I'm Home!

  Having been out of home for more than five years, it feels good to be finally home! My first sojourn out of my comfort zone was in Bukidnon Division as one of it's assistant superintendents. Bukidnon is a large division that is why it has two ASDSs. For almost two years (short of 2 months), I was having a colorful journey, having to deal with the wide expanse of the school division, and the diversity of its people. On top of that, I became a proficient driver, having to drive alone to and from my station in Malaybalay, which is 170 kilometers from my home. I learned how to traverse, the foggy road in Claveria, and to drive home on a stormy weather.

Bukidnon Division is home to more than 11,000 teachers and employees. Teachers are distributed in 22 different municipalities (because Bukidnon cities are separate schools divisions). A great number are working in hinterland schools, some of which require hiking, riding horses, raft and in one area, having to boat downriver in a crocodile-infested river. I have gone to as far away as the municipalities of Kadingilan, Kalilangan, Pangantucan, Kibawe, Kitaotao,. Quezon, Don Carlos, Cabanglasan, Impasug-ong, Libona, Manolo Fortich and some I could no longer recall. Every school visit is a learning experience, hearing stories from fellow educators and their victories and travails. 

The rich experience I had in Bukidnon gave me enough take aways to prepare me for my next steps. I was slated for Tangub City as an OIC superintedent in a ensuing shake up but by a twist of fate, I was made to report to Camiguin Island, a station nearer my home but I have to travel by sea to reach it. I arrived there on October 29, just in time for the mid-year break. I enjoyed having to travel by boat on Sundays and going home on a Saturday.

However, a worldwide terror called Covid-19 pandemic hit China first then Asia, then it spread out across the globe, putting to a halt almost all commercial activities. Economies bended and people were terrorized by uncertainties and hopelessness. 

But I managed to thrive in a very restrictive environment. With intermittent lockdowns, the school system was on a complete halt, forcing DepEd to cram in writing modules, which all teachers were not trained to do, and to do distance learning. It was a difficult experience for both learners and teachers but more so for learners, because they are still in the developmental stage. Teachers and employees were well-off, because despite not being able to report to their schools, continue to receive salaries and other benefits.