An essay written by Teacher Gretchel D. Bancod of Bintawan National High School, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of sustainable energy-oriented tech company Tesla, reportedly named his newest baby boy X Æ A-12 Musk. X Æ A-12 Musk? Seriously? Much as it hurts the eyes to read, it seems even harder to decipher. The baby’s mother Grimes explained in her tweet, "X, the unknown variable, Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence), A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent + (A=Archangel, my favorite song) (metal rat)”. What a jumble of well-intended meanings in an unconventional name. X Æ A-12- indecipherable at first glance, but with the symbols explained, its beauty unfolds.
The initial bewilderment, confusion, then gradual comprehension leading way to a mature sense of wonder the information above evokes can safely encapsulate my journey as a science teacher. A dreamy high school student with interests leaning far more into the literary and artistic pursuits, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise that I almost flunked Physics in high school. I passed, though barely, and got relegated to second best in our graduating class due in part to my dismal rating in the said subject. Due to this, I jokingly told my friends that I’ll just study hard and replace my Physics teacher as payback for the experience. Little did I know that the joke would be on me as, due to a series of circumstances, I ended up making good on my words. After our high school graduation, family problems and lack of financial means relegated my college chances to almost nil. Just when I was thinking of ditching school and looking for work instead, the news came that I qualified for the DOST-SEI RA 7687 Scholarship grant. And lo! Under the stipulations, the best choice of degree course I could take at my target academe was…Physical Science education. And it all went uphill from there.
When I started teaching science right after graduation, I could say that the struggle was real. Trained in college to conduct experiments and scientific investigations with sufficient laboratory equipment and substances at my disposal, I was soon in limbo as I tried to replicate said setup using localized materials as I delivered the subject matter to public school students. Each day seemed to be an uphill struggle to think of ways to create content, procure needed equipment, and localize if necessary without compromising the quality of learning gained by my students, especially in chemistry. Teaching the concepts were fine, but when it came to laboratory activities, outcomes simply could not be relied upon to be accurate due to a.) insufficient equipment, b.) lack of specific chemicals (and if available, these chemicals were already past their date of expiry), c.) students’ predilection to perform mediocrely in large groups, and d.) any or all combinations of the aforementioned. Teaching Physics was a little better since equipment could be easily improvised or accessed in the locality. However, struggles emerged in the application of physical concepts to solve word problem sets. In my opinion then, as it is now, the difficulty is rooted in students’ poor foundation in mathematical skills and reading comprehension. That was in the RBEC- Revised Basic Education Curriculum. Now, in the K-12 Curriculum, the problem with localization was addressed a bit because the learning competencies point towards the use of readily available and accessible materials. However, the problem with students’ group outputs and poor performance in word problem solving prevailed.
Nevertheless, as a Filipino science educator, I have been honed by experience to deal with such difficulties in the best way I can. Sponsored trainings and seminars provide materials such as teachers guides and curriculum guides which I use in delivering learning competencies and assessing the extent to which these are retained. Since the K-12 curriculum is anchored on the principle of EFA-Education for all- and No Child Left Behind policy, the level at which competencies are delivered have been custom-fit for the below average student. Also, rewards for and recognitions of student achievement have shifted to minimize competition and encourage self-growth. As for those who still experience difficulty, I personally customize remedial lessons and activities to at least bring the concerned learner to knowledge and comprehension level. For the most part, such approaches are successful. However, the millennial mindset of entitlement of some learners, and parents too, hinder real growth and genuine interest to learn. Grounding on the CPP (Child Protection Policy), parents nowadays tend to take their children’s side when it comes to reinforcements and penalties imposed by teachers to enforce discipline and focus in the class. A gesture, a word taken in the wrong context, can cost a teacher his/her license or at the very least, the respect of the self-entitled class.
In view of these, what a Filipino science teacher needs the most, aside from adequate laboratory facilities, research funding, and accurate learner reference materials, are sufficient preparatory time and, in a greater sense, the legislative backing to combat ill-discipline, mediocrity, and complacency among students and administrators alike. Just giving back to teachers the freedom to pass or fail a student without the threat of administrative sanctions is a good start. Others may say it was never removed in the first place. However, the child-friendly policies, the insistence that no learner may be left behind, and all other congruent edicts have indirectly curtailed this freedom.
On a positive note, science teaching in the Philippine setting is rife with possibilities. Throughout my growth as a science teacher, I have been continuously challenged to enhance my content knowledge and pedagogical skills to cope with the changing demands of the millennial classroom. With the new normal of Philippine science education looming in the horizon, I am even more motivated to enhance my technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge in my chosen field. My willingness to learn and capacity for improvement has given me valuable know-how which I can easily share with equally growth-oriented colleagues. Sometimes though, I perform poorly at networking as well as in applying pedagogy to address lack of interest in students. To balance it, I make myself available for one-on-one mentoring for students with genuine passion for the subject. In general, I am the type of science teacher who teaches and learns enthusiastically and reflectively but feels hindered by existing edicts when it comes to enforcing authority to aptly force students to be receptive.
With these in mind, if I were to be a loved one’s, say my daughter’s, science teacher, I would still be glad because she shall experience learning in a supportive and engaging environment where even though the teacher acts as a facilitator, she still displays the same hunger for learning as the student. I love my child above all, and as a parent I’d want what would make her happy and at the same time what would equip her with valuable knowledge and life skills. More than a wonderfully cryptic name such as the one Elon Musk gave his baby, I (or whoever her science teacher may be in the future), with the right foundation, support, and attitude, could adequately give her that.