As we know, K-12 is the newly approve curriculum which will formally start the school year.

Teachers,
parents, and the entire Philippines are talking about it. Mostly, parents are telling and asking why there’s
a need to implement on this. Is this really could help the new generation in finding a job after graduating
six years in high school? Why there’s a need to change curriculum? These are just some of the many
questions coming from the mouth of the parents. Last Saturday, May 5, 2012, Doctor Alonsabe
presented to us a video about the importance of K-12 program. According to Doctor Paraluman, the
teacher should posses the five (5) Cs in order to ensure the pupil’s learning one is commitment, this is
very important for us as a teacher when we are committed to our work. It is our responsibility to make
them learn the lesson, not just we teach because of the money earned. Second is competence. I am not
pretty sure how competent I am that’s why I tried my best to study more, to learn more by pursuing my
studies. For me, to go with the flow of changes, so that what I’ve learned and experienced, I could also
share it to my students that would add their knowledge. Third is creativity. How creative a teacher as you
is? It is very important, that the teacher is capable of arousing the interest of students towards the
lesson and the only way that you can hold the student’s attention until the class will end. As a teacher, I
always see to it that my topic is very interesting so that my students would pay attention to my class or
during my discussion. I always use new strategies from them not to feel bored. And sense of humor will
do a lot to make your class active and quite enjoyable while learning. Fourth is compassion. I am pretty
sure that I posses this because I love my students. I treat them as my own though I am single and I don’t
know what exactly the feeling as a mother. If not I treat them like a sister or brother that’s why many of
my students love me also. My experience of this, students will come to you, sharing their lives, telling
their problems, and most of the time I will be touched by their stories and through that I, as a teacher-
adviser to them can always understand their situation and know how to deal with them. And lastly,
character. As a teacher you should know how to handle your students, be humble and be patient always
in dealing with the different character of the participants so that whatever problems you will encounter
you know how to solve it already and know what to do about it.

“If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies”

-(Author unknown)

The onset of the K to 12 Curriculum for this school year 2012-2013 has certainly rippled the waters of
our stagnant pond. People’s speculations on what would be the outcome of the K to 12 flocks to the field
of inquiries in schools. Even the teachers themselves are somewhat apprehensive of the
implementation of the Grade 1 and Grade 7 of the K to 12 Curriculum. However, our educational leaders
are one with the teachers in propagating the good news of the K to 12 Curriculum to the farthest corners
of the Philippines. Our leaders are also doing their best in order to achieve the desired outcome of this
change. The people behind this big change in the educational curriculum are optimistic that the Filipinos
will support the said program. After all, according to Charles Darwin, “It is not the strongest of the
species that survive nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”

The following scholarly individuals from the Deped Central Office have enlightened my mind on the fuzzy
side of the K to 12 Curriculum: Bro. Armin V. Luistro, Dr. Yolanda S. Quijano, Dr. Paraluman Q. Giron and
Dr. Marilyn D. Dimaano and Mr. Edison A. Fermin. They have delivered the fresh picks of the K to 12 so
that the program will be marketable to the stakeholders. Prior to the viewing of the video clips, Dr. Olga
C. Alonsabe discussed about the IPO (Input-Process-Output) model and what it takes to produce the
desired graduate, for example, if I want to open a school. Several factors were mentioned such as for the
input- the choice of faculty, the facilities, the subjects and the curriculum…for the process- the teaching
strategies, the school practices and culture and between process and output, there are still more
processes in between in order to produce the desired graduate.

Why do we need to change the Curriculum? We need it most in order to be globally competitive and
functionally literate. Such a very idealistic answer but it would not be impossible, I guess so, if Filipinos
will embrace the new program of the Deped. When the video clip was played with Bro. Armin V. Luistro
on screen, I jot down lines that struck me most. To name a few: …SY 2012-2013, roll out the program for
grade 1 and grade 7 curriculum; K to 12 is made by Filipinos for the Filipinos, hope for a sustainable
journey, K to 12 is a gift for the 21st century Filipinos and lastly a challenge: “be a part of the
undertaking….” These remarkable words moved me. I pondered upon the saying: “If nothing ever
changed, there’d be no butterflies…” Yes, it is, butterflies are a sight, they lure our eyes to watch their
beauty sway up in the air, they kiss a flower to another flower in order to propagate the splendor. Why
can’t we be like the butterflies? So I thought, we have to metamorphose…from Kindergarten to grade1
to grade 12. Sounds good, 12 years of basic education makes every Filipino one with the rest of the
world.

Dr. Yolanda S. Quijano talked about K to 12 graduates being equipped with the 21st century skills or the
life skills. Further she said that it K to 12 curriculum is outcome-based, filled with child and youth
development principles, is learner-centered, geared towards the holistic development of the individuals
and is constructivist in nature…very elaborate, isn’t it? But these will really enable the Filipino graduate
become a globally competitive individual employable worldwide. Inspiring, soul-stirring, heart-
throbbing! How excited I am to witness the graduation of the pioneer K to 12 graduates. That day would
be a blockbuster day, I reckon.

“The teacher should be a provocateur” – that’s what I caught when Dr. Paraluman Q. Giron was on the
screen. I re-read my notes when I got home. There was a follow up statement…”the teacher must ask
thought – provoking questions. There it is! And she also differentiated the 20th century curriculum
against the 21st century curriculum. Some of its differences are: 20th- time-based, memorization works
and fragmented whilst 21st- outcome-based and interdisciplinary…seems different, right? She further
noted: that the k to 12 curriculum is geared towards digital & multi-media literacy and is research-based.
There is really no escape for the k to 12 graduates to become globally employable. However, as the video
continued to play, Dr. Giron made mention about the striking 5 C’s of a K to 12 Teacher. It stands for
Commitment, Competence, Creativity, Compassion and Character. Oh, My! How intelligent of her to hit
the innermost chambers of our heart. Yes, being mentors, students are in dire need of teachers with the
5C’s. As far as I have realized, being a teacher is indeed incomparable. CEO’s may have the highest salary
grades and the teacher may have the lowest salary compared to other countries but the happiness and
fulfillment to have made a difference in one’s life is far beyond compare. “What On Earth Am I Here For?
That is the question. And I shyly answered: “To touch other peoples lives…”

The K to 12 Curriculum Model was presented by Dr. Marilyn D. Dimaano. She had a comprehensive
discussion on the highlights of the new curriculum and shared her personal feelings about the change
that we are all excited commence this coming June opening of classes. Just as ready as we teachers seem
to be, the curriculum model is on the go for the grades 1 & 7 entrants. I felt excited too because I have
seen the big difference that we will experience regarding the K to 12 program.

An all-embracing discussion about CHANGE was delivered by Mr. Edison A. Fermin. He talked about the
Curriculum Change: The Concept of Change, the Typologies of Change, Why Changes Fail and Working
Towards Change. He enunciated articulately that everything that he said was well taken. But the most
noteworthy is Why Changes Fail – reasons? Plain ignorance, rapidity of change, conformity vs.
innovation, traditions of teaching, discontinuity in professional development and lack of forms of
support. True enough, and I was struck with discontinuity in professional development. Had I not
finished my Masters Degree and if I did pursue my Doctoral degree, I would have contributed to the
reasons why changes fail. If I did not pursue my professional studies, I would not be able to meet these
people and I wouldn’t have grasped the 5W’s and 1H of the K to 12 program and the advances of the
teaching-learning trends, the hottest issues, the trending innovations, and most especially the life-
changing experiences that will help build the bright future of my students. I really want to change,
because I want to be a Butterfly!