TOWARDS BECOMING A LEARNING LEADER

Educational Leadreship & Development Academy

-How ELDA Has Helped Me Become One

If I will tell you now that I am not actually a teacher by profession, I hope you will still listen to me. After my studies and training 12 years ago, I went home to a small town 86km southeast of Cebu. But what always confronted me made me decide to become a teacher. I am a medical doctor and most of the patients I had came from poor families that could barely afford a decent medical service. Despite this sad fact, I was still able to help them heal; however, I thought I could help more by educating these simple people how not to get sick and I have to start with their children. Thus, seven years ago I ended my profession as a healer and started my vocation as a teacher.

I went back to school as a CEAP scholar and for four summers prepared myself to become an instructional leader. From being a classroom teacher for five years, I became an academic coordinator and just this year, the high school principal of a small congregational school in Dalaguete. Because of my training as a medical practitioner, I always set high expectations for performance in school. Furthermore, I always make learning a priority, ensuring that content and instruction are above the set standards. My post graduate studies and my experience with ELDA prepared me well for the new challenges I face today.

After ELDA, the first thing I did was to sit down with my co-teachers and together with the guidance counselor assess our students’ performances in standardized achievement examination. Together with the TPAS ratings and the student evaluation on teacher performance, we identified and analyzed the factors that could have resulted to mediocre performance in some areas. LEARNING NO. 1 from ELDA – Use multiple sources of data to assess learning. We then revisited our school vision-mission and made certain that we were aligned to the vision-mission of the education ministry of the congregation. LEARNING NO. 2 from ELDA – Create coherence in improvement efforts. All stakeholders should understand that there is a common goal to which each one is accountable and that policies, practices, and resources are aligned with this goal.

As a group, we then got into curriculum re-engineering. I empower every discipline to identify our ideal graduate attributes according to the core values lived out by our Mother Foundress; thus, aligning respective syllabi and phasing them reasonably based on assessment and evaluation of students’ performance per discipline last school year. LEARNING NO. 3 from ELDA– Achieve a fine balance of mandate and empowerment. On one hand, I must make it clear to all stakeholders that change is not optional, and that common goals may require my co-teachers to give up or defer some individual preferences. On the other hand, I cannot simply impose the goal. For me to be effective, I must create a safe environment for my teachers, using dialogue rather than dictates to keep the focus on core instructional issues.

After about three months of being an instructional leader, I am currently busy modeling learning. This is the most important thing I learned from ELDA. LEARNING NO. 4 – Model learning. After making certain our lessons are aligned with the DepEd standards and with the congregational learning continuum, the teachers through consultations with me have developed classroom assessments consistent with these standards, and we are currently evaluating students’ work for evidence that these standards have been achieved. I still coach teachers using explanations, practical examples, and demonstration lessons. I always show my co-teachers that I am open to new ideas, that I am result-driven and persistent in the face of adversity. I expect the same from them.

The best thing that have happened so far was that I was able to share what I have learned from ELDA to four more private Catholic high schools in Cebu. I know it was in the minds of the people behind ELDA to develop us into better instructional leaders. They are, however, more ecstatic to know now that their efforts have paid off more than twice-in fact, four times-benefiting almost a hundred teachers from four different learning communities.

As I look back seven years ago, I was thankful I did not pursue nursing after becoming a doctor. For some twist of fate, I became a teacher. I now believe that I was really destined to become one – much more than one. I was bound to become an instructional leader. According to Lashway in 2002, instructional leadership is a critical skill that can be learned through in-depth training for that role. My experience with ELDA taught me to put more emphasis on learning rather than on teaching and make a paradigm shift from school-based management to instructional leadership agenda. My experience with ELDA has made me into an affective learning leader, I believe.

(Delivered last October 2008 at Mariott Hotel during the ELDA Batch 1 Homecoming)