Fruits of Remedial

As teachers it is our responsibility to teach our pupils to read, to write, to count and even to solve
mathematical problems. During the first and second years of a pupil in elementary, we need to mold
them in order to become a better learner who can be able to cope with different circumstances in their
journey of learning different things. This will serve as their formation in education.

For almost a decade in the field of teaching I encountered different circumstances and even
hindrances in obtaining a better and effective teaching-learning process. There are times that my pupils
reached their fifth grade without even knowing how to read. I do believe that teacher is a great factor in
the pupils blank mind. Through the effort, perseverance and appropriate strategy used, the pupils can
understand no matter how difficult the lesson being presented is.

As a grade five teacher, I don’t want to let my pupils pass their grade level without learning how to
read sentences, phrases and even words. It is more difficult for the learners to cope up with the lesson
because most of it is related to reading. It happens that when it comes to reading, they just wink their
eyes because they don’t know how to read, so they will be behind in their classmates.

In order for me to teach my non-reader learners I am spending more time for remediation I am
introducing to them the sounds of each letter one by one just like what the grade one, grade two and
kindergarten teachers are doing. Once they already know the sound of each letter, it is very easy for them
to read syllables whether I use marungko approach or piano method in reading.

I also have my mini reading corner in my own classroom. On this corner, I am putting different kinds
of reading materials which they can browse during vacant times. Printed visual materials, own made big
books, stories and first steps in reading can be found in this corner because they can sit and lay down
here.

There are many ways of teaching them how to read. I believe that if I will not be the one who will
encourage them to bear in their hearts the love of reading, no one will do it for them. This will be the
thing that I can do for them because studying without the knowledge in reading will be futile.
 How To Be An Ideal Teacher?

It is always said that teaching is the noblest profession. In teaching, we can do different things. We can
be the most beautiful creature in front of our learners. We can be the role models in dressing, in words
and in action. Words and actions that can greatly affect one’s innocent life. We can be actresses in
teaching, learning scenes, appraised from head to foot by our beloved learners. We can be imitated by
our students.

As teachers, we accepted the most technical, difficult and challenging profession. We are the most
important figure in the classroom, a stimula who motivates and responds to the call for effective teaching.

Aside from actual teaching, we also perform different tasks such as painting the room during brigade
eskwela, planting the vegetable garden for National Greening Program, collecting the baby book and
health records for immunization, going to market for School- Based Feeding Program and others.

We can compare teachers as the salt of the earth. Teachers give taste to other people. Because of
teachers, as always said, other professions has the possibility to occur. But we should always bear in our
minds that once we enter this profession, we should dedicate our minds, our talents, determination,
perseverance, and effort in teaching because hundreds and thousands of young learners depend on us.
To be an effective teacher is to look out not only for our own likes and interests but also for the interest
of other people especially our learners because they are the center of the teaching and learning process.

The question is even you perform all this actions of a teachers how to be an ideal teacher?. To
be an ideal, each should submit to the achievement and performance. The ideal teacher should be first
have good appearance, she should be neat in habits, clothes and speech.

The ideal teacher should have a positive outlook in life. She should be mentally alert, cheerful and
enthusiastic. The teacher should know how to deal with parents and stakeholders, even with peers in the
faculty in order to have a harmonious relationship.

The ideal teacher should be resourceful. She should know how to use the materials in a good way.
The ideal teacher has the ability in discipline. As teachers, we play the role as second parents of the pupils
in school. We should know how to discipline our learners in a kind and friendly way. We should apply
disciplinary principles in dealing with children.

The ideal teacher should have emotional stability and mental maturity. We should be free from
temper, tantrums, daydreams and excessive shyness. This is the reason why there is a neuro test before
being hired in the service. Emotional stability and mental maturity is the most important factor in
teaching. We are dealing with pupils so it is very important that we are emotionally stable because in
classroom, we can meet different circumstances that might easily irritate us.

With these characteristics of a good teacher, we will be guided on how to handle our young learners
and to bring them the knowledge they need to kno
 Supervising Instruction: A Help or a Stress

When we hear the word “ classroom observation” whether we accept it or not, the first
feeling is “we feel nervous”. A feeling brought by different things that enter in our minds. A feeling thought
that we might be get wrong, that we might not deliver the lesson well, that we might not achieve the
objectives of the lesson, that the pupils might not cooperate with us during the lesson, that we might have
a low mastery level, or we might not defend our answer to the question during the post conference.

