I missed the fun, tensions, and revelry of the people in the raffle bonanza of Anda Integrated School as I and my school head attended the Division Training on the Enhanced School Improvement Plan (SIP) Process and School Report Card (SRC) slated last February 11- 12, 2016. However, there is nothing to be sad about being absent in the raffle draw because the training boosted my morale as a teacher.
Well, I still feel a little bit aloof in dealing with fellow teachers maybe because I am just a novice in the service. But, I tried to go beyond my timidity and I was able to mingle with co- participants especially to the school heads during the training. (Whew! I am still alive.)
There were 280 participants from the different secondary and integrated schools in schools division of I Pangasinan who stayed at Pangasinan Training Center to learn more about the latest changes in creating SIP.
Heads of different secondary schools in our division were tasked to guide us in crafting the plan and the card. Our expectations about the topic and on the facilitators were tapped by Mr. Jonathan Estrada. I and my other participants rapidly wrote our expectations on the given metacards. He also stated the objectives of the event which are the following:
1. Be able to develop a plan based on the needs of the school, prioritizing and identifying the target of profitability on the students or pupils.
2. To help the school administrators, teachers, students, as well as parents and stakeholders have a clear view of the targets necessary for the betterment of the school.
3. Guide the school heads to use and implement the School Improvement Plan in a progressive manner so as to see and be able to reap whatever has been cultivated.
The school heads were surprised as they undergone pretest. They needed to identify the acronyms found in SIP and to write the missing words in DepEd mission and vision.
In the next part, our creativity and imagination skills were tested as Mr. Jerry Junio asked us to draw our perfect school. I love art but art keeps on denying me. In other words, I cannot good at drawing. That time, due to adrenaline rush, I was able to help my teammates in illustrating our conceptualized school. The result: “Not bad.” I was able to draw lofty trees and plants. How about buildings and classrooms? Never mind. Our perfect school is a school which is environmental- friendly and free from hazards. We also illustrated the school which is accessible and near to key places of the community such as the municipal hall and health center. Our drawing was enhanced by other groups as we exchanged our drawings.
In that activity, we realized that in making and administering a school, it should be a collaborative effort. The faculty and staff should deal with parents and other stakeholders to cater quality instruction for the learners. The speaker connected the situation in making SIP. The plan should be created and promulgated with other people outside the vicinity of the school. The School Improvement Plan is a tool that will help the school to address its inadequacies and areas needed to be mitigated. He stressed out that SIP is needed because this will improve the school by having definite and clear direction for three years through the partnership of the faculty, parents and stakeholders like local government unit.
In the afternoon, all took the test about how we understand the DepEd mission and vision. Mr. Edgar Orperia retorted that we should not only recite these by heart but practice these. He is absolutely right. Sometimes, we forget to apply the principles embedded in our mission and vision. This is a perfect reminder especially for me who starts to thrive in the field of education. I should instill these in my heart and my mind while I am young so that I will practice these naturally through the years.
Mrs. Nelia Zabala helped us to determine Priority Improvement Areas or PIA. These areas are needed to be solved considering these criteria: Strategic Importance, Urgency, Magnitude and Feasibility. I learned that the areas should be given solutions in a span of three years. To come up with the urgent things to be solved, a project team should incipient. Mrs. Jeanette Liwaliw emphasized the importance of having a project team. An individual cannot accomplish this humongous planning for the improvement of the school. Thus, a school head should choose his teammates to make all systems go throughout the given period.
The second day of the training was still informative and productive. The first speaker to facilitate the number of delegates was Dr. Michael Rame. In his topic “Listen to the voice of the learners and other stakeholders,” the team should get the consensus of students and stakeholders who are the primary beneficiaries of the outcome of the humongous planning.
Dr. Melchora Viduya taught the participants in using diagrams such as fishbone diagram in seeking the roots of problems. Dr. Viduya likened the roots of school predicaments with roots of weeds. Weeds die if we uproot them, so as the issues in the school by immediately fix the occurrences of the problems.
Mr. Darwin Nazareno challenged the participants to become bolder and risk taker in formulating solutions when he spoke of his assigned topic “Plan Phase.” As innovators, we should be creative in making solutions. We should cerebrate out of the box. If we implement plan which is recurrent, we might not seek what we want to find and attain.
The generation of school report card was elaborated by Mr. Ernesto Cabudoy. Having school report card will ease the school in telling to the stakeholders the achievements and needs of the institution.
Dr. Marilu Cardenas, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent, told the participants about the hierarchical arrangement of the schools division office. She reminded everyone that all personnel under the schools division should know the organization of offices to make all the transactions systematic and on the right track. School heads were advised by Dr. Cardenas to still imbibe what they have sworn upon taking the power to be chief administrator of their respective values.
Before the closing program, we had the face to face encounter with the facilitators. All were grouped according to the number of facilitators. I was included in the group assigned to answer queries of Mr. Jonathan Estrada. A participant should draw his question to answer and requires replying to the follow- up questions of the facilitator. I drew the question, (It is rephrase. I forgot the question) “What school process can the project team study?” I answered this way:
“The project team can study the teaching- learning process which is related to academic performance. By scrutinizing the plethora of teaching methods and strategies used by teachers and learners’ styles in studying, the team can diagnose the problems on academic performance and give solutions on these like changing the styles of teaching and learning.”
The school heads took the posttest about SIP. They also undergone face to face encounter.
This training enabled me to gather valuable lessons that are viable in my teaching career and professional growth. I have used already the energizer “Simon Says” in my classes in removing the drowsiness felt by my students. In addition, I was mesmerized about being a leader in my professional level. Dr. Cardenas stated the functions of the principal which are principal as educational leader, people leader, and strategic leader. She said that these functions are also applicable to the classroom teachers like me, who are little principals in the classrooms.
The immense challenge after the seminar is on how to make the ideas to materialize. My perspective in solving problems should not be pessimistic as if the problems are indomitable. Producing SIP requires patience, determination, collaboration and dedication. I can say that I am important in doing this because teachers like me play key role in the school project team. I am not just a teacher or an ICT coordinator. I am a planner--- a member of school project team who envisions Anda Integrated School that will be an epitome of success and quality education for the next years to come.
(Originally posted in memorieshoarder.blogspot.com)
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