Work from Home Public Schools Teachers

Richell M. Tambis

Public school teachers in the Philippines are set to adapt to the “new normal” style of teaching this June - distance learning, as a way to avoid the further spread of the novel Coronavirus or COVID-19.

For the first time, teachers will be working from home - a teaching style that is uncommon among public schools in the country. However, though unconventional, many teachers are looking forward to this working style. Work from home, or teach from home, has its advantages to public school teachers.

We all know the immense workload of public school teachers from lesson planning to conducting actual lessons to evaluating students learning progress, more often than not, takes toll on the physical and mental well-being of teachers. However, with this new teach-from-home method, the effects of such workload could be eased.

With the teach-from-home method, teachers would not need to be physically present in the classroom, thus, there is no need for him or her to commute. We all know that commuting in the Philippines is not very convenient especially during summer, mostly so, during the rainy season. Commuting oftentimes could be physically exhausting to teachers. By the time they reach their schools, their energy reserved for teaching have been reduced. But with telecommuting, or working from home, teachers could save all their physical energy to teaching.

Although this new method could be challenging for some teachers since they have to familiarise themselves to using electronic devices and the internet to conduct lessons, it is worth learning. In the future, more and more lessons will be conducted online given the uncertainty of health conditions around the country and the world.

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The author is Teacher II at Dela Paz Norte Elementary School