Teaching in the Philippines

Teaching in the Philippines has been a great experience and I have learned so much in 9 months it is hard to narrow this topic down into a blogable size. I first thought of writing about this topic after giving a small talk to a group of 4^th year education majors about the United States schools systems and comparing what I knew about the Philippine schools system to that of the US.

                I want to start by saying I am very lucky to be teaching at a college. I tend to have the best students from the public, and even some private schools in my classes. I do not have to face the most prominent effects of poverty, large classrooms, etc that many of the high school volunteers have to deal with. Many of the students I deal with have the resources and the intelligence to make it through that system and onto higher education despite many factors that can make that feat very challenging. Even though I do not teach in a typical public school setting, I will now attempt to describe the typical public school situation in the Philippines.

                Class sizes in Palawan are usually 60-90 students depending on where you are. They are also separated into sections by learning level. That means that all the “slow learners” are in the same section while all the “fast learners” are in a higher section. While this may seem unjustified to the teacher born and raised in a mixed level classroom I would like you to consider the following challenges teachers must deal with in a typical Deped (department of education) school. First, there is not enough funding or manpower to provide special education resources many schools in the US take for granted. That means, not enough case workers, special education teachers, and no classroom helpers to assist with those students who have problems like ADHD, dyslexia, and the myriad of other learning challenges which require very involved and specialized services. You can imagine how having all the students with these difficulties in one class may actually be easier than trying to handle the brightest students with the “slow learners” in one class, especially when your class size is 60-90 students. On top of all this, most teachers have more class loads than they typical teacher in America- often times at least 6-7 (at my university anyways, but I think it’s more like 4-5 in Deped). Classroom management, while still challenging, does not compare to the challenges most teens in the US can cause. Hierarchy of age and position are still a strong value in many Filipinos which helps with some classroom management issues.

                I think it is worthwhile to express that I do not think that the US is not free of it’s own education problems. One of my students actually posed this question to me which made me think to include it.. For one, disruptive students are often a problem that American teachers have to deal with on a much larger scale despite the smaller classes. Also, our schools do not teach a foreign language at a young age. Therefore, for us to learn a second language it is often much more difficult than someone who speaks at least two languages from a younger age. In fact, it is not uncommon to find the majority of people you meet in the Philippines to speak at least three languages. This is a feat I completely admire. Even many of the foreign people we meet form Europe speak at least 2-3 languages. I also have ideas about how much money should go towards education,  but I think that is a problem that many countries have in common.

Students giving a presentation

                 Life as a typical University student in the Philippines is very different. My largest class is 40-50 students, and those are first year classes which are students that are around 16 years old because of the 10-year basic education system. Often these students live in boarding houses which are minimally (if at all) supervised.The higher level or major related classes tend to be less than 30 students. Those students with lesser means have to struggle to produce extra money for xeroxing assignments and books, internet time for their projects, and supplies for presentations. I also have many moms in my classes trying their best to finish their education. Also, uniforms are used in basic education, college, and the career level.

                I have learned so much about what is important to me as a teacher in my short 9 months here. Has it changed my goals as a teacher? Absolutely. Before joining the Peace Corps I had hoped to teach at a prestigious private school but now I find myself desiring to apply for Teach for America and help students in more disadvantaged schools. Or maybe continue to work in schools internationally. Who knows at this point. Either way, I have been inspired, in a positive way, by my experience here.

Some students and at 5am before a tree planting event!