Coming to school before 7:00 a.m., equipped with all the materials, properly groomed, making sure that everything is set and ready are only some of the routines and responsibilities of being an educator. What is more delightful and worth appreciating with them are the innermost characteristics that showcase tremendous source of inspiration for many which resulted into a number of successful individuals. Dedication, patience and flexibility are to name few of these said characteristics. That is why, when we talk about the living models of Filipino resiliency, one of the best examples is the teacher.
The above introduction is best discussed with the situations experienced by the teachers of Calbayog City National High School –Bagacay Campus. Our school is located at the lowland part of the barangay which made it the receiver of all the flowing water from its nearby and higher fields. Every time the rain is heavy, the school is flooded and it gets inside the classrooms making it a challenge to us. For the first and second day of having this flood, we were really helpless and that we were not able to conduct classes since the flood was within the thigh level. We could not afford to just wait for the rescue of the local government to resolve the entire problem. We could not either just wait for the campus to get drained and dry, and so our principal coordinated with some officials to conduct our classes in one of the covered basketball courts located in the city. This was a challenge for us and to our students as well as their parents since these incurred financial matter specifically the fares and allowances of the students and their safety of course in travelling. It was hard for us especially that there were no chairs and that we just grouped the students according to sections and assigned them in a particular space within the court. Our voice has to be made louder, no chalkboards, no electricity connection, we were the walking visual aids for our students. We survived for two weeks in this situation. Moreover, when the flood was below knee level, we thought of going back to our classrooms but the challenge is we couldn’t just conduct classes with still the water inside the classrooms. So the teachers initiated to ask assistance to many individuals to donate boots to be used by the students so that we could conduct classes inside the flooded classrooms. The response of this appeal was overwhelming, and so classes went on even at the middle of the flooded classrooms while students and teachers were wearing boots. This was tough since we have to be extra careful with our moves and to keep our things from falling into the water. This went through for almost a month and every time that the classrooms were flooded, we no longer were being bothered. Classes were no longer disturbed as if those were just regular and normal days despite of the flooded classrooms. Until such time that the local government through the assistance of the barangay officials were able to construct a concrete canal that resolved the problem. We were freed of the flood. The agony ended.
It was really a great challenge faced, experienced and overcome by the teachers since we had to be more encouraging to our students to attend classes despite of the situation. Asking assistance from different individuals especially at this time was such a humiliating and challenging act. But, despite of these, we stood still and were able to accomplish our mission and passion – to teach and touch the young and fragile personalities of our learners. “ Tayo Para sa Kinabukasan.”