“Change is good, if it’s for the better.” This widely known adage perfectly fits what we all came for today. The K-12 program has had its fair share of praises and bashes, yet, it still stands strong and efficient for its promising outcomes resound for the betterment of the educational system in our country.
For quite some time, a lot of people have been a bit apprehensive and cynical of the effects of the K-12 program of the Department of Education in a regular school situation; subsequently, numerous individuals became more skeptical as regards the effectiveness of the scheme inside the Alternative Learning System (ALS) because of the nature of service that we offer to our learners.
For the longest time, teaching in the Alternative Learning System has been both perplexing and fulfilling for me. It has made me come to appreciate the value of teaching even more, for I have been assigned in far places as well as teaching the less fortunate children who could have been deprived of education.
The challenges were real, but the profit is fulfilling. I have come to witness the growth of people who have been left behind (as they categorize it) in terms of formal education. For whatever given circumstance or reason, these learners have felt that they no longer have the chance to be able to get the education that they deserve. What’s more enthralling is the fact that some of these ALS students have made bad decisions early in life and if they are not given the chance to have good education, then they will not only be left behind but will also be destitute of the equitable wisdom that they ought to have.
Teenage pregnancies, special disabilities, broken families – these are just some of the unwanted circumstances faced by some of them, and overcoming them was never easy, but they did and this makes them more deserving of being helped. If these students were not extended with the necessary help they can have, then they will have lesser chances of correcting the challenges that they have faced early in life.
The K-12 Program is a useful tool in the educational system of the Filipinos. All we need to do is to look at it at the bright side. A normal student may see murky waters in its implementation, but the ALS learner sees a clear and open sea which offers wider possibilities to excel in life.
Having to teach in a normal classroom situation can be both taxing and challenging for teachers, but, being in the Alternative Learning System can be quite more baffling. Yet, if one realizes the true value of his duties as an educator, no matter what medium of teaching he is assigned to, he will never have doubts and he will never feel exhausted.
by:
Jocelyn C. Dellosa
District ALS Coordinator, South District I