Those feelings should be ended because whether we accept it or not, our school heads,
supervisors, and master teachers were obliged to observe T1,-T3 and MT1-MT3. In reality we need to
comply to the order of Department of Education because it is part of RPMS.

Classroom observations in different schools are now going on. Teachers are preparing their
best strategy and approaches during observation. They are doing their best to achieve the highest rating
out of four observations. When there is no classroom monitoring, they will go back their daily routine.
Resourceful and dedicated teachers will continue their habits. On the other hand, the easy- go- lucky
teacher also do the same. In this point, is supervising instruction is a help to every teacher? Or a stress in
everyone’s part.

It is an advantage that the result of classroom observation would entirely help the teachers.
The comments and suggestions can enhance their weaknesses.The negative comment during the post
conference will be the key for them to improve it next time and the positive comments should be a
treasure to be continued in every lesson.

On the other hand, Supervising Instruction brings also negative impact to the teachers. Some
teachers with or without the observer have different teaching strategies. When there are observer, of
coarse, she will do her best to impress the School Heads and Master Teachers. And to achieve the highest
rating, she would use the best and most appropriate approach even the materials in delivering the lesson.
When the time come that the observers left the observation classroom, she would continue her daily
routine. If she is really doing it everyday, in every lesson, it is good. But if not definitely it would be futile.

In part of Teacher-in-Charge’s and Master Teachers 1-3, it will be easy for them. We should
always remember that unlike Head Teachers and Principals, they still have their teaching loads because
of observing several teachers, they have to leave their own classes just to comply to the observation.

So this Supervising Instruction brought positive and negative impact to the sides both of the
observers and teachers. Positive in the way of enhancement of teaching capabilities and negative in the
stress and pressure felt during observation.
 SBTF: Nurtures the Mind, Nourishes the Body

Health is a big factor that would affect the performance of learners because of poverty,
malnutrition occurs. There are times, especially in far-flung and remote areas, that children go to school
without food eaten in breakfast and still no food for recess. The mind and body requires nutrients in order
for them to function well. In this case, the pupil will have no energy to participate in the classroom. There
were times, especially in my own case that the pupil keep on yawning and sleeping during the discussion
because of hunger.

The School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) was launched to answer the malnutrition
problems among the school children in the different public schools nationwide. This would suffice the
insufficiency of food in their respective homes.

Every beginning of the school year, teachers of every grade are obliged to assess the
nutritional status of the pupils. This result will serve as the basis in choosing the recepients of the SBFP
for the school year.

It is basically important that the government mandated this program because it nourishes
the body and nurtures the minds of the children. There will be no doubt for them that they would still feel
hunger during school days.

However, this program won’t be successful without the full cooperation of the parents
because the Teacher- Coordinator have no time to cook and prepare the menu in the daily program. The
parents of the recepients were assigned to cook it. They were divided into groups, and everyday the
assigned group is tasked to cook.This lasts for three hours daily.

So the feeding program becomes successful because of the collaborative effort of the
teachers, school heads and parents or guardians of the recepients. They always bear in their mind that
proper nutrition must be given to these children in order for them to develop physically and mentally
healthy.
 YES-O: Its Contribution to Environment

Nowadays, our environment is surrounded by threat and other factor that brings harm. It is
always said that environment can survive without people, but people can’t survive without environment.
Because of modern technology brought of modernization, and own wrongdoing of mankind, it appears
that people forget that we can’t live without environment.

The state of the environment nowadays needs collaborative action by all individuals, institution
and organizations. Environmental concern must pervade all aspect of life and society. This alarming state
of environment should be known by every individual especially the young ones in order to save it.

In view thereof, the Department of Education (DepEd) in partnership with the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), established the youth for environment in School’s
Organization (YES-O) under the DepEd order number 72 series of 2003, It is an school organization which
is the only recognized co-curricular environmental club or organizations in the schools.

Three years ago, the YES-O was abolished. Encampment and activities were temporarily stopped.
Luckily, this school year 2018-2019, this was continued. YES-O aims to create awareness about the
environmental condition of the country among Filipino students, establish double and specific projects
for environment wellness as well as promote environment advocacies among our schools.

