Insights About DepEd Tells Teachers Avoid Interactions Student Outside Schools

Teaching Science in Primary Grades

Hazel Ann C. De Guzman

2nd Year Class 2, Bachelor of Elementary Education

Mr. Renan B. Celeste

Ph. D

Date Submitted: November 20, 2022

DepEd Order No. 49 series of 2022 contained the Promotion of Professionalism in the
Implementation and Delivery of Basic Education Programs and Services which is the purpose of
the said order and that includes avoid relationships, interaction, communication, including
following social media with learners outside of the school setting, except if they are relatives.
That is why the Department of Education is telling its personnel to refrain from having
interactions with students outside of schools in a new order that contains a long list of other
things teaching and non-teaching staff should keep from doing and it became an issue to some
people especially teachers and students that get a lot of different reactions and opinions on
social media.

According to Poa, DepEd Order no. 49 is just a mere reminder to observe the
existing rules as civil servants. Under the issuance, DepED personnel were mandated to
treat colleagues and learners with the highest degree of professionalism. I believed that it
is important to be professional at all time because it improves their work and can serve
their duties in prompt, courteous, and fair manner, that is why teachers were told to “avoid
relationships, interaction, and communication including following social media with
learners” outside school setting to prevent and keep them away from incidents like
criminal, being in a relationship with student, and being biased. As a student who see some
situation where in some teachers became biases because of their relationships or friendship
with students, it is really not fair. It’s not just the teacher whose affected but also its students.
That is why it is really important to be a professional inside and outside the classroom. But
teaching is not just a profession but also a passion. But also, it does not mean being a
teacher does not stop inside the classroom, it must continue until outside. Teaching and
learning experiences that take place outside of the confines of the classroom walls have a
range of benefits for both students and instructors. When students are asked to put into
practice in the real world what they have theorized about from behind a desk, the result is
a student-centric learning experience that enhances learning and fosters personal and
social development (Larsen, Walsh, Almond, & Myers, 2017). Further, students that engage
in learning experiences outside of the classroom report having higher levels of motivation,
recall the course material more vividly, and have improved academic performance in the
class (Takeuchi et al., 2016; Ryan and Deci, 2017). Moreover, field experiences early in a
student’s career can be formative and can inspire students to continue in a field (e.g.,
Hutson, Cooper, & Talbert, 2011). That is why it should not neglect the duty of a teacher
just because the D.O. said avoid interaction outside the classroom. According to POA they
just reminding them of their duty to also be professional teachers. To truly professionalize
teaching, in fact, we need to further differentiate the roles a teacher might fill. Just as a
good law firm has a mix of associates, junior partners, and senior partners, schools should
have a greater mix of teachers who have appropriate levels of responsibility based on their
abilities and experience levels. My take, there should be a relationship in a sense like being
a mentor or role model not anything romantic. I look up to my teachers, they serve as not
only teacher who teaches lessons but also as a mentor and a role model because of their
good qualities as a teacher and know how to be professional that is why I want to become
one.

Reinventing the role of teachers inside and outside the classroom can result in
significantly better schools and better-educated students. But though the roots of such
improvement are taking hold in today's schools, they need continued nurturing to grow and
truly transform our learning landscape. The rest of politicians and parents, superintendents
and school board members, employers and education school faculty must also be willing to
rethink our roles in education to give teachers the support, freedom, and trust they need
to do the essential job of educating the students.