REFLECTION ON DEPED VISION, MISSION, AND CORE VALUES

JOMAR DIZON DELA CRUZ

The DepEd Vision’s first part means that the institution dreams of producing students who have love for their country and skilled enough to contribute to their country’s progress. As teachers, we dream of students who are competent and prepared enough to face everyday life. We, teachers, dream to have students who are holistically developed and ready for life. Our vision or dream as teachers is much related to the DepEd vision in a way that the institution (DepEd) and the teachers have the same goal in mind – that is to produce students who are skilled with right values and competencies that they can use as they go on with their day-to-day lives.

It is emphasized on the second part of DepEd vision the concepts “learnercentered” and “continuously improving”. Teaching must be learner-centered. That is, learning must be done by the students and teachers must only facilitate the learning. It requires active engagement or participation of the learners while doing or delivering the lesson. Teaching and learning process must not only a one-man show. It is not only the teacher who will do the talking or sharing, there must be also students’involvement.

It is essential in every institution, particularly in school to have a mission as guide. The DepEd Mission sees to it that every learner must have access to quality, equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education. It is also discussed in its mission the ideal setup for quality education. The environment from where the learning happens must be conducive, child-friendly, gender-sensitive and safe for the learners. The teachers should facilitate learning and constantly nurture every learner. Even administrators, staff and nonteaching personnel must see to it that the school is very enabling and supportive for effective learning. The teaching and learning process must not only be confined between the teachers and the students. Active engagement of the family (parents), community (barangay officials), and other stakeholders is necessary to develop life-long learners.

Aside from the DepEd Vision and Mission, the Core Values are also essential. They serve as guide in doing the teaching and learning process. We should manifest or practice the four core values in any simple ways that we can do. The Core Values teach us to have love for God (Maka-Diyos), love for fellow men or others (Makatao), love for nature (Maka-kalikasan), and love for the country (Makabansa). Every program or co-curricular and extra-curricular activities done in school must be guided by the said values. Through such values we can put our vision and mission into a reality.

Make each day a meaningful one. Inspire our students and imbibe to them the necessary values and competencies they need to involve themselves to what we call “life”. For our students we may just be “teachers”. For us teachers we consider our work as a passion, which is putting love and our life to whatever we are doing. And the saying goes that if you love what you are working or doing, as if you are not really capable of getting tired. Start loving what we are doing. Start to love teaching!

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The author is Teacher I at Malino National High School