Teacher initiates ‘classhome’ to cope with distance learning

A teacher of Dueñas Central Elementary School in Iloilo transformed her room into a classroom as the education sector continues to adapt to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in school year 2021-2022.

To manage COVID-19 cases, local government units (LGUs) have designated schools as quarantine facilities, including Dueñas Central Elementary School (DCES).

“Ang amon school, ginagamit as quarantine facility so twice a week lang kami gareport kay indi man pwede adlaw-adlaw. I spent most of my time gid working sa balay,” 36-year-old Daisy Mae Celis-Lapasaran of DCES said in a media interview.

But instead of being discouraged, Lapasaran, a Grade 1 teacher of the school, thought of a way to ensure that the school environment will continue despite the fact that she spends most of her time working in the comforts of her home.

Lapasaran initiated a classroom away from school by transforming a portion of their house to look like an actual classroom. She called her brainchild a “classhome”.

Just like a regular classroom, Lapasaran’s classhome is colorful and vibrant. The space features bulletin boards, borders, family tree with photos of her learners, quotations, and even a dedicated monitor board to track the progress of the students in their modules.

According to Lapasaran, she personally designed the “classhome” using scratch paper and other available materials.

“Ang mga gina-decorate, akon lang ginhimo, gingamit ko mga scratch nga bondpaper kag gasearch pictures nga mapangtapik,” she shared.

Lapasaran admitted that she also encountered challenges to adapt with the new mode of teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite this, she vowed to continue her work as she feels responsible for the future and welfare of her students.

“Maskin ano ka budlay, wala ko gid naisip nga magresign. Aside nga amo ni ang amon man nga bread and butter sang akon pamilya, ginabalikdan ko man ang akon mga estudyante, ano na lang matabo sa ila. Gusto ko man ibalik ang serbisyo sa Department of Education (DepEd) kay wala man kami nila ginapabay-an,” she added.

Lapasaran is also optimistic that there are still a lot of talented and skillful teachers who are willing to go beyond their duties to ensure that quality education is made available to the learners amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Padayon lang sa paghatag sang kalidad nga edukasyon sa kabataan, mabudlay ang sitwasyon kaya ta ini. I know madamo pa ang mga maestro kag maestra nga creative,” she said. (ERS)