New SM school building ends struggles of students, teachers
WIDER classrooms of the SM school building mean no more cramped classes and teachers can explore better teaching methods.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF SMFI
Teachers share in the struggles of their students in many backward elementary schools in the country.
In the 28 years that Rosalie Perdaza taught at the Bayanan II Elementary School (B2ES) in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, she also endured the discomfort of hot classrooms whenever there is no electricity to power the electric fans. Worse, both teaching and learning were distracted. Her lessons, prepared in advance and great effort, would not be properly delivered. She also doubts if her students absorbed the adjusted lessons.
Even temporarily shifting class to the school’s open gym had its own inconvenience with the students having to sit on the concrete floor and resting their notebooks on their laps.
Mark Lester Casapao, senior education program specialist for social mobilization and networking of the Department of Education in Calapan, said there was no choice but to use the cramp classrooms of the old school.
The long struggles are over though for the teachers and students of B2ES with SM Foundation Inc. and SM Prime donating a new two-story, four-classroom building on 26 September.
The new structure’s bigger classrooms and amenities make learning and teaching conducive.
The Grade 5 and 6 students are now using the new facility and their old classroom would be converted for use by students with special needs.
Other features of the school building are high barrier in the second floor, protective grills and emergency lighting along the stairways and fire alarm system for safety. It has a clinic, faculty and prayer rooms, storage, handwashing station with ten faucets and an overhead water tank. There is also a wheel ramp for persons with disability.
Each classroom’s floor area measures seven-by-nine meters, is equipped with panoramic whiteboards, wall fans and wood-steel armchairs, including seats for left-handed students. Every room also has its own flush toilet and wash basin.
Wider classrooms mean no more struggles and teachers can explore and create new teaching methods.
The new SM school building of B2ES, which was built by SM Foundation and SM Prime as part of the DepEd’s adopt-a-school program, is now the pride of its students and teachers. For Perdaza, she looks forward to more teaching years albeit better ones for her students.