Republic of the Philippines

Surigao del Sur State University

Rosario, Tandag City, Surigao del Sur

PHILOSOPHICAL and SOCIOLOGICAL

FOUNDATION of EDUCATION
(Final Exam @Dec.27,2021)

Name: JOYBIE A. LOAYON

Course: MST-SCIED/MAED-EM
Instructor: Dr. MARIA THERESA Q. YUSICO

Question: What other benefits would you propose to alleviate the plight of the private
and public-school teachers on the country? Explain.

Answer: To alleviate the situation of private and public-school teachers across

the country, I propose reducing the number of standardized tests, improving
teacher pay, shortening teaching time and lengthening planning time, and
giving teachers greater classroom authority.

 Reduced the number of standardized tests- It's worth noting that I

advocate for fewer standardized tests rather than none at all. Standardized
tests have a place in education, but like anything else, too much of a good
thing is bad. Perhaps rather than tracking student achievement every year, it
would be better to do it every three years. This would save a lot of money for
many governments and a lot of worry for kids. Furthermore, standardized
examinations should only be used to track student development, not to
determine whether or not a teacher is held accountable. Observations, lesson
plan reviews, and student questionnaires are all more effective ways to
evaluate a teacher's worth.

 Offer teachers better pay- Too many teachers have second jobs to
supplement their income, which is absurd given that teaching is a profession.
No one enters teaching with the intention of becoming a millionaire, but no
one should expect teachers to work so hard for such little money. I support
hybrid paygrades, which pay educators a salary plus the chance of overtime if
they work beyond their contracted hours. This would need school systems
defining clear-cut hours that instructors are expected to work, as well as a
means for teachers to accurately document how many hours they work when
they must remain late or arrive early to complete their obligations. Opponents
may worry that certain instructors will take advantage of the situation and milk
the clock, but there are two factors to consider: first, most teachers do not
love staying late into the evening, and second, if other teachers are willing to
stay late into the evening, they will.
 Shortening teaching time and lengthening planning time- This is not to
argue that planning time should take precedence over teaching time; rather,
sometime should be taken away from teaching to devote to planning. Finland
and Japanese teachers have more planning time and achieve better
classroom results. This is because their educational leaders recognize that
teaching entails much more than just instruction. Teachers, like other
professionals, need to plan and prepare behind the scenes in order to provide
excellent classes. These responsibilities include developing a lesson (or
adapting an existing one to meet the needs of current students), locating or
creating materials (e.g., researching best practices, gathering supplies,
creating a master copy, making copies of the master copy, uploading a
resource to the teacher website, etc.), grading papers, assessing students'
progress to determine next steps in instruction, providing useful feedback, and
so on.

 Giving teachers greater classroom authority- The majority of educational

standards are established with skills in mind rather than resources in mind. As
a result, the materials that teachers can employ in the classroom are
practically limitless. Unfortunately, many districts entrust the selection of
materials to anyone other than the teachers. Although school boards may
listen to teacher advice, they ultimately have the last word on what is allowed
in classrooms. Other times, textbook firms come in and offer materials that
are specifically connected to our state exams. Parents arrive at odd times and
pose questions about the material. While I agree that parents should have the
right to question material, I believe that school and district leaders should
avoid knee-jerk reactions solely to placate parents. They should listen as
objectively as possible to their teachers' justifications for using certain
materials. In most cases, the content being used is not necessarily harmful; it
is simply offensive to the parent.