A Mom and More

It has been a month since the LET was administered to would-be teachers:  some novices who are fresh from college (and need a LET for an entry job), some re-takers who have long been teaching (but were not lucky to pass previous tests yet) and some second coursers (professionals in other fields who took basic education units to embark on an educator’s role).  I belong to the last group.  At 50, I thought learning to teach may be a step forward for me: to remain young, to repackage myself and to move forward in my life journey.

Presently, online sites, blogs, and discussion boards related to the Philippine Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) licensure exams are now bursting with a mix of comments from LET takers:  anxious, impatient, resigned or hopeful about forthcoming test results.  I look forward to the results also but not with as much apprehension and stress as younger examinees — because with or without a license, I want to be part of people’s lifelong learning experiences in my own capacity.  While everyone anticipates the LET results, I mull over these random thoughts.

1.  As a mom, when Aaron and Aleli were in prep, elementary and high school, was I ever concerned that their teachers were licensed?

No.  I remember I was more watchful of the way teachers understood my kids’ tantrums and moods; their show of concern when my kids were sick, forgot their lunch, or got low in their favorite subjects; their personal values/mannerisms/pronunciation and how these were copied by my kids.  I appreciated teachers who tapped my kids potentials and pushed them to perform better; who stood by them even if  they’ve not won an interschool art or science contest.  I’ve been touched by teacher who proxied for me as  loving guardians to my kids when I frequently left for office out-of-town trips.   I was mindful of teachers who were unreasonably stern, rigid and harsh; those who taught with mediocrity; and those who passed on their responsibilities to parents in the guise of school-home partnership strategies of learning.

2.   Is passing the LET a sufficient measure of a beginning or novice teacher’s teaching competencies?

No.  Personally, I think the LET merely establishes a floor — reflecting a broad range of basic knowledge, skills, abilities and dispositions –  which may help ensure that new teachers can perform responsibly with the minimal competence desirable for fresh entrants in the classrooms.   For me it should not be taken as a single measure of an education graduate’s potential for effective teaching in school.  For national standardization and hiring though, in the absence of any valid basis of competency, the LET would do for entrants.  But, it should be taken with the consideration that teaching competencies improve over time through continued practice, skills upgradeing, faculty feedback, mastery and professional development.   New teachers, just like other career newbies, are works in progress with much room to grow and improve over time.

On another angle, for oldies like me with decades of hands-on teaching experience from the work place, home and community, the LET imposes an unnecessary restraint to be of immediate help in remedying the shortage for teachers proficient in specific fields. If I were not challenged enough to have (some sort of) a passport to teaching, I would have foregone the LET since I felt it’s not practical for me to memorize general knowledge (supposedly stocked) which have changed since the time I learned them several decades back.  Though it was difficult to retain knowledge items in my short-term memory solely for LET use, I conditoned myself so I could be part of the teachers’ fold.

3.   Is it an assurance of quality teachers for the Philippine educational system?

The LET will definitely not assure the country of a pool of quality teachers.  The task of teaching is multi-faceted, complicated, and demanding and requires teachers to have a wide array of knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes.  Teachers have to teach students new knowledge and use this knowledge together with learned skills meaningfully. Teachers have to motivate and be sensitive to needs of students with varied personalities, cultures and learning needs.  They have to plan lessons, prepare instructional aids and manage the classroom and overall learning environment.  Considering all these functions of a teacher, a paper and pencil test as the LET will never be a sufficient gauge or single measure for ensuring quality teaching.

4.   What valuable lessons did I learn from the LET?

a.   Commitment to accomplish something requires finding and making time even when there seems to be none. I scheduled at least an hour of review a day on weekdays a month before the LET; however, I met intervening activities (on top of my regular home work load) which couldn’t be deferred.  There were family concerns which had to be prioritized, new tutees who urgently needed help with their school work, and family reunions where attendance was a must for all.  I managed with quality sleep of 3-4 hours a day and loaded myself with Stresstabs, vitamin C, and food on demand.  It worked for me.

b.   I can’t do it all, I demanded for a little help. For a week, I took a leave from being a mom and wife and from home chores.  My husband and kids had no choice but  to contend with dirty floors, dried up plants, piles of dishes on the sink, and food to go (unless husband gets inspired to cook).  This gave me a liberating feeling that I am worthy of time and some leeway to accomplish what I want, of putting myself first.  For almost all times in the past, I strived to meet everyone else’s needs, demands, expectations and requests without thinking of my own (as a typical firstborn and person pleaser would).

c.   Focus is powerful in getting things done, meeting targets and even budgets. Since I tend to have multiple goals at a given time, I consciously decided to concentrate on reading only LET review materials for the review hour I planned.  For several days, this was so difficult for me since I stashed up on self-improvement books I got on bargain and just couldn’t resist opening and finishing a chapter or two of any book I lay my hands on.  After nights of dealing with my book tempters, I would be seen propped up in bed and holding my reviewer but in deep slumber.  To focus on LET review (with barely two weeks left), I fixed up a study room at my sister’s space and committed time to do nothing else but review.

d.   Cooperative learning works. Group review and practice with my resourceful and unselfish classmates (Ariel, Jane, Tintin, Wee and Winnie) made reviewing fun and learning new stuff lighter and easier.  With them, my knowledge gaps were filled, some hazy mock test items were reasonably answered, and my “just-to-pass” attitude progressed into getting higher than 75.

e.   Being alone opens up realities which we often fail to see and accept; it allows us to experience our genuine selves as we rarely do. At the LET venue, I was all alone but I didn’t feel sad.  I did not see any familiar face in the test venue, not even the shadow of some acquaintance.  I was the oldest examinee in the room (most have been through college only over the past 3-5 years).   I was the only one who wore a skirt (to shorten lost time in taking restroom trips), long sleeves  and closed shoes – since I interpreted the LET dress code to mean dressing “as a teacher” should.  I was the only one in the room who brought a big bag of snacks and drinks (as if going on a picnic with the family).   Being alone made me empathize with the stress of a third time LET examinee, feel like the mother who accompanied her daughter to her test room (and even brought meals for her during the break), and appreciate loved ones who took time to text messages of encouragement the whole day — to think beyond myself.

f.   Not all “practice makes perfect”. Reading and hearing about the corruptibility of licensure tests, I relaxed myself and worked only for a grade a little higher than 75 (a first in my life since I’ve always had a perfectionist’s tendency). This proved to be a good position to take; otherwise, I would have been so frustrated and stressed with the type of test items which came out during the LET.  (I couldn’t list the flaws  I noticed because of a confidentiality  agreement which LET takers were made to sign.) Practicing for the LET using past years’ items and commercial reviewers may not ensure a perfect score; however, it familiarizes the examinee not only with sample test items and answers but also with some human errors one would surely stumble upon in the actual test.  The erroneous answer keys, some typo errors (which made test items senseless) and items with no plausible answers cited in some LET reviewers served as simulations of the real LET.  With mock up tests,  I had an authentic learning experience in test taking which allowed me to use my time efficiently.

g.   God will lead the way. While writing this blog, I am not yet sure if I will pass the LET or not.  What I am sure of is that since I’ve done my best to review for the licensure and prayed hard enough for God’s guidance (with the help of the sisters of Sta. Clara), the LET would be an answer to my prayer for a direction to take.  Passing the LET would mean taking a new path towards the education field; else, it’s time for me to redirect my future towards other paths which continue to remain open for me to pursue.