Grade 7

`

June 4, 2012. First day of classes. New faces. Sleepy kids. Freshly pressed uniforms. The smell of National Bookstore everywhere. The sound of silence when you enter each room - hope they'd stay that way until March. Typical first day in big school. The stage where the students are no longer kids and not yet adults - very difficult stage.

My teaching load? I was assigned to teach the Grade 7 students (am I still in public school?). 5 sections of Grade 7 - the pioneers of the K-12 curriculum. 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon everyday. First thing I noticed was the class size - 40 to 45 students in each class. I thought I was in the wrong school. 

From 65 students, I'm down with 40 per class this year. Maybe because they opened two new sections. Or maybe because almost all of them were born in the year 2000 and the widespread of family planning took effect that time. Or maybe some were still enrolling at that time and maybe next week they will blow up to 60 per class again. Basta. The room felt empty (umaalog). I am so not used in that class size. I can hear my own voice bouncing from the four walls of the room. 

Getting to know stage. I specifically love the story of my students who came from the province. I have students from Samar, Bacolod, Cotabato, Bicol, Marinduque and provinces in Luzon. All of them were Manila first-timers. Some were very excited while some were sad that they had to leave their hometowns to stay with their relatives and somehow will have a "better" future here in Manila. I let them share to everyone their life in the countryside. A very good ice breaker.

I saw Bryan (my "favorite" student) and he's stuck in Second Year. He repeated the same year again. He should have been in the Fourth Year this year but it felt like hobby na niya ang mag-repeat. He still comes to me every now and then to let me know what's happening to him -  even personal stuff. 

Everything's the same except that this batch will spearhead the Dep.Ed's new curriculum. They have to finish 6 years of high school. I attended the seminar for a week and had a glimpse of what would happen in the next 6 years. The curriculum will have a spiral approach. Kindergarten will be a requirement to enter Grade 1. 

Grades 11 and 12 will still have the core subjects but it gives emphasis on the student's specialization; either Technical/Vocational, Arts and Sports, Entrepreneurship, etc. After finishing the basic education, the students are expected to be "employable". Should they wish to pursue their college education, they only need three years to finish it. Sounds good right? 

I don't see any wrong in all of this. It is a good curriculum. And some of the exclusive schools here in the country do have Grade 7 in their curriculum. My only concern here is the budget and the old problems of the system. Are there enough classrooms or buildings in every school? Do we have enough teachers that are national-paid and not contractual teachers like those employees in big malls? How many chairs are actually functional? How about the textbooks? And those schools who are still in three shifting basis? Can we first address the former issues before we move on with the grand scheme of things?

We have 4 more years to see the first batch of this curriculum to get into Grade 11. Is that enough? 4 years? On a very personal note; Can Secretary Luistro go and teach for 1 month in a public high school to actually experience what it feels like to be in our shoes? Just one month secretary. One whole month. 


16 comments :

  1. hindi ako agree sa K12, now pa lang kami magpaaral tapos k12 agad, feeling ko maburn-out ang students at butas bulsa ng magulang sa tagal. though sa ibang bansa nga ganyan talaga.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ok lang michi ang k-12... budget lang ang concern ko talaga...

      Delete
  2. go teacher carla! ihulma mo ang pag-asa ng bayan!!! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. just reading your entry made me travel down my memory lane gurl..i miss school! hehe
    way to go teacher!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. me too, every time I see them eh bumabalik nung panahon na ako angnasa sitwasyon nila...thanks khulet!

      Delete
  4. What's with Bryan? There must be something wrong in the area above his shoulder. At the rate he is "progressing", he will never finish grade school in his lifetime unless there is outside intervention. Is he getting any help at all?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. marunong naman si bryan... misunderstood lang dahil nga sa dami ng problema niya sa bahay eh sa school niya nilalabas ang pagiging "bata" niya...

      Delete
  5. Way to go pa po ate teacher. Tiyaga Lang:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Teacher Carla... yun pala ang K12 akala ko add lang ng additional year for the students yun pala may specialization na rin. Sana lang mas maencouarage yung mga studyante na ipagpatuloy pa nila yung college at sana lang din mabigyan ng tamang suporta ng gobyerno ang programang K12 para mas maging epektibo...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. rod is this you? hihi...

      at sana talaga ma-implement ng maayos :)

      Delete
  7. tama k carla,,sna nga iaddress muna ang mga dpat n mayroon s isang classroom.. mgnda ang k12 pro kwawa nmn ang students n idinidikit s wall ang upuan pra ndi cla matumba. conducive classroom.. un lng.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi carla, i love your blog:) I'm a teacher too and your are truly an inspiration. Keep on posting and inspiring us girl!

      Delete
    2. wow! thanks venus! mabuhay ang mga guru..hihi

      Delete

My Instagram

Copyright © 2011- blissfulguro. Made with by LP via OddThemes