In some districts, YES_O encampment was triumphantly done. The camp focused on how each
individual , school and community can contribute in innovative way on climate adaptation which aimed
to develop pupil’s active participation and determine concrete action in the protection, preservation and
rehabilitation to the environment, and inculcate among pupils the critical role of environmental
protection in mitigating and coping with the effect of climate change.

During the encampment, which was like a three-day BSP/GSP encampment, activities were all
related to environmental issues like 3D College making wherein the contestants used recyclable materials,
YES-O photography, wherein the participants needed to capture the beauty of nature and make a caption
on it, TagSayaWit with the lyrics about caring for the environment, and the highlight was pageant wherein
the contestant wore costume made of recyclable materials. There were also actual question and answer
portion among the contestants regarding environmental concerns.

In this instance, the pupils in their very young age and mind become more aware about the
environment and through the lectures heard, they would be able to apply it in their daily lives. With this
action of DepEd, YES-O gives contribution to environment. Because of this and the activities during the
encampment, pupils will be aware about the real situation of the surrounding this time. They will be able
to know the do’s and dont’s actions regarding environment.
 Why Love Reading?

When a child loves reading, she will experience like how to travel around the world. Reading
is one of the most important activities that every learner should choose to be her hobby.

It is sad to say that reading nowadays is also one of the problems encountered by teachers.
There are many pupils who reach their intermediate level without knowing how to comprehend, even
read.

When a child loves to reading, everything would be possible for her. She might be able to
get ideas and information even moral lesson from the piece read. She might be able to know different
test she doesn’t know or experience before.

It is very important that the teacher lead them to the importance of reading. In primary
levels the pupils may be encouraged to read big books and other printed materials suited for their young
minds. In the classroom, there should have a mini-corner for reading. During leisure time, there will be a
place for them where there bodies will be relaxed and their minds will be nurtured. In this way, the pupils,
in their very young minds, will be trained to comprehend the text and books they are reading.

In different schools, there are different strategies on how to implement to students the
love of reading. Some schools build a reading kiosk where the teacher and pupils are free to enter and
browse the reading materials.

To encourage more the pupils, November is known as the month for National Reading.
During this month, different activities were implemented by the School Head together with the School
Reading Coordinator such as book parade, reading with comprehension contest, as well as character
contest. In this activity different reading areas were shown such fantasies, folklores, legends, fables and
parables. On this manner, the pupils are being aware that there are many books and references that they
can read and will be a great help for them.
 Readiness Amidst Disaster

Thousands of people died because of unexpected calamities. Typical example of this was the
tragedy happened in Albay because of lava flow from Mayon Volcano, during typhoon Reming in 2006,
the earthquake happened in Bohol in 2013, and the typhoon Yolanda in Visayas particularly in Tacloban
in 2013. All of this historic tragedies caused to death of thousand and hundered people.

In this situation, who can be blamed? The government did their best in order to protect its
people. Most of the time does forced evacuation among people who live near the tragic places like coastal
areas, landslide prone areas, and of coarse near to volcano especially the active one.

Disaster is the reason why National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) was formed. It is a working group of various government, non government civil sector, and
private sector organizations of the government of the Republic of the Philippines established by Republic
Act 10121 of 2010. It is administered by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) under the Department of
National Defense (DND). The council is responsible for ensuring the protection of welfare of the people
during disasters or emergencies. The NDRRMC plans and leads the guiding activities in the field of
communication, warning signals, emergency, transportation, evacuation, rescue, engineering, health and
rehabilitation, public education and auxiliary services such as fire fighting and the police in the country.

In schools, drills is one of the activities of DRRM. Every school has a DRMM Coordinator. It is
important that the students should be aware of what are going to do during disasters. Children are one
of the mere victims whose actions are irrelevant during stages of disaster.

One of the drills is earthquake drill. During this activity, pupils is guided by the teacher and
through a lecture and demonstration they are able to be exposed and to do the necessary things during
calamity. The place where they are going to go, and the things they needed to bring are being taught in
this drill. A documentation should be submitted to the district and Schools Division Office as a proof that
the drill was done by the school.

