Sleeping Dreams for DepED-ARMM

It was an out of the consciousness of DSLP graduates of SEAMEO-Innotech and the NQESH topnotchers representing districts and school levels to PIR & PW. BSE and BEE participants also thought that the activity seemed similar to what they presented in the session hall of Pinnacle Hotel and Suites. It was February 1, 2014, the sixth day of the Program Implementation Review and Planning Workshop where even Regional Planning and Training Team had to return again to their respective areas of assignment from Davao City.

PowerPoint presentation flashing NAT and RAMSEA results geared every participant to think deeply what to do something for its increase of performance across learning areas of both top-performing and low-performing divisions and schools in the DepED-ARMM.

Staff of the Training Team was too busy somewhat large thick white papers spreading over shiny ground floor of session hall. Every participant gripped with white soft pillow brought down from their respective rooms of the hotel located at Sta. Ana Avenue.

Suddenly, the light began to turn off with a soft utterance for the participants to lie down with their pillows respectively. Was it sleeping session? Yes, but it’s hard to sleep though 1-hour period was free to all. No more sound from every participant except just to listen to the guiding words of Asec Noor. Style of sleeping didn’t matter. Some were on their sides; few were on their backs while others did interchangeably. There were also participants lying on their breasts trying to close their eyes so that true sleep would really happen.

The session hall went on noiselessly except Asec Noor with consoling words:

Please, keep quiet. Close your eyes and listen to me. Forget your positions and everything about yourselves. Just think DepED-ARMM before you sleep. What can you do to make DepED-ARMM difference. You learned so much good practices and strengths of DepED-ARMM. You watched the videos of Finland and Singapore and saw their best practices. Asec Mai did a lot but she already left us now. She turned over to us the programs that make DepED-ARMM move forward. We learned a lot from her that would guide us through. Talk to your heart. It tells you that you can possibly do it.

Instrumental song echoed pleasantly around the hall. “Sacrifice” by Elton John was one of those instrumentals. “One Moment in Time” by Whitney Houston seemed a lullaby. “I Want to Know What Love is” made participants’ hearts almost to cry. There were more other instrumental songs played while the sleepers lied down and Asec Noor continued like a word of sermon:

Let us think now our school children in DepED-ARMM. How shall we visit and help them improve their performances in NAT and RAMSEA. That’s what we must think until we will be able to sleep.

Several words concerning school children in DepED-ARMM uttered by Asec Noor. Most of the sleepers already missed those in a sense they were already in their nap. Eventually, all sleepers began to feel their comforts while lying down. They forgot the PIR and PW’s session. They really wanted to sleep unconsciously because no more words heard around. Some thought Asec Noor was asleep.

Out of the silence, the word, wake up growled loudly all over the session hall. It was Asec Noor reiterated the word, wake up. . . wake up! Sleepers failed to do so immediately because they felt so comfortably of their nap. As a part of the session, every participant; however; had to follow Asec Noor instructing to get one metacard and write only one word what participants remembered for DepED-ARMM out of their nap. So, participants came up the metacards painted with commitment, commit, wake up, transform, advance, children, dream, recollect, awesome, excel, change, bold, peaceful, love, act, reality, align, free, moving, innovation, teachers, terrific, teach, leaders, assist, fortitude, innovate, holistic, equated ad performance.

After the activity, participants took their afternoon snacks for some minutes. They were also free to relax outside the ground floor of Pinnacle Hotel after taking snacks. Most of them rode in elevator to bring their pillows back to their respective bedrooms. Surprisingly as they went back to the session hall, widely-long white paper was on the whiteboard stood in front of the session hall. It looked like a big long bond paper written with somewhat lyrics of the song or stanzas of a poem. Participants’ metacards surrounded it in different colors.

Finally, Asec Noor continued again the session calling all participants to stare at the whiteboard displayed in front of the session hall. It was so amazing composition of words resulted to the similitude of a poem or lyrics of the song that ran in the following manner:

“Our Dream”

We have a bold dream

Where leaders assist their teachers

Teachers aligned with their leaders

Where teachers teach with love

Where children are free, awesome and terrific

In a peaceful reality

We recollect, wake up and act

By our commitment and fortitude

Moving towards change and transformation

Where we innovate and excel holistically

Our performance equated with competitiveness and advancement