of the students and let them think of you as a superhero (it will make your day too)! Be someone who is always positive, happy and smiling. Always remember that positive energy is contagious and it is up to you to spread it. Don’t let other people’s negativity bring you down with them. STAYS ORGANIZED Never fall behind on the marking or filing of students’work. Try your best to be on top of it and not let the pile grow past your head! It will save you a lot of time in the long run. It is also important to keep an organized planner and plan ahead! The likelihood of last minute lesson plans being effective are slim. Lastly, keep a journal handy and jot down your ideas as soon as .

BE OPEN-MINDED: As a teacher, there are going to be times where you will be observed formally or informally (that’s also why you should give 100% at all times). You are constantly being evaluated and criticized by your boss, teachers, parents and even children. Instead of feeling bitter when somebody has something to say about your teaching, be open-minded when receiving constructive criticism and form a plan of action. Prove that you are the effective teacher that you want to be. Nobody is perfect and there is always room for improvement. Sometimes, others see what you fail to see.

HAS STANDARD: Create standards for your students and for yourself. From the beginning, make sure that they know what is acceptable versus what isn’t. For example, remind the students how you would like work to be completed. Are you the teacher who wants your students to try their best and hand in their best and neatest work? Or are you the teacher who couldn’t care less? Now remember, you can only expect a lot if you give a lot. As the saying goes, “Practice what you preach”.

EMBRACE CHANGE: In life, things don’t always go according to plan. This is particularly true when it comes to teaching. Be flexible and go with the flow when change occurs. An effective teacher does not complain about changes when a new principal arrives. They do not feel the need to mention how good they had it at their last school or with their last group of students compared to their current circumstances. Instead of stressing about change, embrace it with both hands and show that you are capable of hitting every curve ball that comes your way!

CREATE REFLECTIONS: An effective teacher reflects on their teaching to evolve as a teacher. Think about what went well and what you would do differently next time. You need to remember that we all have “failed” lessons from time to time. Instead of looking at it as a failure, think about it as a lesson and learn from it. As teachers, your education and learning is ongoing. There is always more to learn and know about in order to strengthen your teaching skills. Keep reflecting on your work and educating yourself on what you find are your “weaknesses” as we all have them! The most important part is recognizing them and being able to work on them to improve your teaching skills. — oOo—

The author is Teacher III at Sto. Rosario Elementary School, Division of Angeles City

MARICEL Y. SANGALANG

A recent study by the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR), a research, training, and advocacy center for women, has estimated that more than 39% of earnings of a lowincome family will be consumed by the costs of a child entering senior high school in private schools because of the K to 12 program.

This will affect expenses that low income family will shell out even if their child will be qualified to receive a voucher subsidy.

About 800,000 to one million students could not be accommodated in public senior high schools, based on the Department of Education’s (DepEd) estimate. It assured the parents, however, that a voucher subsidy would be alloted to those who would opt to go to private senior high schools.

The maximum amount of voucher for student coming from public schools is P22,500. However, DepEd also clarified that if the total school fees exceeded the voucher amount, the parents would shoulder the balance. Clearly, parents from the low-income families could hardly pay for it.

To illustrate: the minimum tuition fee of a private high school could amount to P35,000. The P12,500-difference would expectedly be shouldered by the parents. So, in a family earning a daily income of P292, the amount estimated by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as minimum income to stay out of poverty, a family of five should save at least P123 per day or 39% of their daily income for the child’s expenses in senior high school.

Filipino families put much credence in education as a way to improve their economic status. Parents try their best to send their children to school. However, with the cost of education, more parents could hardly keep up with the expenses and more children would be forced to stop studying.

This translates to more young women missing the chance of education since they comprise a bigger chunk of enrolees, with an average of 48% in elementary schools (2011-2016). Based on the 2013 National Democratic Health Survey (NDHS), more women get formal education, slightly higher than men with a median of eight years in school compared to seven years for men.

Parents and educators should then work together to ensure the sustainable development goal of quality education for all.

— oOo—

The author is Teacher II at San Miguel Elementary School, Lubao North District