Quality education, the production of globally competitive graduates who can tie up with global and international standards in work and services, seems to be most sought after by employers in this generation. Teachers’ performance is measured upon the teachers’ quality output of work as to quality graduates depends upon the collaborative efforts of school administrators, parents, community and most of all-the teachers. This is one of the most critical commitment of a teacher- to mold quality learners and produce quality graduates.
Teachers’ performance is guided by different dep-ed forms. Every day, teachers in the public elementary grade usually accomplish six or more dep-ed forms such as; daily lesson log/lesson plans, school form 2, daily reflection, daily remedial reading, remediation, reinforcement and enrichment and e-class record as needed to be checked by the school head excluding the checking of evaluation outputs, seat works, recording of summative results and preparation of instructional materials as a prerequisite to the teaching and learning process and others. These will give accounts as proofs of the teachers’ accomplishment. However, if we come to realize, the teacher has allotted time to teach in a particular subject every day. In real situations, it could be possible to shoot two birds at a single bullet, but it would be hard to cross two rivers at a time since producing performance proofs(certificates) might be conflicting from the production of performance outputs (learners).
In the serious accomplishing of the different dep-ed forms in order to have performance proofs (certificates), the teacher’s basis of performance will surely be good if not very good. This will of course boost the morale of the teacher as well as his/her hope for a better position in the workplace. However, it might be dangerous that the expected quality of performance outputs (learners) might be sacrificed. It would be honestly hard for a teacher particularly in the public elementary grade level to hit excellence for both his/her achievements and the achievement of the learners in the teaching and learning process.
“If you say you did everything for a learner and yet you failed to give him/her your best, you actually did less”. It is indeed true as i hear from our professor, dr. Honorio c. Buccat. It is really hard and so bothering to realize that we have to carefully make our choice of focus between performance proofs or performance outputs. Nowadays, ranking in the dep-ed is based on printed proofs such as certificates. A teacher who teaches very well but with less certificates cannot be promoted if another applicant regardless of his/her teaching ability but with lots of certificates has a greater chance of taking home the bacon.
In choosing the learners’ future and our future as well, we have to balance both in the quality of our performance proofs and performance outputs. These are our mirror of personalities. This will be our quality as well. However, in such matters, we have different reasons in giving our ideas. We have different strategies in meaning our qualities. There are times we depart from the intersections of our thoughts, but, from such intersections we can be able to meet into one purpose-our own quality. In giving our best, be it for the sake of performance proofs or performance outputs, the most important thing is we have to do our best and that our best describes ourselves as teachers!
By Woma k. Ungogan
