Read to learn: ‘Mentoring the mentors’ to boost reading mission

CALL it mentoring the mentors, a refreshing and intensive approach for effective teaching in reading.

This was how the teacher-participants, including the school administrators from Villanueva and Tagoloan towns bill a two-day training-seminar on beginning reading initiated by FDC Misamis Power Corporation (FDC Misamis), in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Philippines and the Department of Education (DepEd), held at the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Cagayan de Oro City recently.

Together with the Tagoloan district supervisor, 37 principals and Grade 1 teachers participated in the Ronald McDonald Read To Learn (RMRL), a flagship program of RMHC, designed to address the problem on non-readers among Grade 1 pupils all over the country. RMRL is in response to DepEd’s study that four out of the ten first graders in public schools finish the level as non-readers.

RMHC is McDonald’s Corporation’s charity of choice established in the Philippines. Sharing RMHC’s passion to make a difference in the lives of Filipino children, FDC Misamis adopted RMRL for the benefit of Villanueva and Tagoloan teachers and kids, where it is completing the construction of its power plant project scheduled for operations within the year.

FDC Misamis, a member of the Gotianun–led Filinvest Development Corporation, believes that the best seed to sow on solid ground is that on education.

Answer to frustrations

“Truly an answer to our frustrations in our quest to have zero non-readers in our school every end of school year,” was how attendee Gladys Banac, principal of Sta. Ana Elementary School in Tagoloan, illustrated the RMRL.

She added, “I think this is not just for Grade 1 but also for higher grade levels or from Grade IV and Grade VI because we still have quite a number of non-readers in these grades every end of school year.”

“And, having always these slow and non-readers in every grade is quite alarming. So, thanks to RMRL for providing our teachers new strategies on how to attack the problem on slow and non-readers.”

It could be one of the factors to attaining quality kids with quality education in Tagoloan and Villanueva, the lady principal hoped.

Painful, uphill challenge

But Titus Cruz, Head Teacher III of Dayawan Elementary School, a kilometer away from Villanueva’s town poblacion, has a different perspective about the problem on non-readers.

“Teaching kids how to read and understand what they’re reading is really a tall challenge to all Grade 1 teachers.”

Cruz, also a participant in the training, quipped: “Well, nice to have this ‘unique’ kind of teachers’ training that will equip our Grade 1 teachers new techniques and approaches to further intensify their passion in teaching reading.”

He expressed his “lamentation” over a dilemma on non-readers.

Cruz said that, most of the time, teachers are blamed for having non-readers in their respective classes.

“And this is “painful” on the part of our teachers whom we believe are doing their very best in teaching kids,” he stressed.

“Because no matter how good the teachers in teaching reading, still they have to fight two giant enemies before attaining a perfect 100 percent readers in their class.”

And these two enemies, he said, are both the economic standing and educational background of the parents.

Kids coming from poor families tend to be absent in their classes to prioritize helping their parents in their daily grind, he explained, adding, “So, reading for them is nothing!”

There are also parents who fail to mentor their kids at home, thus relying on the teachers to educate or better their kids’ future, emphasized Cruz.

These kinds of dilemma, therefore, directly or indirectly affect the reading capability of some, if not the majority, of the public school pupils in Villanueva, Cruz related.

He believed that these problems must be addressed not only by the school but perhaps by the government. If not, the goal to attaining 100 percent readers in class, especially in Grade 1, would remain an “uphill challenge” among Grade 1 teachers.

“But still we have no choice but to abide by the order of DepEd to have zero non-readers every end of school year. Therefore, we need to institute interventions, and holding of remedial classes in reading is one among those.”

Cruz expresses gratefulness to private entities like FDC Misamis and RMHC “for having initiatives in mentoring the mentors on new strategies and techniques in teaching reading.”

Big books that encourage reading

For Grade 1 teacher Daisy Mar Balendres of Tambobong-Balacanas Integrated School (TBIS) in Villanueva, the big reading books given after the RMRL training will make her teaching methods more effective this coming school year.

“I can now imagine myself teaching in the midst of interested pupils who are eager to learn and read because of the big books given to us.”

This, as she noted that lack of reading materials, especially the giant and colorful books, can lead to a “dull” class.

“But having now these big books, for sure, my pupils will be attracted to learn reading.”

RMRL kits, composed of 34 big books, pupils’ worksheets and teachers’ lesson plans, are distributed to participating schools as part of the program. The books that are included in the kit are developed in partnership with Adarna House.

Enhanced teaching abilities

Meanwhile, Dr. Edna Albaran, District-In Charge of DepEd-Tagoloan, foresees to have a throng of Tagoloan teachers having enhanced teaching abilities in reading in their district soon.

The RMRL, she said, was so helpful to them, especially in equipping teachers with the new strategies and techniques in teaching reading.

Albaran hoped RMRL participants will apply what they have learned while Banac wished for the sustainability of the program.

Both FDC Misamis and RMHC vowed to do constant monitoring and follow-throughs on the program implementation to help ensure that DepEd does achieve its goal of zero non-readers in the country. (PR)

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