Stories from students of various settings on what their teachers do best
Overview
16 July 2021 | 9 min and 49s
Are we ready for another year of teaching in a pandemic? What does it really take to keep our students engaged in remote learning? Join Bernice, a learning experience designer at Habi, as she listens to students tell stories about what they appreciated their teachers doing this past year.
Transcript
Introductions and Check In
Bernice (voice over): It’s hard to believe that we’re already midway through 2021. I can still remember a number of events from last year and all the anxiety that surrounded the opening of classes in the midst of a pandemic. The uncertainty of how unprepared the entire educational system is for blended learning was so immense. This is understandable – once in a lifetime crisis ang pinagdadaanan natin.
Trying to put myself in the shoes of our teachers, who were figuring out how to teach in the middle of the pandemic, ramdam ko yung feelings tulad nung anxiety, takot, bahala, kaba, at duda. Not only that, ang dami rin sigurong mga tanong: Kailan magsisimula? Kailan matatapos? Paano ito? Paano sila? Paano ako? Kaya ko ba?
I’m Bernice, a learning experience designer and a student just like the new friends we’re talking to in this episode.
[Habi Hour Intro]
Bernice (voice over): Against this backdrop, and after a whole school year, we at Habi decided to ask some students: What’s one thing your teacher did differently this remote learning year that helped you keep going and that you’re thankful for?
Jude: He sent me books…talked on the computer
Quinana: Sharing screen…our teacher make us do offline work like book reports, arts, stuff like that
Akisha: My teachers added reading materials. This helped most of the students including me since some of us have difficulty joining in synchronous classes.
Study, play, and rest
Bernice (voice over): As expected, iba’t ibang klaseng sagot yung dumating, dahil iba-iba naman talaga yung pwedeng approach natin to teaching given the remote set-up. Mayroong mga ilang appreciative sa pag-embed ng play and rest time sa schedule.
Kal-el: We have online recess so we can meet our classmates.
Jay: She always gives us time for online playdates which I really like.
Yang: For me, a simple kumustahan really goes a long way.
Joey: Kahit siguro take a few minutes of resting and then we do our class or you want to just do everything asynchronous and let’s just get back when you’re ready.
Kind accommodations, compassion, and gratitude
Bernice (voice over): When we think of school, we cannot separate this from the work that is required for that year. The students were very well aware of their responsibilities, but were particularly grateful to the teachers for the kind accommodations and creative collaboration given to them by their teachers.
Frances: The teachers were very considerate on the deadlines. They will not put deductions whenever the student will pass the requirements late.
Fidel: Very considerate sila ngayon sa pagbibigay ng gawain kung kaya ba and also sa deadlines na minemake sure nila na wala masyadong nagsasabaysabay sa ganitong araw kaya napaguusapan namin ng maayos
Raina: Most of our professors give us plenty of time to comply with the requirements. It’s like we have deadlines but those are only to teach us how to manage our time, because they still accept our outputs even the due date has passed.
Emma: Merging the subjects and having one major project and we’re able to collaborate with one another and even our professors were able to collaborate with each other so this was very helpful
Bernice (voice over): Students were able to finish their coursework through the options and alternatives, because of the nature of their teachers in providing patient support over the past school year while everyone adjusted to this new environment.
Jay: I think Miss Nunez is patient to me and answers all of my questions.
Kal: To my teacher Cathy and Teacher Lani, thank you for being kind and caring. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for teaching me
Lucas: They were more engaging than being in face to face. I was able to ask as much questions as I could and I got feedback faster than I hoped.
Ela: To my AV com and com for development teacher Miss Chua who despite handling a lot of sections and a lot of subjects made herself available to us not just for consultation but also to hear us out and find out where we were having trouble.
Fidel: Yung mga teachers ko talaga nag-reach out sila and pinapaalala nila sa amin na pwede kaming mag DM or pwede kaming mag private message sa kanila. Mag email, ganyan kung mayroon kaming problema sa academics or sa personal na pwede naming idiscuss sa kanila
Bernice (voice over): There was so much patience going around this past year. Patience for slow internet connections, patience for student submissions, patience for next steps on the plans for the school year. Patience is a funny thing, because it’s not really something you do as a teacher, like send readings or materials. No, patience is something you are, it’s a state of being, much like being kind, caring and compassionate; which the students were definitely grateful for.
Yang: I’m most thankful when they care about our mental health above other things.
Frances: I also felt the love and care of the teachers whenever they will ask us “kumusta na kami” kung kaya pa ba namin
Joey: They were really considerate. They would create a time to really give a round robin in class and ask how we were doing and if they find out that we were lagging behind in terms of the requirements that we had for other classes or that we lack the rest that we needed, they would ask us “okay so gusto niyo na bang magpahinga ngayon? Do you want this class to be your resting time and let’s just not do anything? Let’s cut the class or the week and you just rest.”
Mike: I’m thankful to my classmates and to my professor for supporting me while I was sick. It was a big help really for me. So shout out to doctor Henry Basilio. Thank you sir forever grateful.
Student empowerment
Bernice (voice over): What’s striking to me is that in the end, the students are appreciative because they were empowered by things teachers did. Perhaps empowerment is one of the best things we can offer our students at a time when everyone is trying to navigate and gain a sense of control to continue learning in a world turned upside down.
We felt anxiety – but so did the students. And because we rose to the occasion, dahil kinaya natin, kinaya rin ng mga estudyante natin.
Ela: It was really comforting to have a teacher who made us feel like we were more than just students who needed to submit assignments all the time
Frances: By simply asking us those questions, it really motivated me to keep going.
Chris: To make sure I remained focused and motivated, my boss encouraged me to only engage with and make progress on activities related to my learning that provide me with energy and meaning.
Synthesis
Bernice (voice over): What’s more, I couldn’t help but notice something. Pakinggan natin sila ulit pero this time, kunyari we’re back in 2019, before the pandemic. [rewind sound effect]
What’s one thing your teacher did differently this year that helped you keep going and that you’re thankful for?
Jude: He sent me books
Yang: A simple kumustahan
Frances: The teachers were very considerate on the deadlines.
Emma: One major project and we’re able to collaborate with one another
Lucas: I was able to ask as much questions as I could and I got feedback faster than I hoped.
Fidel: Yung mga teachers ko talaga nag reach out sila
Bernice (voice over): Do you hear it too?
What makes face-to-face learning work are the same things that make online learning effective. In other words, the teachers had the answers all along. Nag-iba lang yung setting, nag-iba lang ang platform, pero what it takes to effectively teach our students, hindi nag-iba:
We know our students. We know what their needs are and we have always tried to meet those needs. Whether online or face to face: we still send materials, schedule rest and play in the day; we accommodate kindly, collaborate creatively, and support patiently. Whether online or face to face, we are kind, caring and compassionate toward our students.
The world of learning may have been turned upside down because of the pandemic, pero kung sino tayo bilang guro and our capability to share the love for learning ay hindi nag-iba. Rather, baka nga lumalim pa dahil sa hamon ng pandemya.
For understandable reasons, ang taas nung anxiety level at the start. Siguro sa simula, ang naging attitude ay “kakayanin” kasi wala namang choice but to make this work. And now, as we took on the challenge, slowly but surely, we learned na mahirap pero
Joey: Okay sige, kaya naman pala, kakayanin pa.
Bernice (voice over): And here we are, at the start of another year. In the past year, we showed not only that we can survive in an online environment, but we can succeed doing what we’ve always known to do best.
Teacher, kayang-kaya niyo na!
[Habi Hour Outro]
