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Division Letter No. 008, s. 2021

Subject: NATIONWIDE VIRTUAL SKILLING ON WORK-READINESS FOR JHS AND SHS STUDENTS AND INVITATION FOR DEPED TEACHING AND NON-TEACHING PERSONNEL TO ASENSO PILIPINAS 2021

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD DIVISION LETTER NO. 008, S. 2021

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LALICE JOY J. ARQUINTILLO

Head Teacher III, Filipino

Jalandoni Memorial National High School

They say time, money and energy cannot be enjoyed by an individual at the same time. A young person can have both energy and time but not money. A young adult can have both energy and money but not time. An elderly person can have both time and money but not energy.

With the passage of House Bill Number 5509 on its third and final reading in the House Representatives, the lowering of the Optional Retirement Age from 60 to 56 of government workers is timely especially for teachers. Here are the top reasons why this bill should approve by the House of Senate as well.

Teachers’ effectiveness. Teacher effectiveness is dependent on various factors. Their attitude, skills, and knowledge greatly affect the performance of teachers in implementing the target goals of the K to 12 Curriculum. A teacher (as well other professions) must be a believer that learning should not stop after from graduation from Baccalaureate degree in education. There are instances when a teacher who has reached his or her twilight years often say when given a task, “Ihatag na lang na sa mga bataon kay manug retire naman ako. Iban naman ang maubra.” (“Give the task to the younger teachers. I am nearing my retirement age. Others should be given that responsibility.”) One of these factors that might have prompted those whose age are in retirement age is that their skills and knowledge might no longer be up-to-date or they are already lacking the skills required by the present curriculum.

One of the skills being honed by the K to 12 curriculum is to produce technologically literate learners. A teacher near his or her retirement age might not be skilled in the digital aspects. Thus, difficult for an old dog to learn new tricks. It is possible that despite the requirements needed by teachers in this digital era, teachers no longer have the drive to learn new skills.

Teacher’s enjoyment. Teachers belong to the most challenged professions of all times. They no longer are constrained as implementers of the Curriculum, they have to implement programs of DepEd in addition to their basic task of teaching. They serve their clienteles and often go beyond their official times without compensation. Thus, they need to enjoy while have the energy.

Teachers’ monetary benefits. Despite of the DepEd having the chunk of the budget, it is true that it is not enough to finance all the needs of the school. With needs required by the school, teacher often have to dig into their pocket to sustain the needs of the classroom as well as the needs of the learners. With the early retirement, teachers can use their money solely for their personal needs instead of using these to subsidize the needs of the classroom.

Teaching is a great and noble profession that is done out of pure service and not merely monetary rewards. With these points, it is a pressing issue that the retirement age be lowered from 60-56. With their early retirement, teacher can still have time, money, and energy.

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Comparing the Mathematics Learners of Then and Now

by Geraldin Lope Taroballes

I was born as a Millennial with Baby Boomers who served as my teachers. Now, I am a Millennial who serve as teacher for the Generation Z. As I almost reach fifteen years of my experience as a Mathematics teacher in a public high school in Iloilo City, I sometimes ponder on the difficulties I meet as a teacher in Mathematics.

There are instances when I feel exasperated when I face mathematically challenged learners. There are instances when I expect my learners to have mastered specific competencies yet I get concerned with their lacking Mathematics fundamentals such as the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

With these observations, I tend to compare and contrast the Mathematics learners of then and now. Here are some points that I have observed when it comes to my learners.

1. Technology. The Mathematics learners of now were born with a cellphone in their hand while the Mathematics learners of then have just experienced technology while growing up. The former are digital natives while the latter are digital immigrants. In the advent of the world wide web and social media, it is a challenge for teachers to compete and maintain a high level of interest when learners are distracted with technology. This might be considered a challenge for teachers. However, learners are so in tuned with YouTube that some seek their answers by watching problem solving videos. Technology can both be a pain or gain depending on the situation.

The learners of then were mostly independent of technology. Students can only use calculators during Stoichiometry in Chemistry or Kinematics in Physics or Trigonometry in Mathematics. Compared with the trend today, learners can literally use different softwares when it comes to solving Mathematics problems.

However, as I have observed, I sometimes wonder why some of my learners cannot seem to grasp the basics of Mathematics that they should have learned while in elementary.

2. The Mathematics learners of then were disciplined compared to the Mathematics learners of now. I remember when my Mathematics teacher in elementary used to just look and signal my rowdy classmates to settle down and keep quiet. These days, it takes a huge amount of currency called patience to be withdrawn from the bank of ethics. There are days when I had been tempted to lash my learners but am glad that I always keep my temper in check as temporal punishment is no longer allowed in this present generation. Sometimes, I wonder if the misbehavior of students is a direct consequence of faulty laws that sometimes could be labeled as not-so-teacher friendly.

There are still many points that make the Mathematics learners of then different from the Mathematics learners of now. Despite all the challenges that I face, I always remember that the goal of education is to make a change in the lives of the learners. Whether a learner is a Millennial or a Generation Z, it is hoped that their lives will be changed as I share with them the beauty and significance of Mathematics.

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by LEILA G. VALENCIA

“You are the salt of the earth” God declared it in Matthews 5:15.

Yes, I believe that we have encountered this line already as we read the bible everyday. But the question is, are we taking this seriously and meditating this line in its deepest meaning?

If we look for the meaning of salt in the dictionary, it means to preserve and flavor the food and enrich its taste. But if we look at the bible, salt expresses the thought that Christians are to be a preserving and savoring element for the Lord on earth, enriching the lives of others is our role and God’s ultimate purpose why He gave us potentials and skills.

This is to help those who are weak needy sick and lost not only on the physical aspect but in all areas of their lives.

It may be spiritually, emotionally and in intellectually. We must tickle their interest in searching and seeking God and to be hunger and thirsty of His word. We must also be a channel of blessings in fulfilling their dreams.

We must guide and direct them into the right path. And enjoy God’s gift of salvation (by God’s grace and unmerited favor for those who will receive and believe in it), and consider Christ as their personal savior and walk with intimacy with Him.

In short, Christians are designed to be a SALT.

S – sensitive to the needs of others

A – alert in rescuing the lost

L – light of those who are in the dark

T – tactful in giving spiritual advices.