Teachers are Frontliners too!

This COVID-19 pandemic, the sacrifices, and efforts of our nation's new heroes - our health care professionals and frontline workers - have finally been realized and appreciated by so many people. As such, it is also about time to salute our teachers who are in the frontline of education.

COVID-19 pandemic has added to the hoops teachers need to go through to serve education to every Filipino youth. Even before the pandemic, teachers already go through long and tedious work such as lesson planning, the crafting of instructional materials, teacher-student interaction, parent-teacher conference, meetings and seminars, and workload in and out of the classroom. Undeniably, this era could be the most challenging times, if not daunting, Filipino teachers have ever faced in recent memory of Philippine education history.

There were so many questions raised during the first wave of the pandemic as to how classes will be facilitated in the Philippines while the country is still in lockdown. Many suggestions were put on the table such as face-to-face learning, online learning, modular learning, and others. In the end, the education sector decided to implement blended learning.

And just like heroes called to save the day, teachers immediately responded to the call. If before, teachers were being called to change their teaching strategies or methods, or improve the curriculum, or devise new evaluations, teachers today are now being called to do drastic changes as they move to the new mode of learning.

Teachers signed themselves up for numerous seminars, conferences, and training to ensure that they will be able to serve the best interests of their students once the classes resume. Aside from equipping themselves with new pedagogy and teaching strategies, they also tried learning new skills such as broadcasting, module writing, layout, photo editing, and other necessary skills to make every learning session interactive and fun.

To add to the long list of teachers' to-do list, there have been changes as well on how they spend their money for their preparations. Before they spend their money to buy papers, pens, and such, but today, teachers spend their money on a new laptop, printer, load, and internet fees. They are so willing to spend the last drop of their pockets just to make education valuable.

When classes finally started, the traditional classroom, which was noisy and full of students, turned into silent Zoom meetings. Although there was little time for planning, teachers braved each wave of challenges and raced their way to the successful learning experience.

Indeed, despite the changes in the setup of education, the passion and determination of our teachers will never change. The duty to serve the Filipino youth and change their lives will always be embedded in the hearts of every Filipino teacher.

Despite the struggles, teachers continue to adapt to make every session worthwhile. Schools may be closing but never the heart of a teacher who continuously strives to build the pathway towards development, meaningful change, and a brighter future.

--oOo-The author is Head Teacher III at Malino National High School