I am currently employed in a private educational institution here in the Philippines. I will be celebrating my 10th year with them as a faculty this coming June 2021. Because of the pandemic, we shifted to an online distance learning (ODL) setup. We just finished the last few days of online classes for the school year last week and all I can say is that this school year was really very challenging not only to the students but also to us, teachers.
I realized that it was very difficult to not see my students and my colleagues face to face. It's been more than a year since our country was placed in a community quarantine. Now, the number of COVID-19 cases has already reached a million. Working from home has been a new norm. It was the first time, in years, that I was not able to really know my students in a deeper manner. Sometimes, I forget their names unlike before that I know them by their name and their section, and I know their mannerisms, their behavior, etc.
This year, it was difficult because we were pushed to make online learning modules, make synchronous and asynchronous classes. Create materials for students' use such as an audio-visual slide presentations with my voice being heard by the students when they open the material. It was also difficult to think of authentic and alternative assessments especially in my subject - Science. Traditionally, since Science is a highly conceptual subject, we give them pen-and-paper, objective kinds of tests to measure how much they learn. We also give them alternative types of assessment, but before it was just limited. This ODL setup, we give them performance tasks which cover a big bunch on the grading component. Surprisingly, there are a lot of outputs that were done excellently. I can attest that students nowadays are very creative given the various platforms at their expense.
This year, we only meet each section once a week. This means that the chunk of discussion and working time for the students is limited. I know that it was hard to adjust at first, as some students do not submit on time, but thankfully, most of us were able to adjust. It's just sad that some of the students still fail to submit their requirement even after several attempts of reminding them.
I am not sure why they can't deliver, it may be due to loss of internet connection, or because they feel anxious or sad, but whatever it was that they're feeling, I have learned to be extend my patience and understanding towards them, even if I get no response at all, or if they do, there's no subject line, nor greeting nor thank you's in their emails - talk about proper netiquette.
Maybe I am ranting. I am not sure. I just want to share my experience with yo uall to let you know that teachers are also crying for help. When we care for our students, who will take care of us? of our needs?
So, if you're a teacher, I would just like to encourage you that you matter, you are valuable, and that you keep on doing what you do - you learn, you educate yourself, but you make sure to rest for a while, take a deep breath, and then repeat.
