1. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT TEACHERS ARE FACING IN TIMES
OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC? USE STEEP ANALYSIS.
STEEP Analysis on the challenges that teachers are facing in times of the COVID 19
Pandemic.I would like to honestly share my experiences that challenged me as a
teacher in facing the COVID 19 Pandemic:
SOCIAL
Education is a boundless rendezvous of learners’ and teachers’ social life learning. The
sudden surge of COVID 19 Pandemic affect and totally change the social life of
teachers into limited and complex social. There were restrictions on the face to face
classes, now the problem was the delivery of lesson, we were not permitted also to
undertake home visitation to learners because, learners at their young age may be
vulnerable to the virus, there was a fear of infection, the teacher may be a carrier of the
virus. The only way we could have our lesson be delivered to learners were the use
social media platform. We were able to talk to them but not a hundred percent since
there were few who do not know how to use smartphone and has a social media
account.
TECHNOLOGICAL
Technology was not challenging to my part but to my learners it seems to be a
challenge to them, and when it comes to learner’s challenge automatically it challenges
me also. As I have mentioned to the social aspect that challenge as teacher in times of
COVID 19 Pandemic, there were few who do not know how to use smartphones and
manipulate social media platforms since it was one of our school’s preferred modality,
the online FB Classroom. There was still barrier in the participation of learners in the
teaching modalities.
ECONOMIC
The sudden outburst of COVID 19 Pandemic totally affect the economic status of
teachers and most especially the family of our learners. Some of them went really to
nothing (financial problem, nawalan ng trabaho), and the learning of our learners were
affected, wala na silang pambili ng basic needs nila. So our learner need to drop and
engaged in child labor. And it is challenging to our part as a teacher seeing your
learners dropping to school to take responsibilities because of the pandemic.
ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH: Academic restriction from the first it was declared lockdown I clearly still
remember the date, it was March 16, 2020. The fear of infection was what I am
bothered of, Learners will not be sent to school anymore but teachers still continue to
report physically or in skeletal force and of course we were considered as front liners. I
was mentally anxious how am I going to survive it if ever I will be infected. My fear of
getting infected almost killed me when I eventually got infected with COVID 19 twice. I
think it was not the virus but my mental anxiousness dragged my health. I was not able
to take care of my self because honestly one of I think the reasons was my
environment, I was not paying attention to proper sanitation. Another was my
workplace, having too much teaching loads in school, paper works, other appended
duties in school which I always need to beat deadlines. I was not conscious of my
health. Parang mas madali noong may face to face because we can have a little time to
rest. Correct me if I am wrong sa mga classmates ko. We spent the whole day of
paperworks, Meetings, compiling of sandamakmak na reports where in we almost forgot
to print our modules and summative assessment to our learners.
POLITICAL
Political aspect I can still remember how much I bought my printer, it was 6,000.00
pesos but I was surprised that the pricing of school supplies nowadays went too high.
Pricing regulations now where challenging. What if the life span of the machines we use
to provide the teaching modality will malfunction? Another the allotment of budget for
health was I think bigger than other area that need budget too. Yes, the government
focuses in addressing the COVID 19 Pandemic, but how about the education system
since we have been in concern with the production of modules that there was no
sufficient budget for this modality. In concern also with the environment too much
production of paper means cutting of trees. Government need to innovate a paperless
modality if incase we run out of trees.
2. HOW SHOULD A 21ST CENTURY TEACHER ADDRESSES THESE
CHALLENGES?
SOCIAL
As a 21st century teacher, I know that their social life will never be the same again
unless the COVID 19 Pandemic will be eliminated and everything will be back to
normal, I sort out all possibilities for them to easily still socialize with us their
teachers. We provide all our contact information so that they can be updated from
time to time about their lessons, modules, grades, feedback, and lacking. Through
the use of text message, phone calls, messenger app, Facebook, and handheld
radio.
TECHNOLOGICAL
There was no problem to the other learners who has capabilities in using the
Facebook Classrom as one of our modalities we upload in their FB Classroom the
PDF Format Modules, we upload video explainers, do interactive quizzes on it.
Learners who use messenger only, we send them converted modules to image so
they can easily access the modules weekly together with audio lesson. Those who
do not have any smartphone but basic phone we use handheld radio, as we give
them the contextualized modules into audio lesson (Radio Based- Instruction) the
audio lesson can also be copied to their phones as learning guides to their
modules.
ECONOMIC
The sudden outburst of COVID 19 Pandemic totally affect the economic status of
teachers and most especially the family of our learners. Some of them went really
to nothing (financial problem, nawalan ng trabaho), and the learning of our
learners were affected, wala na silang pambili ng basic needs nila. So our learner
need to drop and engaged in child labor. And it is challenging to our part as a
teacher seeing your learners dropping to school to take responsibilities because of
the pandemic.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND POLITICAL
For the last time that I don’t want to go Doctorate in acquiring the COVID 19 Virus
I have become health conscious. Health is wealth, I see to it that my environment
is pleasing and safe. Since we started a paperless module at least we have helped
the environment and lesser time to print modules.
Political
The political aspect consists of monitoring not only the political, but the
legal landscape of any country where the business operates. This
involves monitoring any changes in tax policies, pricing regulations,
voting participation rates, trade and jurisdiction union, state legislation,
restrictions or tariffs, regulation of monopolies, political stability, labor
laws, environmental laws, and other ordinances affecting business
operations. Failure to comply with all legalities in various markets can
become financially devastating. Analysts monitoring political factors for
STEEP analysis must be vigilant and thorough.