“Experience” a simple word yet full of meanings and memories, according to some sources experience teach us the thing we cannot ever forget, sometimes it may be hard but surely we can learn from it. My personal experience as a student teacher brings changes to my life. I still remember the first day of our Off campus teaching, mix emotions, I feel excited but very nervous, excited because for real I will experience on how to be in the real settings of my chosen profession, another reason is that finally someone will call me Ma’am Jaseel. I feel nervous because this time I need to apply the theories I’ve learned in the 3 years in a half of studying this course; I need to act as a professional teacher and I need to face the biggest challenge of being an Education student.

 

                November 24, 2014 is a remarkable day for the Batch 2014-2015 of CBSUA – College of development education students including me, I assigned at Eusebia Paz Arroyo Memorial National High School, at first I am wondering why I placed in this school, it is in Rinconada area where the language is different from the place where I came from wherein at Ragay, I know that it may cause a culture shock, but suddenly I’ve realized that I’m a teacher I need to be versatile, I should adopt to the environment whenever and wherever. I believe that God has a reason why I am destined to be part of Eusebian, that’s the only thing I put in my mind throughout the practice teaching, I know that good things will happen despite of all negative perceptions.

           

                 First week, second week, third week and so on has passed by, little by little I got familiar with the policies, rules and regulation of the school as well as the faculty and staff. I also meet my Cooperating teacher who is Ma’am Nancy A. Bayos, she is around 40’s, she is kind and very supportive teacher. I was handling two grade levels which are Grade 9 and Grade 7. In my grade 9 class, the students are heterogeneous so I decided to use strategies suitable for the divers’ students. In my grade 7 classes, I had two sections to teach on the Grade 7- Aphrodite which consider as the section 1 and Grade-7 Apollo. Teaching those students challenge me a lot because there are times that the students seemed uninterested to my lesson, too talkative, some students demand that since the subject is computer they should use computer as well because according to their they will learn easily if the materials are present which they can touch and see, as a teacher and student as well I know they right and it is just to provide them a necessary instructional materials which will help them to understand the lesson, but unfortunately the school can’t accommodate their needs (ratio of computer 1:1), that time I got speechless but afterwards I tried to explain to them the situation. In the Next other day I provide them some instructional materials, mocked up and handouts that may help them to understand the lesson. At the end of the day I considered those moments as good experience, why? Because from that experience I realized that as a future teacher I should be very realistic in delivering lesson through providing the actual materials and trying to relate it to the real life situation.

 

             Almost two months of teaching is not easy, my eye bags are the evidence of this. Even though I encountered a cloudy day, God didn’t fail to let me saw again the sunny day. Some of the reasons why I enjoyed staying in EPAMNHS are the different activities where I and my co-student teachers became facilitators. Last November 28, 2014 EPAMNHS celebrate Book Week and Career Guidance week with the theme “Nasa Pag-basa ang Pag-asa”, I assigned for the documentation of every activities like Spelling Bee, Quiz Bee, Math Quest and presentation of 4th year for their professional attire as part of career guidance celebration. Last December 15-17, 2015, the 4th Regional Patiribayan Festival was conducted. EPAMNHS serves as a host on that event. As part of our participation we were assigned on the committee on hall preparation. Last December 15- 17, 2014, EPAMNHS DLC conducted a caroling on the different barangays nearby Buluang and they invited us (student teachers) to participate and join the said activity. Another activity was celebrated last January 09, 2015, this activity is entitled Secondary Schools Festival of Culture and Arts with the theme “Kultura at Sining ng Pagkakaisa”, it was held at Baao Municipal Covered Court, I am one of the committee on Documentation. In the month of February lots of activities are also conducted like Love Run 2K15, JS Prom and MAPEH Day.

 

            My student teaching experienced here in EPAMNHS is absolutely the one that I will treasure for the rest of my life. One of the most unforgettable moments I experienced here is when my cooperating teacher and my grade 9 students join forced to surprise me, we’re all have been emotional that time including my very supportive CT, I can’t even imagine that they will make such an effort, I really appreciate them, it’s really amazing because that time is also the day where we scheduled to conduct our final demo teaching, that’s surprised help me to have more confidence in delivering my final demonstration teaching. That day end up with a big smile in my face.  When the time comes that we need to go back to our mother school, it’s really hard to say goodbye to my students because I will SURELY miss them. This is the sad part of my practice teaching. Before we officially say goodbye to each other they leave me a short message saying that “THANK YOU MA’AM FOR TEACHING US AND FOR BEING PART OF OUR LIFE”.

 

 

 

“Every experience is a once in a lifetime experience, because no matter how hard we try, nothing’s ever exactly the same as it was the first time”

 

                                                                                                    --Jolene Perry