My opinion of educators in the Philippines. What is yours?

[Gratefuled]

My stepson attended public school until we (wife and I) met and married. He was behind in his studies and had bad habits. It is hard for a single mother to raise a child alone.( I raised 3 sons alone after my first wife passed away. Youngest was 13.)  

Anyway, we enrolled him in a private school ( Catholic). It was difficult but we managed to break him of some of his bad habits. Still, I noticed that he was not getting the guidance from his teachers. This was unfortunate. Seems like they (teachers) were, or are not qualified to teach. They just assign students what to do and then test them. They expect the students to get everything from their books. They assign very little if any homework. There are numerous religious and national holidays for different reasons and so their studies are interrupted often. The 2 more years of high school under the new K 12 program helped but a lack of qualified educators was the main problem.

This was a problem in the states until during the Vietnam War when the USA found that there was a need for more qualified educators. So, there was a program which offered "free scholarship" if a student majored in Education. This helped some because many used it to avoid the "Draft". 

Maybe the Philippines needs to offer "free scholarships" for any student who majors in "Education". Maybe, just maybe, this will help to get better qualified teachers and educators in the Philippine schools system.

[Old55]

Best and brightest are teaching overseas.

[JJReyes]

Have you checked how much public school teachers get paid?  After paying for 4 years college education, the graduates are required to work one year as an assistant without pay.  The reason given is they need experience before taking charge of a classroom.  Next.  Count the number of students in each classroom.  In the United States, the union representative will scream at the school administrator if the total is more than 25.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by JJReyes

[scott h]

29 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

the graduates are required to work one year as an assistant without pay.

That's really quite common, (or at least it was) my Dad was a Vice Principal then Principal of a High school. I remember him sweating bullets scheduling the recent graduates who had to spend a term in the class room with an accredited teacher. The length of time, the name of the program might differ but the result is the same. Work for experience with no pay. 

[Snowy79]

I've seen right through some of the education systems here. As has been highlighted it would appear the teachers open a book and give a question from it. The rest is up to the child. 

I was helping my partner through teacher training and the amount of arguments it cost was too much for me. I lost count of the wrong answers the teachers gave or methods they used to solve problems. Teachers not turning up, exams changing with no notice and not to forget the financial contributions that were off the record. 

[JJReyes]

My main issue with the Philippine public education system is their teaching method which is "knowledge" based. Students memorize information, then answer test questions. The USA and other Western countries are switching to "inquiry" also known as the "discovery" method. Students learn how to solve problems.

[Old55]

7 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

My main issue with the Philippine public education system is their teaching method which is "knowledge" based. Students memorize information, then answer test questions. The USA and other Western countries are switching to "inquiry" also known as the "discovery" method. Students learn how to solve problems.

Good point JJ! This is so true, general Filipino society critical thinking and problem solving skills are often lacking. On the other hand there are some great schools but outside the average Filipino budget.

[Gratefuled]

4 hours ago, Old55 said:

Best and brightest are teaching overseas.

China offers a salary plus free housing to teach English. One has to have a college degree. I do not know how much pay or what kind of housing. 

[Gratefuled]

4 minutes ago, Old55 said:

Good point JJ! This is so true, general Filipino society critical thinking and problem solving skills are often lacking. On the other hand there are some great schools but outside the average Filipino budget.

Many of the subjects required are non essential in securing employment. The main ones like Math, English and Science are lacking qualified educators. 

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Have you checked how much public school teachers get paid?  After paying for 4 years college education, the graduates are required to work one year as an assistant without pay.  The reason given is they need experience before taking charge of a classroom.  Next.  Count the number of students in each classroom.  In the United States, the union representative will scream at the school administrator if the total is more than 25.

 

 

I wonder if that is related to what we see happening at our private school.  We are under the impression that public schools pay more than private schools.  At our private school, in many cases, the teacher's only stay until they can get a job at a public school.