To our dearest school president, Dr. Erwin Vincent G.

Alcala, to the
Senior Executive Vice President for Finance and Campus Services, Dean
Eunice T. Pagatpat, to our Assistant Vice President for Facilities and
Management Division, Mr. Roy James A. Abeto, to our hardworking
administrators, faculty and staff, and to you, the Senior High School students
of Saint Paul School of Professional Studies, a pleasant afternoon.

How do you survive academics in a pandemic era? I am Mikaela Lacaba,

a Grade 12 home-based learner. Pass it on. This is my guiding principle.
Hence, it is my pleasure to pass on to you this afternoon how I am managing
and surviving academic life under the Home-Based Learning mode amid this
pandemic period.

First, proper mind-setting about learning. For the Home-Based Learners,

it’s easier for us to answer the activities and outputs right away without
reading thoroughly the content of each unit or chapter of the module. There are
times when I am tempted to do such but I would always remind myself to never
answer the given activities and outputs for the sake of compliance but to do it
for the sake of learning. As much as possible, you have to have hunger for
knowledge.

Second, be resourceful. Depending on what kind of learner you are, find

other resources or materials to help with your subjects. Solely depending on
the module will not be enough. There may be books in your homes or articles
online that will help quench your thirst for knowledge. In my case, I learn
much better when listening to a teacher and interacting with them but the
Home-Based Learning mode doesn’t exactly cater to that. Because of that
limitation, I gathered videos from the net that would help me better understand
the concepts discussed in the modules.

The last tip, which I think is the hardest to do is to be consistent.

Consistency is one of the keys to academic excellence. We are given about 6
weeks for each subject, I would suggest for my fellow Home-Based learners to
never cram and maximize your 6 weeks wisely by doing your tasks bit by bit
every day. After doing your outputs and activities, always check them and ask
yourself, “Am I happy with my work? Is this output better than the previous
one?” These may be small steps but they are helping you finish your work with
quality. Taking breaks is also a requisite if you aim for consistency. Every day,
I let myself have a one-hour break in the morning and afternoon to catch up
with the news or watch my favourite Netflix shows but I make sure to never go
as far as letting the whole day pass without doing at least two tasks on my list.
 A strong academic record can open doors for you in the long run.
Through the process of becoming an academic excellence awardee, you’ll learn
values that will serve you well. Most importantly, offer your concerns to God
and give Him all the glory of the results. Recognize His sovereignty and all
things will go well.

I hope these tips help you in pursuing academic excellence this 2 nd

semester.