Umay kaha ila hibay-an? A collective fear
dawned on both the educators and the parents as they realized that there will
be no face-to-face classes to be conducted in the midst of the pandemic. It is
going to be dangerous to all when people converge. Better, the schools will opt
to choose blended learning which includes modules, worksheets, digital lessons
and even TV and radio broadcasts. But then the question persists: What would be
the quality of learning of these modalities?
Teacher and school
heads’ competence count. If these educators pour out their best and utilize
their knowledge, skills and positive attitude towards the situation at hand,
there might be a silver lining on the thick clouds of doubt.
Competence according to
dictionary.com is the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of
required skill, knowledge, right attitude, qualification, or capacity. That is
the reason why these professionals underwent competency-based examination
conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to measure whether
they are competent enough to be licensed or not.
Competencies are the
skills and knowledge that enable a teacher to be successful. To maximize
student learning, teachers must have expertise in a wide-ranging array of
competencies in an especially complex environment where hundreds of critical
decisions are required each day (Jackson, 1990).
Effective teachers
are able to explain difficult concepts clearly and concisely. They facilitate discussions,
organize interactive sessions, and provide constructive feedback to their
students.
The challenge during
these difficult times is how to deliver the key learning to the students
through their chosen modality. There are some teachers in the field who have the
needed knowledge and skills but lack the empathy and needed attitudes to cater
the diverse needs of the learners. There are those who feel that a
one-size-fits-all scheme is effective since they do not have the patience to
diversify. There are also lots of principals and supervisors who consider
instructional supervision as burden to them where in fact this must be their
main role in the education processes.
Then, there will be
the practice of putting the blame on something: the virus, the students themselves,
the department for not giving the measures, the system and many other things to
find a way out. According to Brahm (2004), scapegoating is a psychological
defense mechanism of denial through projecting responsibility and blame on
others. It allows the perpetrator to eliminate negative feelings about him or her
and provides a sense of gratification. Furthermore, it justifies the
self-righteous discharge of aggression.
It can be observed
that the Department of Education (DepEd) is exhausting all the resources to
capacitate the teachers and educators in the field with webinars and online discussions
on the alternative modalities which can reach out up to the marginalized
learner. Yet, there are those who sit in their comfort zones and wait for manna
from heaven. That is probably the reason why critiques on teachers being paid
for doing nothing surfaced.
Alongside the
governmental efforts in the delivery of service in education to the remotest
areas shall include modalities apt for the indigenous culture, traditions, and
more. They should achieve the national goals of maximizing the fullest
potentials of learners through the utilization of possible materials,
pedagogical strategies, and alternative modalities.
The DepEd gave ample
time to the schools to prepare for the new set of modalities. But there is also
a culture a top-bottom mentality of many. The waiting can sometimes be
excruciating since there are educators who are pro-active. They want to be
prepared for the impending battle ahead. But then, there are also those who
wait fro a messiah to save them from their distress.
Increasing
environmental complexity and ambiguity require organizations to rely on their
members' proactive behaviors to deal with potential chaotic occurrences
surrounding the organizational functioning. Individuals respond these occurrences
by displaying various proactive behavior forms to build predictability islands
in ocean of uncertainty. In this context, principal proactivity is one of key
determinants of effectiveness of schools functioning in complex and anarchic
environments (Ankara, Balci, 2016).
Instead of remaining
reactive, individuals’ performing proactive behaviors to deal with the
opportunities and problems in internal and external environments of the school
has become an important determinant of organizational effectiveness (Crant,
2000; Russell & Russell, 1992; Frese & Fay, 2001).
On the hands of
educators lies the hope of nurturing something worth the while to the learners
even in these trying times.
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