My Narrative Report

Judith Swanson tells about how she learned a great lesson:

From the day we entered the ninth-grade health class, one blackboard was
covered with the names and location of the major bones and muscles of the
human body. The diagram stayed on the board throughout the term, although the
teacher never referred to it. The day of the final exam, we came to class to find
the board wiped clean. The sole question was: “Name and locate every major
bone and muscle in the human body.”

The class protested in unison: “We never studied that!”

“That’s no excuse,” said the teacher. “The information was there for
months.” After we struggled with the test for a while, he collected the papers and
tore them up. “Always remember,” he told us, “that education is more than just
learning what you are told.”

-Unknown

To be fully immersed on the school as a field observer opened a new

horizon on my mind on what it is like to be a teacher. A lot of challenges that I
would someday encounter got inside my head which brought me some frustration,
doubts and frights. Should I continue my journey to become a professional
educator that would somehow be an agent of positive change or should I change
direction to find an easier job with higher salary?

When I observed different class on Ninth Grade, my eyes were being

opened in the reality of the education system that we have. Also, I become fully
aware of the difficulties teachers and students are struggling. The face of the
public school is like a jigsaw puzzle that everyone must cooperate to find the
missing piece that will suit the vacant space to finish the task and attain the set
goals.

Due to high population, the classes start at 6 am and there are shifting of
classes. I was assigned in the class of sir Everon, a Filipino teacher, from 6 am to
12 am wherein I need to observe five sections he handle to complete my 17 hours
of field study. I also need to learn from him various strategies in teaching, the use
of different instructional materials and assessment tools. Daily Lesson Log
(DLL), National Competency Based-Teacher Standards (NCBTS) and other
important tools in teaching and assessing students and self were also a part of my
observation which he did teach me during vacant hours.

But my field study doesn’t end at those paper works that a professional
teacher should be aware of. There are lots of lessons I have learned through mere
observation and interaction in and out of the classroom. As what they say
experience is the best teacher, I learned a lot from being immersed on teaching by
standing in front of many students to discuss a certain topic. From where I am
standing, I saw the actual phenomenon a teacher facing every day.

No two individuals are exactly alike. Hence, a classroom is filled with

various students with different attitudes and behaviors. Some are simply quiet like
a calm sea, some are as noisy as a thunder, some are weird like they have their
own world, some are happy and always smiling, and some are naughty and bored,
always frowning. They also possesses different skills, aptitudes, and learning style
so the teacher must have a pocket of teaching strategies in order to teach them the
lesson the way students preferred to learn it. Teaching methods, style, technique,
and strategies are very important factors of teaching-learning process. In order to
attain the objectives, one must apply suitable approach for every topic that he/she
needs to teach.

When it comes to teaching and diverting students’ interest on what it is to

be discussed, the role of Instructional Materials should be considered. As a 21st
century teachers, one must be resourceful, creative and innovative enough to
catch the interest of the millennial and to capture their senses for effective
learning to happen. Instructional materials are very important since we learn more
from what we see than from what we hear. Textbooks, visual aids, charts, graphs,
mock-ups and pictures are some examples of instructional materials.

But, since we are now in the 21st Century, the role of technology is the
trend and one of the teaching fundamentals that every school and every teacher
must have. Not necessary all the time the teacher need to use gadgets or whatever
technological tools because using materials in teaching always depends on what is
the subject or topic of the discussion. But, it is advisable nowadays to use the
technology on teaching because students like it most and they are used to it and
they learn faster from it. However, many schools have not yet develop their
instructional materials and facilities that’s why they are being stuck at the
traditional way of teaching.
 In the reality, the problem of a teacher is not just paper works and
materials but also the present physical, emotional, and mental state of every
student and of him/herself. What affect the learning ability of student affects the
teaching ability of a teacher and vice versa; hence, the whole teaching-learning
process is affected.

Teaching is not an easy profession. It requires courage, strength and

perseverance to survive daily class with hundreds of different students. It requires
love, trust and faith to inspire the learners. It requires calmness and focus to beat
noisiness and “chaos” inside the room. It requires empathy to understand the
students. It requires confidence and self-esteem to face students despite of
frustration, doubts and worries. It requires a healthy soul, mind and body to give
every student what they need. And it requires integrity and hard work to be an
agent of positive change to shape and prepare every student for the future!