MY D.E.A.R EVERY FRIDAY

JENALYN G. GUINTO

Project DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) is a time regularly set aside to encourage students to love reading. This program is implemented by the DepEd every Friday to hone the reading skills of our learners. Dear time is a way to bridge the gap with learners in the frustration level until they will be in the independent level. this move can be a tool to refocus the learners the love for reading. In reading, it allows the learners to learn new things to help succeed in their future endeavors. An emphasis on reading helps develop a higher level of focus with competencies, especially in the language subjects. Studies proved that reading could have various benefits such as strengthening brain activity, improving communication skills, helps to explore with the unknown, makes one intellectually sound, enhances creativity and decreases level of stress. They say that you are what you read. It is but high time to redirect the focus of our learners. Seeing them engrossed with gadgets, hooked with social media, and addicted with on-line games make learning difficult and harder to the teachers. Yes, they are in the era of technology, but we can see them that their life becomes less meaningful. They tend to forget how to socialize, they refrain from meaningful conversations and ignore valuable things. as we adhere to the call of project "dear”, let us usher our learners to go back to the simplicity of life while taking advantage of what technology offers them. Technology can be a tool for improving one's learning, but it can also be a way to become a less caring individual. Let us make our learners get excited with the dear every Friday.

-oOoThe author is Teacher II at Sindalan National High School.