Republic of the Philippines

San Antonio High School

Schools Division of Paranaque City

As the government limits face-to-face interaction and prohibits mass gathering amidst COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education’s BLENDED LEARNING APPROACH was implemented with learners learning from home through printed/digitized Self-Learning Modules (SLMs), online (e.g., Google Meet, Messenger Class, FB Group, etc.), television and radio. With this dramatic switch to online learning, many of our learners and parents found their stress levels rising because the setting for learning had without a doubt changed.

This change in learning was indeed abrupt and clearly not ideal for some learners, parents, and teachers across the nation. COVID-19 currently is a curveball that left many feeling underprepared and overwhelmed. Before the transition to online learning, there was a separation between school life and home life. The two worlds are now colliding and, despite all efforts to have a new, productive routine, many of our learners found their selves struggling.

Administrators and teachers in San Antonio National High School Paranaque wondered about the impact such transitions will have on learners and parents emotionally, mentally, psychologically, and even physically.  They need to think about how they can teach during these trying times and how they can ensure that the learners continue to learn effectively and stay alive.

It is indeed true that virtual learning can keep learners safer during this pandemic, but we also must consider that our learners are struggling academically, socially, and emotionally. Majority of the learners considered online classes as lecture-heavy, repetitive, and boring. As a result, the first three months of school year 2020-2021 showed alarming number of learners who were struggling with their SLMs and had pending submission of SLM answer sheets. Some of the reasons include:

• Misconception of learners towards blended learning (blended learning is only for those who have gadgets)
• Inability to study independently
• Lack of parental support/adult supervision (working parents, single parent, etc.)
• Family size
• Peer pressure
• Learning environment
• Lack of available space for working/learning at home
• Lack of available gadgets at home
• Insufficient load/data allowance
• Unstable mobile/internet connection
• Others: mental health issues (e.g. anxiety, depression, academic burnout, etc.)

There is a need therefore for a stronger home and school partnership for it facilitates better and more consistent communication and collaboration between teachers and parents. This idea on partnership can still be further expanded to include the local community, especially the local government units because a sustainable and supportive partnership with internal and external stakeholders can help in enabling an effective and responsive learning continuity plan.

This school year 2020-2021, SANHSP strengthened its commitment to win the Students at Risk of Dropping Out (SARDO) back on track by enhancing the previous Drop-Out Reduction Program (DORP) of the school. The Enhanced Drop Out Reduction Program (EDORP) entitled Project ELISARDO (Empowering, Leading, and Inspiring Students at Risk of Dropping Out) aims to provide multiple pathways to learning that can accommodate every learner so that no learner will be left behind.

This program officially started as early as August last year and is expected to end on June 2021.

The persons involved in this program were the following:

• School Head
• Subject Coordinators
• Guidance Teachers
• DRRM Coordinators
• Other Coordinators (ALS, ICT, SBM, etc.)
• Advisers
• Subject Teachers
• Learning Support Aides (SLAs)

Moreover, this intervention program was anchored on the following objectives:

1. to ensure that advisers and teachers have careful attention towards warning signs

and act quickly to provide appropriate interventions;

2. to provide rigorous orientation to teachers on strategies that work with at-risk students;
3. to establish successful teacher home visit program for SARDOs;
4. to promote and uphold Bayanihan spirit;
5. to promote Academic Ease; and
6. to refer SARDOs to CSWDO.