Behind The Lesson Plan

"Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges. -Joyce Meyer. September is National Teachers Month, and as we celebrate the national teachers month with the theme "together4teachers," it is also important to recognize the invaluable contributions of teachers across the country and to appreciate educators' hard work, dedication, and influence in shaping the nation’s future.

 Teachers are more than just their profession. They just don't teach us, they help us grow as individuals, guide us in achieving our dreams in life, and bring out the best in us. Without teachers, there will be no other professions like doctors, engineers, police, etc. Being a teacher is not an easy job, they stay at school for long hours and sacrifice their health and personal time just to prepare for lessons and do their work. They need to deal with students, noisy classes, and loads of reports. Regardless of the difficulty, they still try their best to teach us and make our discussion fun. During the pandemic, despite experiencing struggles, they still found a way to teach us. This shows how they value education. However, despite their hard work and efforts, they are still struggling with their low salary, they lack support and opportunities from the government, and their efforts were not really paid off. So, as we celebrate National Teachers Month, let us take this opportunity to show them our appreciation and gratitude. A simple letter or a gift means a lot, it's a simple way to make them feel appreciated and valued. 

The National Teachers Month serves as a reminder to appreciate our teachers not just during the National Teachers Month but every day. National Teachers Month is not just a celebration, it's a reminder for us to value them. 

IMAGE REFERENCES

Teachers Accelerate Learning in Rural Philippines | Transforming Lives | Philippines | Archive - U.S. Agency for International Development. (n.d.). https://2012-2017.usaid.gov/results-data/success-stories/rural-public-school-teachers-accelerate-learning-philippines

Ronda, R. A. (2019, September 2). DepEd to hire 10,000 teachers next year. Philstar.com. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/09/03/1948639/deped-hire-10000-teachers-next-year/amp/

Resilience Behind Obstacles

Community resilience is a collective, ongoing effort to improve a community's ability to respond to and recover from adversity."– Daniel Aldrich. The Philippines is a beautiful country located in southeast Asia and in the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is known for its unique and attractive spots such as beaches and mountains, and hospitable people. However, due to its location, it faces numerous challenges that test and threaten the country's resilience. The Philippines often faces natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. 

Filipinos are known for their "bayanihan". They help each other, and this enables them to overcome these challenges. The Philippine government and different organizations also implemented strategies to enhance its resilience, they have been working towards improving disaster preparedness and responses, such as DRRM or Disaster Risk Reduction Management, which aims to prepare, plan, and respond to disasters to avoid severe effects, which include loss of lives, damage to homes, buildings, and other properties that may result in the relocation of communities. They are also empowering communities, building evacuation centers, and trained emergency responders. Additionally, they are educating the public about disaster preparedness so they would know what to do before, during and after the disaster, and investing in public infrastructure projects for natural disasters.

Despite all the efforts to address these challenges, it's still not enough. The Philippines has limited funds and resources and a lack of coordination with agencies. Which hinders the progress. Moreover, a lot of communities still lack awareness. Because of poverty, it makes it difficult for other communities to recover quickly. Addressing these challenges requires sustained collaboration for the safety of all Filipinos.

IMAGE REFERENCES

Afp, & Afp. (2013, November 22). Philippine typhoon death toll surpasses 5,200. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1363098/philippine-typhoon-death-toll-surpasses-5200

Isnhs-Disaster Risk Reduction Management(2022, November 10). https://www.facebook.com/100071640488466/posts/pfbid0T75iwiieRPW8RuSb5pWp2X5xpJK5HqCWJfxTm1Sie4tTwDe1qEpQnPgQ3YF25PZEl/?app=fbl

Nel. (n.d.). DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT. Philippine Social Science Council. https://pssc.org.ph/tag/disaster-risk-reduction-and-management/

Miasco, M. B. (2017, September 8). Disaster preparedness now part of school curriculum. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-news/2017/07/30/1723194/disaster-preparedness-now-part-school-curriculum

A Letter To The President

 Dear President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr,

I respect you as the President of the Philippines but I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction and disappointment with your leadership as a concerned Filipino. During your campaign and before you became the president of the country, you made many promises to the Filipino people, especially our farmers. You gave the Filipino people hope that's why they voted for you. However, when you become the president all your promises have not been fulfilled and the problems in our country are getting worse. I have not seen any progress since you became the president. I feel angry and disappointed at the same time.

You don't deserve the position of president because you can't even fulfill your promises and make improvements for our country. You are an irresponsible president. We, the Filipino People deserve better. Please listen to us and I hope you reflect on your actions and decisions.

Sincerely,

May Divine Battad

IMAGE REFERENCE

Patag, K. J. (2022, March 30). Marcos shrugs off Alvarez’s endorsement, confident crowd connects with “unity” campaign. Philstar.com. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/03/30/2171014/marcos-shrugs-alvarezs-endorsement-confident-crowd-connects-unity-campaign/amp/

Who Is Divine Behind Her Name?

Hello people! My name is May Divine, you can call me Mavi. I am a grade 10 SSC student at Ilocos Sur National High School. Unfortunately, it was pandemic when I entered the STE program. I am slow when it comes to numbers, that's why I hate math and chose the STE program instead of SMC. As a daughter, I am always striving to meet my parents expectations and make them proud. because they are also doing their best to support my studies.

When face-to-face classes started, I often doubted myself and lost my confidence. I am very shy to recite during class discussions, afraid to speak in English, make friends, and socialize with other people. But I realized that if I don't face my fears, then I will not be able to grow and will keep missing opportunities. So I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try new things to boost my confidence. Just like what sunsets symbolize—the end of one phase and the beginning of another. So, I tried surrounding myself with positive people, making friends, sharing my thoughts during class discussions, and participating in school events. It wasn't easy at first, but as time went by, I was able to adjust. I may not be that confident, but there's progress on myself. My journey to being confident has been a gradual process. There's a lot of setbacks and challenges, but I learned a lot from it. 

Just like chasing sunsets, my journey to being successful may be hard, but it is filled with lights that serve as my hope. I am currently in grade 10, and I am planning to take STEM as my strand in Senior High. In college, I want to study at De La Salle University (DLSU). I want to take a health-related course. As of now, I am still undecided whether to take a BS in Medical Technology or a BS in Radiologic Technology. After college, I want to live in Switzerland and work as a medical technologist or radiologic technologist.