by Lesly Guevarra
There is no doubt that millions of students are struggling in distance learning, but who would’ve thought that parents are, too?
“Ang hirap talaga ng ganitong set-up. Kahit akong magulang e nahihirapan rin,” said Perly.
(This distance learning set up is not easy. Even a parent like me is having a hard time)
On October 5, 2020, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched the blended learning system requiring students to shift to hybrid learning, meaning students may choose between distant online learning or modular distance learning.
“Ang problema e wala kaming internet o gadget man lang. Kaya naman, walang choice mga anak ko kung hindi modular,” she said.
(The problem is we do not have gadgets nor internet connection. Thus, my children have no choice other than modular learning.)
“Naaawa nga ako sa kanila. Hindi man lang sila makapag-search sa internet kapag may ‘di sila alam na sagot sa module. Pero wala naman akong magawa,” said Perly.
(I feel bad for them. They can’t even search on the internet when they do not know the answer to the modules. But there’s nothing I can do.)
Perly Dizon is a mother of four, three of which are elementary students in San Antonio Central School, a public school in San Antonio, Nueva Ecija.
She goes to the school two to three times a week to get the Self Learning Modules (SLMs) then submit them to the teachers of her children the following week.
“Unang-una, tatlo yung anak ko. Iba-iba ng schedule ng pagkuha at pagpasa,” Perly said when asked what the challenges of distance learning to a parent are.
(First of all, I have three children. They have different schedules of distribution and submission of modules.)
Aside from the risk of contracting the virus, she said that it costs her a lot of time and money to go back and forth to school just to get the modules.
“Sa pagtuturo ng bata nahihirapan din ako dahil ‘di pare-pareho ng grade level yung mga anak ko. Syempre ‘di ko naman sila pwede tutukan ng sabay-sabay,” she added.
(I’m also having a hard time teaching them since they are in different grade levels. Of course, I cannot teach all of them at the same time.)
Perly’s children are in grades one, five and six. And on top of her daily duties, she needs to divide her time to help them in their modules.
“Kapag oras ng pahinga ko sa mga gawaing bahay, sinisingit ko na maturuan sila ,” she said.
(When it’s time for me to take a break from household chores, I try to teach them.)
“Pero kadalasan sa gabi ko na lang sila natuturuan kasi noon lang ako walang ginagawa
(But I usually teach them only at night because that was the only time I didn't do anything.)
Compared to high school and college students, elementary students require more guidance and attention from their teachers as they are in their developmental stage. In distance learning, parents will have to be the ones in charge of guiding their children and explaining the lessons to them.
However, the problem is some parents also find difficulties in understanding and answering the SLMs of the students.
Such is the case of Perly. She said that she struggles in explaining the lessons to her children as she is also not familiar with the topics.
“Yung mga lesson kasi nila ngayon ‘di ko naman na-encounter noong nag-aaral ko. Kaya ‘di ko rin talaga alam kung paano ipapaintindi sa kanila,” she said.
(The lessons they have now, ‘I didn’t encounter when I was studying. So I also don’t know how to explain it to them.)
“Math at Science ang pinakamahirap. Minsan may mga experiment pa. ‘Di naman namin alam ng mga anak ko yung sagot o kung paano gawin. Kapag ganun ‘di na lang nila sinasagutan,” she added.
(Math and Science are the hardest subjects. Sometimes there are experiments too. My children and I don’t know the answers nor how to do the experiments. So, when that’s the case, they will just choose not to answer)
Despite her efforts, Perly believes that students are not really learning in this new learning system.
“May mga natutunan, kaya lang kaunti. Hindi kagaya nung face-to-face na naliliwanagan sila,” she said.
(They learn, but just a little. Unlike in face-to-face classes where they can really understand the lessons.)
“Turuan man sila, di rin nila mapipick-up kasi walang aktuwal na paliwanag ng guro ,” she added.
(Even if you teach them, they cannot fully comprehend because there is no actual discussion from the teacher.)
“Kaya naman kung ako tatanungin, mas mabuti sana kung makakabalik na sa face-to-face yung mga bata kung pwede na,” said Perly, “kasi doon talaga malalaman kung may natutunan ba ang mga bata.”
(If you ask me, it would be better if students can return to face-to-face classes as soon as it is possible, because in school, we can really see if the students are learning.)
On May 21, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said that the department is ready for the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes in some public elementary and high schools once President Duterte gives his approval.
In a webinar entitled “Educating our Children in the New Normal,” Briones said that there are around 600 schools from low risk areas that are ready for face-to-face classes. She also noted that these schools were evaluated under very strict standards to ensure the safety of the students and teachers.
“Anytime the President gives us the go signal, we can open face-to-face (learning in these schools),” said Briones.
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