In this case, pupils in their very young minds will be exposed to the precautionary measures
before, during and after calamity. They will be ready to what might happen during this tragedy beacause
readiness amidst disaster is the very way to safety.
 Explicit Teaching: Filling an Empty Mind

The mind of pupils is like a clear bond paper. The teacher is the one who writes on this blank
sheet. It is very important that the teacher especially in the foundation stage (K-3) should know how to
use the most appropriate and suitable strategy for these learners.

Explicit teaching in my part is one of the best strategies to be used. This strategy is teacher-
centered where the teacher provides the information and ideas needed by the learners. In this manner
the teacher is sure that she is teaching the right ideas, words and solutions to the pupils.

The first part of explicit teaching is a clear goal. Setting lesson goals is easy, inexpensive and has
a massive effect on how well students do at school. The effect that goals have on achievement is so large,
it rivals the effect of socio-economic status.

Lesson goals always explain what the students need to understand and what they must be able
to do at the end of the lesson. This can also be called as the lesson objective, whrein it is very important
to be achieved after or even during the discussion.

Explicit teaching always starts with modelling. “ I do, You do, and We do” enters in this strategy.
The teacher serves as the model . She will do first, then after her, she will call pupil to do the same task,
and later the pupils. A very typical example of this is the topic in MTB-MLE sounds. First, the teacher will
say repeatedly the sound of the specific letter. After ensuring that the pupils heard the right sound, knows
how to open the mouth as well as the placement of the tongue and lips to produce the right sound, she
will call a pupil to do it, one by one. Then after hearing their correct sound, they will do altogether the
said activity.

In explicit teaching, after modelling, the teacher should also start with guided practice. This
involves giving students time to practice new things while supporting them to do. The teachers attention
and time is very important because she needs to make sure that the pupils are doing the right path. And
if they need help, the teacher should be always ready to lead her ideas for help.

Once the students can independently work and their output seems to be okay, its time for the
teacher to check their works. They enables for the teacher to ensure that their outputs are right before
moving on. It also gives the teacher an opportunity to review the key knowledge as she look at some
examples as a class.

If the class is very ready, it is the time for the teacher to give her pupils time, to do independent
practice. This practice will help them improve their fluency and retain in their minds what they have
learned. The teacher can reteach the lesson and give some guided practice if in case there are pupils who
did not fully understand the lesson.

In my own viewpoint, this strategy is very useful because every pupil will be practiced and every
output will be checked. This will ensure that ideas entering their empty minds are correct and true.
 How to cope up with learners with different abilities?

Persons even twins are not the same. In classroom, pupils are not all alike because of multiple
intelligences. To cope up with these learner’s abilities, it is for the teachers’ part on how she will apply a
strategy or approach. In some situations, not one instruction can be efficient for all the learners.

Based on the knowledge of differences among learners, differentiated instruction applies and
approach to teaching and learning so that students have multiple options for taking in information and
making sense of ideas.

Differentiated instruction can be very applicable to a classroom which is heterogenous. In a

heterogenous class, as always expected, here we can meet active, passive, the fast, the moderate and the
slow learners. If the teacher use just one instruction in this kind of classroom, this will be very unfair to
the part of slow learners. The fast and active learners will answer the questions as always expected faster
than the given time. On the other hand, the slow and passive learners will even not answer or do it. They
also may be rattled because of the situation. This will be okay for the moderate learner.

To fast learners, one instruction is not also very effective because they might get annoyed
waiting for the moderate and slow learners to finish. In this situation, there is a need for the teacher to
give another activity for them not to experience boredom and just to stay in their own seats.

Differentiated instruction can also be applicable to combination and multi-grade classes. In

this kind of classroom situation, differences among learners is always present because they came from
different grade levels. For example, combination class or grade one and two, the teacher should give
different instruction in these two different classes in order to achieve effective teaching and learning
process.

Based on my experience, during classroom observation due to RPMS, differentiated instruction

is one of the approaches proposed by the observers because according to them, this will be very effective
because I have diverse learners.

One time, they observed to me, I used discovery approach. During the assessment time, the
fast learners finished there task fastly and after it, they walked around while the others are still doing.
During the post conference, the observer told me that, I should give them different activities suitable for
them. So, to cater the different capabilities of diversed learners, differentiated instruction is the very
answer.