Blessy E.

Sumbi BSED-FILIPINO
Reflection
1. Teacher’s Diary
Living in rural areas is a big challenge when building a better education both for
the people who live there and for the teachers that will adjust their way of living just to
cope up with the new lifestyle. You need to reconsider how you will survive your
everyday living. The story of the teacher’s diary really touches our hearts by showing
us moments that feel earnest and sincere.
The movie was all about two different teachers who walked the same path
by sharing the same ideals towards teaching. It's their passion and dedication towards
teaching that brings them together as one. Teaching rural kids in a remote floating
houseboat school is never easy. The school is located in the middle of a river with no
electricity, phone service or Internet. There have been struggles, problems and chaos
along their journey. Their personal relationship troubles due to the nature of their jobs.
But they remain calm, determined and passionate and capable of adapting to life at the
houseboat school with the kids.  Ms. Ann had a diary. This diary serves an inspiration
to Mr. Song as it keeps him company throughout his journey. He feel motivated as he
keeps on reading Ms. Ann’s diary. He struggled at first but learned how to get his feet
up and realized there’s hope within the place, the hope in the faces of children. He
even struggled with his lessons but still continued to learn for him to be able to educate
his students. In the first part of his stay, Mr. Song used punishment towards his
students by patting a stick on their hands. He’s being reactive rather than proactive.
For me, this is part of being a teacher. It’s more likely to have a parent scolding his/her
children to learn, be more disciplined and respectful. Later on, he realized how to
minimize punishing his students by finding other ways to help them grow better. 
Ms. Ann’s diary taught Mr. Song and us to never abandon your students no
matter what happens. There might be times you need to risk your safety just to save
other people’s lives. There might be chaos and other problems but as a teacher, you
need to compose yourself and look for a solution to fix such situations. A school is just
like a home. A school is composed of kids with you as their parent. You can do
everything in your own ways. You will do everything you can as a teacher and as their
parent. The life of a teacher is also a sacrifice, to be selfless.
The diary is used as an instrument in the movie that influences and gives impact
to the teachers and to the future teachers to be more committed, overcome fears and
anxieties, adjust and adapt lifestyle and to love our students. It is also a tool in
assessment which can offer a great opportunity to capture a range of evidence to help
you record ideas and events so as to reflect on them later. A teacher’s diary is
narrating all of your experiences, observations and putting your emotions through
writing. Writing in this sense serves as a discovery process. The process of writing
itself helps trigger insights about teaching and the process of reflection is itself an
instrument of change.

2. “Beyond the Blackboard”

A tear-jerker movie showed us the sincerity of being a true teacher. When we are
assigned with a heavy task, we usually turn our backs to that responsibility. We
overthink things and is already fixed in our minds that whatever is hard is impossible.
This movie proved that everything is worth fighting for, that everything is possible as
long as you work for it.
The film ‘Beyond the blackboard’ was all about a young teacher entering her first
job in the teaching profession. It started when Stacey Bess was looking for a job and
this was her first job as a teacher. After she got hired, she went to the location. She
didn't expect that she would be assigned to some remote areas, specifically to a school
that doesn't have a name. The school has no name since it’s just a program for
homeless kids. There's no proper classroom as it was a temporary shelter to those
homeless people. She expected books, desks, tables and others. At first, she wanted
to quit. She never imagined this kind of job without everything she expected. But, later
on, she realized that there is a way and hope for everything. She remains calm and
strong. She’s determined to teach. She started a life in that shelter by designing a
better classroom environment, she made use of her own resources that would benefit
her students for the meantime and also gave love and care by teaching them the
values, attitudes and inspire each one of them including their parents as well. She
dearly loves her students but this also means she will fight for them. Ms. Stacey made
the impossible possible. She used her own method until she finally found an ally in her
school superintendent who saw her fulfilling the true meaning of teaching. 
This movie is anchored on RA 9155 “It is hereby declared the policy of the State
to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality basic education and to make
such education accessible to all by providing all Filipino children a free and compulsory
education in the elementary level and free education in the high school level”. Even
those homeless kids have the right to education.
To sum up everything, the teacher really changes the life of those homeless kids.
In the movie, it shows that a teacher should possess the character of being and
becoming a good teacher. The dedication and concern about the education of her
students is something that every teacher should live with and being committed to
students and its education is what really matters and what is totally important. A
teacher must be determined and compassionate. The main objective of becoming a
teacher is to educate people to live in peace and knowing how to deal with different
issues of life, with self-confidence, with knowing and with freedom. Show them with
hope and love. Little by little, slowly, a teacher can make a difference.

3. “The Marva Collins based on true story”

Marva Collins is a teacher that sees hope in the faces of the children. This story
is telling us how important it is to believe and have that vision that these children have
a bright future despite their individual differences. 
Marva Collins set up her own school and gave up her well-paying job. She had
this vision that children deserve more and better education that a normal public school
can’t provide. With the support of her husband and her dedication, she built a good
environment, providing creative materials from their own resources that will help her in
teaching the students in everyday classes. Even though she encountered problems
upon building the school, she still continues to be determined and push children to
achieve success. She remains positive despite the different chaos she encountered.
She doesn’t want recognition. All she wants is that her students will climb, value hard
work and where it can get you. She wants to push those children to their full potential.
She loves them, takes care of them, gives time and attention and even disciplines them
by correcting their mistakes and giving advice. 
Marva Collins taught us that a teacher is a believer. A teacher is hopeful and that
in school students will be taught to stand on their own and push them to grow into their
highest potential.  A teacher also puts the weight of self-responsibility in her students
lap, making it known early (young age) that they are in charge of their lives, but making
sure to let them know that we are here to guide them. A teacher can change the life of
an individual and prove that the children are the hopes in the society. In the end, Marva
Collins proved that good old-fashioned (her method) works. Marva Collins proved by
being capable of giving those children the education they deserve.

