THE ROLE OF TEACHER IN ACHIEVING THE GOALS OF EDUCATION UNDER THE REPUBLIC ACT 10533

Post date: Mar 23, 2015 6:50:16 AM

RIZALINA A. CUENCO

Master Teacher I

Bataan National High School

“Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education. We are born weak, we need strength, we were not totally provided when we were born, we need aid, we are born stupid, and we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.” This was according to Jean Jacques Rousseau, a French Philosopher and writer and as an educator; I affirm to this, that education is vital in the development of a person despite the various factors that will affect his life as long as he lives here on earth. Thus, the ultimate aim of education is to develop talented citizens equipped with responsibility not only to him but to others as well, respect for the people around him and most of all morally upright and God-centered. This is basically the reason why our educational system was shifted from Basic Education Curriculum to K-12 Curriculum.

The K-12 Curriculum is simply the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 under the Republic Act No. 10533. This is an act enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by strengthening the curriculum and increasing the number of years for basic education, appropriating funds thereof and for other purposes. The purpose of which is to prepare the youth to become globally competitive and productive in the issue of education as the ten ASEAN countries collaborate with the purpose of improving the quality of life of its citizenry. Thus, the Department of Education came up with the new dynamic vision, mission and goal wherein all students are encouraged to remember and realize it. This is where the two important goals of education: to increase knowledge and todevelop good citizen.

As a teacher, I have an important role in the K-12 curriculum since it is clear that I am part of the educational process. I am responsible for the holistic development of my learner though I know for a fact that only 9% of student life is spent in formal education and the remaining 91% rely on the student himself, I believe a little step can lead to a big leap. The teacher must be active in the acquisition of knowledge, the daily lesson plans must be effective and dynamic to ignite the students’ desire to learn by means of various learning activities, student discovery approach and equally important, is the development of right values like respect through classroom discipline norms and standards. In addition, there are cases wherein the student-learning process is hampered and problems do crop up especially when students’ behavior and annoying attitude towards learning.

As a secondary school science teacher for three decades now, here are my pieces of advice to the new teachers in order to effectively achieve the two goals of education under the K-12 Curriculum; first, as a teacher, I have a student profile with me the all-time which contains their behavioral record and name of parents with their address and contact numbers so that I can readily inform the parents and immediately solve the problem. It is important for us, teachers, to have a contact with parents in order to maintain the best learning and development of each individual student. Second, a teacher can be the guidance counselor especially when they become emotionally stressed on the family and friends, a coach or lead an activity to maximize students’ participation. Third, since teaching is done in a calendar year, preparing lesson plans, sharing ideas with fellow teachers in the academe, consulting the head, principal and even the teaching force of the whole Department of Education can be done if it is for the benefit of the student and your own professional growth. Lastly, teachers are encouraged to do an action research, innovation, submit an article or case study which may be helpful to other teachers.

As educators we are called to instill in our mind that our profession are needed in the foundation of new breed of generation serving the nation. So every step and move we do must be guided by the two important goals of education: to increase knowledge and to develop good citizen. In our minds, as teachers, we build the future. Finally, let us always reckon to the Wisdom of Solomon: Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).