SYSTEM RESET

By Elise Gulle

“S

ige, ako na lang magaadjust.” [Fine, I’ll just be the one to adjust.]

A funny little saying Filipinos have adopted in recent years, rather ubiquitous in memes floating around on Facebook; usually featuring one party having to ‘adjust’ to a ridiculous situation thrown at them.

Summer feelings should be of freedom and bliss, not of distress due to the suffocating heat.

TDC’s insight on the problem should also be noted. Drastic changes to the old timetable would affect the ongoing school year. It will be unfair for the present batch if their short break is reduced even further to accommodate the shift.

Summer feelings should be of freedom and bliss, not of distress due to the suffocating heat. Every scholar and educator is entitled to a safe and pleasant environment to foster their learning.

While this saying might bring a chuckle to some, the deeper meaning behind it is really no laughing matter. “Sige, ako na lang mag-aadjust.” – beneath the humorous tone is a feeling of resignation. You are so sure that nothing can be done to aid you, that no one will come to help you, so you just sigh and do all you can to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and out of this messy situation.

Known for our resilience, Filipinos have always risen above any hurdle presented to us; whether that be typhoons or earthquakes, Filipinos have this strong mentality that has allowed us to survive dire situations like these by only relying on ‘bayanihan’ or camaraderie amongst ourselves. This ‘help ourselves’

This tragedy is certainly one for the books: the first fall in the history of Las Piñas City National Science High School students’ work immersion. Hopefully, no one meets the same fate as they did—a fate of deprivation.

Who are the Teachers to Adjust?

culture has deeply permeated every part of society, and it is evident even in the classroom.

I, for one, am deeply saddened by the way things are for public school teachers in the Philippines. My teachers are all phenomenal people who have not only educated me, but also guided me and raised me; they have all had a hand in me becoming the person I am today. This society places great importance on the children of the next generation, but barely any mind to the teachers who help raise them.

For example, after a major typhoon devastates the country and floods schools, teachers, with their own initiative and meager salaries, tidy up the campus and repair their classrooms for their beloved students.

During the move to distance learning in lieu of the pandemic, many teachers have had to provide for their own laptops to meet the learning needs of their students. While DepEd has provided some 40,000 laptops for teachers in 2021, many teachers are unsatisfied as the laptops are outdated and do not have the specs needed for them to efficiently carry out their work. So even with this government provision, they would still resort to buying their own as the laptops provided cannot meet their needs.

Teachers have not only given their funds, but have also given their time and effort too. Teachers are legally mandated to work eight hours a day for a total of 40 hours in a week, but the truth is that the work required of them far exceeds these eight hours a day.

The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers states that six of a teacher’s eight working hours per day should be allotted only for teaching, and the remaining two should be allotted to lesson preparation and other teaching-related duties such as checking papers and computing grades. However, this amount of time is barely enough for all the tasks they must accomplish. This does not even factor in other administrative duties they might have or any meetings or seminars they must attend.

We might praise teachers for being heroes, but we have to remember that they don’t have to be. Teachers are real people, like you and me, who can only do so much and can only be spread out so thin. Teachers adjust to the demands placed upon them, but it’s high time we start demanding that the system be changed to adjust to their needs for once.