4. The Ron Clark Story

Mr. Clark’s story is somewhat similar to Ms. Bess and Ms. Collins stories,
carrying high hopes and confidence to teach students.
 In his early months staying in that school in New York, particularly teaching those
diverse students, Mr. Clark encountered stressful and tough challenges brought by his
new environment. He was very reluctant to make it, that he could change negative
mindsets to those people (his colleagues, the parents and the kids) about education,
about their potential. But, through his devotion to his students, through his courage and
faith, he manages to cope with the situation. He’s very innovative and creative. With his
passionate use of special rules in the classroom, he was able to overcome the
situation, making a big impact on every individual in his classroom. He really loves the
children as he treats his students as his family and works beyond and above his
profession to reach out to them. In the film, he proved to his colleagues that these
students can do what other normal/advanced students do, that they have the potential
despite their individual differences. 
Mr. Clark’s method in teaching really influenced and inspired his students. He
imposed rules and regulations for the control and discipline in the classroom, negative
reinforcement was also there, with the situation, no one will get their lunch unless they
fall in line and positive reinforcements such as giving rewards like lollipops and A+
grades if they pass the tests and exams. He even fixed problems and mistakes by
guiding, helping the student in need. 
This movie also shows that it is more important to be proactive rather than
reactive. Punishments like sanctions and expulsion cannot solve the problem of the
kid. Instead, observe, talk and find a way to help them correct and change their attitude
and negative mindset. 
I was so amazed by Mr. Clark because even though he is suffering from
pneumonia, it never stops him from teaching his students. He continues teaching them
by using technology hoping those lectures will help raise their scores in the upcoming
exam. In the end, Mr. Clark’s vision, sacrifices and hard work together with his students
really paid off as those students really got the highest marks in the exam compared to
other sections. Mr. Clark is an example that a teacher must be selfless, idealistic,
creative and innovative and passionate about what he is doing. A teacher is giving
hope and pushing every individual to achieve success despite their differences. 

5. Reimagining Classrooms: Teachers as Learners and Students as Leaders

“As teachers and educators we must embrace the students of today to reimagine
tomorrow”. Teacher Kayla Delzer emphasized how to embrace change and
transformation. As educators in the 21 st century, we are taught not to confine ourselves
with the old-fashioned ways of teaching to grow and be effective in today’s world.
         Teaching styles have changed significantly over the years. This has paved the
way for a progressivism approach to teaching. This educational talk imparted us future
teachers to be more progressive rather than being traditional. It means, we need to
take away our notion of having a teacher-centered type of classroom management and
practice students to explore, learn on their own. Like Ms. Delzer we need to see things
differently to grow and foster. This will be more effective and will also teach us the
things we haven’t known and discovered.
We are in the 21st century where technology integration plays a big part in
education. Yes, technology has disadvantages. But, if we keep maximizing its
advantages, then students will continue to benefit from using such technology in
learning. As teachers, we also need to adapt or change our teaching methods in order
to become more creative and transformative. Also, to improve and be more purposeful
in teaching the students. We must be digitally aware citizens to adapt to changes,
embrace this generation by embracing their knowledge and interests and reimagine a
bright future ahead for the children that is the hope in our society. This video taught us
to go beyond what is inside the classroom, there are a lot of possibilities and
opportunities outside the box. Maximizing these, we can be globally competitive and
have a purposeful journey in achieving success.

6. Students need to lead the classroom, not teachers

“The one who does the work, does the learning”. As I’ve listened and observed
about Ms. Cadwell's educational talk, this statement amazed me which is anchored on
brain research. This will literally explain the title of the video “Students need to lead the
classroom, not teachers”. Students must be engaged in asking deep and meaningful
questions about what they are learning and they must have an authentic voice in our
classrooms. Ms. Cadwell emphasized the importance of students’ curiosity that will
stimulate their thinking and lead to further questions in the discussion.
The teacher in this video used ‘Harkness pedagogy’. It is used at the classroom
level to create the fundamental shift to student-directed learning that must be at the
heart of school transformation. It fundamentally shifts the dynamics of the teacher-
student relationship and places ownership and initiative for learning on the learner.
This literally means that the students drive the discussion by asking questions and
working together to delve deeply into complex texts or ideas and make meaningful
observations. Through this, we teach students how to use their voice in the classroom
and work with each other collaboratively which are very essential skills the students
need to acquire.
 “Changing schools doesn’t cost millions of dollars. It can begin if teachers are
supported to have the courage to step back to allow their students to step up and find
and use their voices”. Redesigning the classroom is not that difficult I might say. We,
as teachers, need to assess ourselves. We need to have the courage and strength to
create and make effective ways to do so. For example, creating non-negotiables for
each classroom to help establish an urgency for learning, working intentionally to
create a classroom climate based on trust, mutual respect and collaboration and let
students be heard and drive the wheel.