Each school year, we are given a new page in the lives of our

students, on which we shall fill in with the knowledge and concepts and
splash colors of experiences through the teachings we conduct, activities
we create and life-lessons we instill in them. As a teacher affects eternity,
our commitment in molding the young minds into independent,
productive and responsible members of the society must be once again
renewed and thought upon so that we may deliver the quality education
that they deserve and assure the rest of the stakeholders that we take
are true to our passion in our profession. Thus, I must emphasize that
your attendance in our In-Service training plays an important role in
creating the momentum that we need in working for positive changes in
our students during the school year 2017-2018.
For sure, we have all somehow reflected on how well did we
perform last year-may it be through results of students’ assessments,
ratings in the IPCRF, school’s scores during the evaluation for the most
effective school, outcomes of observation of classes. Now is the proper
time to decide which things may be pursued, techniques that shall be
continued, weaknesses which need improvement and persons and
resources that shall be reached out in order for us to make the
adjustments in the delivery of instruction. Talks or activities included in
our training this week shall allow us to think things over and plan out.
Therefore, through our reflections and acting upon them, we give
ourselves room to be more effective.
Remember, the reflection you are making focuses on what you did,
and not on others’ actions. Do not compare your performance to a co-
teacher because as what “Desiderata” has taught us, “Do not compare
yourself to others, you may become vain or bitter, for always, there
would better and lesser persons than yourself”. To make a comparison of
two UNLIKE persons will do no good. Every person is unique. You have no
competition to think of with your co-teacher because your only enemy is
your own self, which means you need to outwit and outlast your OLD
you. Always be the kind of teacher that teaches better as each year
passes. Introduce something new this year, improve an old technique or
try a more advanced strategy in teaching your lessons. Surely, you will
find yourself enjoying it.
This brings me to the reminder that teachers must be pro-active and
always seeking for something new. Some of you may not have actually
thought much about it but when we have been in the service for quite
some time, there is a tendency to just relax, be contented to the point
that you are already too comfortable at what you do that you no longer
challenge yourself to go out of your comfort zones. Seek professional
development, join seminars that can polish your skills and talents,
continuously create good change in you. Prepare your lessons not
because your school head is checking your lesson logs or conducting
observation classes. Instead, do such because you love what you love
what you do, and that you are conscientious enough to know that your
students deserve to be taught with all your capabilities. Be a disciple who
takes care of the students and ensures that they go home from school
every day full of new discoveries and happy of the knowledge they have
acquired.
Along with this, it is important that we, teachers, must think of a
way to be more familiar with our students. For the next 10 months, you
will be facing these students every time you have classes with them.
Think of a way for you to know them and for them to know you, not only
by theirs or your name, your appearance or your subject taught. Have a
more personal but professional approach. Students become more
interested in your class if they know that you do not only know them
because of their family names or class standing. Let them feel that they
learn concepts from you not for the reason that you are paid to do so,
but because you have the compassion to make them learned and
successful individuals; for teaching is not a job but it is a profession, and a
noble one. We must also put in mind that we are in school to touch lives
and not only to receive salaries every month. Add to this is the
maximizing of contact time with our students. We cannot avoid
community-related activities or other affairs which we hold for the
students to participate in. We just have to make up for the time missed.
Lastly, we, teachers, are also humans who are vulnerable to
problems, may it be family or work related or in the financial aspect. My
gentle reminder is to be flexible with the situation. When you go to work
with problems, everything else that you do seem wrong too. We are not
robots, naturally, you cannot focus with your class. Learn to adjust,
delegate things which may be done with the help of a family member,
equally divide your time and gracefully handle your worries. Do not be
afraid to ask help and be positive because every trial that we face has a
solution. To end this, I hope that our in-service shall be a venue for us to
be ready for school year 2017-2018 not only as professional teachers but
also as mature, responsible and passionate individuals who shall be
agents of transformations in the existence of the students in our
respective schools. Good day to everyone and God bless us all!