INSTITUTE OF INNOVATIVE EDUCATION

ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING 2
AY 2020-2021 2ND SEMESTER

Name: Geneses T. Gayagaya Date: 03-21-2021

Year: 3rd Year – BEEd Professor: Ronald O. Matriz

Topic: A Reflection Paper about the Use or Misuse of Authentic Assessment

1. Find stories or cases online about the use or misuse of authentic

assessment.
2. Make a reflection.
3. Indicate your references/sources.
4. Refer to rubric as basis for scoring.

What it means to be a multi-grade teacher

By Christian U. Burgos

A friend once told me how disappointed he is with the newly-hired teacher who
kept on complaining with the given load.

“What is she complaining about?” I asked my friend.

“That assuming egoistic newbie, she keeps on complaining she’s so hard up

teaching six hours a day in Section 2 and 3 Class, with only five lesson
preparations!” My friend is shouting.

“So why are you so furious then?” I asked him calmly.

“Well it’s because I am teaching straight subjects of Grade 6 without a relieving

teacher and I am also handling 2 pupil organizations plus the duty of an ICT
Coordinator,” he explained. An ICT Coordinator is someone who makes report
through the internet, usually about school enrolment and other school statistics.

“Then I should be mad at you,” I smiled with confidence on my remark.

“Why should you?” He was puzzled.

“Because I am a Multi-Grade Teacher.”

Sometimes, we are busy in our own school struggles that we complain. But when
we mirror ourselves to others, we can see that we are more fortunate because
we realize that our struggles are not really struggles to others.

Well basically, I teach Grade 5 and Grade 6 in a single, not so spacious

classroom. If I describe my classroom, I would say that it is a part of a three-room
parent-made classroom in 1959, renovated in many ways just to survive storms
and wood-eating creatures. In 2016, it was declared unsafe by municipal
engineers because its corner posts are termite-infested but we can’t possibly
demolish it as we are still expecting its replacement.

I have 15 Grade 5 pupils and 10 Grade 6 pupils. Manageable?

I prepare eight lesson plans for Grade 5, and eight lesson plans for Grade 6
everyday. Easy?

I prepare at least 8 different visual aides everyday. Light?

My home to my “second home” is about 10 kilometers and you have to travel

through rough roads. (My pupils describe the road as powdery.) Enjoyable?

Our school is located beside a mountain. It is a common scene to see lizards

and rats. Sometimes snakes. Natural?

I asked my friend if my being a multi-grade is manageable, easy, light,

enjoyable and just natural. He simply said, “don’t be mad at me my friend.”

Being a multi-grade teacher is an everyday struggle. Well, at least in your first

year of teaching, or months or years of adapting. As to my experience, it
becomes easier everyday. My inspiration here is HL Neri who wrote “Love Your
Work.” Work is not work anymore when it becomes a pleasure, he said. So I am
taking my school work as a pleasure. Anyway, twenty five pupils from different
cultures and smells are still God’s gift.

Daily Lesson Plans, oh DLPs, how I hate them they took most of my slumber time.
But DLPs became my lovelife because I was chosen to be a part of the team in
our division who wrote prototype DLPs which we now adopt in our daily
teaching. And this MG-DLP writing was institutionalized. Download Deped Order
No 8, series of 2018 and see how much the government spent for this in
remembrance of their care to Filipino children who live in far-flung areas. Thanks
 to my teammates by the way. Our DLPs are helping thousands of teachers all
over the country.

Visual aides, on the other hand, had squeezed my brain beautifully. I discovered
I love art, and music and dances. I had made paper robots and drew a lot of
birds and Mickey Mouse. I also was able to draw the picture of a girl I fantasized
when I taught adjectives. I downloaded and edited music to incorporate in a
relatively creative ethnic dance. I bought guitar and drumsticks and lyres. For
the love of music, visual and performing art, I was a multi-graded teacher. And I
am still.

And what if I ride just so I can teach. Imagine you are riding a motorcycle but
feeling you’re on a horseback riding adventure. I just love the air breezing on my
cheeks. The decibels I hear from the motorcycle may be high but during
decelerations, I can still hear chirping birds. During harvest time, I smell the
aroma of golden palay.

The beauty of my present station is a first-hand commune with nature.

Topographically, our school is beside a mountain. If you could just stand on top
of that mountain, you’ll figure it out that the community is enclosed by ricefield.
The school is very near to a creek, leading to a river. Of course, if there is lizard or
rat, there’s a snake. They balance the ecosystem.

Bloom where you are planted, a good friend always tells me. She must be an
avid reader of Bo Sanchez or Rick Warren. Alongside of this thought, a struggle
can mean fulfillment too. It all depends on how one appreciates the ground
where he/she moves.

I am a Multi-grade teacher. More than anything else, be it hard or easy, smooth-

sailing or stormy, the fact that I swore to be a teacher, it is a noble act to
accept who I am, be happy to what I do and just bloom where I am planted.

Reflection:
While reading the article about What it means to be a multi-grade
teacher, I’ve learned a lot of things that being a multi-grade teacher
you should be flexible, versatile and expected to be adaptable and
utilize different strategies to learn purposeful and effective for all
students. And it says in the article that I have read “Sometimes, we are
busy in our own school struggles that we complain. But when we mirror
ourselves to others, we can see that we are more fortunate because
we realize that our struggles are not really struggles to others.” Yes, I
can relate with this, because sometimes I seem to refuse to see the
obvious fact that I keep on complaining without realizing that I’m
really favored because the struggle of others ain’t my struggle. That’s
why do not compare your struggles to anyone else’s. Everyone has
their own fights and a different path that they chose to get to where
they are. It just shows that being a multi-grade teacher is not an easy
profession, but if you love what you do and have no doubt with love
at work everything will be easy. Let us accept whatever is given to us
without hesitation because we want this work with concern and love
for others. You can only become truly accomplished at something
you love . Don't make your money your goal. Instead, pursue the
things you love doing and then do them so well that people can't take
their eyes off of you. When you chose to be a multi- grade level
teacher expect that you have to accept tones or loads of work you
need to accomplish within a day. You don't need to complain
because in the first place you choose to be a multi- grade level
teacher. we all have struggles in life we just need to face it and
overcome. Struggles are just a long way to have success in our life.
Multi grades teacher is not an easy job, it gives us a lot of paperwork.
A teacher in the provinces is not like here in metro manila in the
province especially in the mountains you need to sacrifice half of the
salary because they don't give materials in teaching easily. To teach
you should have the committed and passion on it. Multi- grade
teachers know how to bring out the best in students. You are Braver
than you believe. Stronger than you seem. Smarter than you think, and
Love more than you know. A good Teacher can inspire hope, ignite
the imagination and instill a love of learning.

Reference: What it means to be a multi-grade teacher | Philippine News

Agency (pna.gov.ph)