DIC: We Learn a Lot from Sir Dr. Alvarez A. Salaton

The District In-Charge is in a constrant self-reflection what has already happened in Indanan South District during his time. Reign of District Commissioner, Sir Dr. Alvarez A. Salaton, P - II caught DIC's attention. He began in ISD on January, 2013 designated by Division Memorandun to proclaim graduates batch 2012-2013. It was a school year when former DepED-ARMM Secretary, Hon. Atty. Jamar M. Kulayan also attended the clustered graduation exerceise in Pasil Elementary School and Panglima Indanan Central School. 

Unfortunately, Sir Alvarez, former District In-Charge of Patikul West was just until graduation day in 2013. He was replaced by Dr. Mohammad E. Sahirani, Education Program Supervisor for Mathematics in June, 2013 until pronouncement of the graduates batch 2013-2014. The DIC observed his humbleness and kind heart before he left Indanan South District. Alhamdulillah, he was back again to ISD in January, 2014 in preparation for the acceptance of candidates for graduation batch 2014-2015. It was in this period that Sir AL inserted innovation in the conduct of district team visitation.

Before the visitation, Sir AL gathered the school administrators and, of course, the DIC for brainstorming over the assessment and better preparation for the grades 3 and grades 6 examinees in NAT 2014. He revealed that visitation would inspect teaching-learning effectiveness which was solelly dependent on the impact of student's learning outcome. Thus, inspection of teacher's attendance, lesson plan, daily lesson logs, DepED school forms, classroom structuring, principal's office and physical aspects were given less-focused; rather; assessment on the pupil's learning capability and query on school NAT result and teacher's preparation of grades 3 and 6 for the incoming NAT 2014 had been the major target of the school visit. The team designed reading assessment tool, the so-called ORA (Oral Reading Assessment). Result were categorized into non-reader, syllabic reade, word reader and fragment reader. ORA was written in L1, L2 and L3 version. It also planned to support the implementation of ECARP (Every Child A Reader) Program especially from grades 1 to 3. 

At free time on or before lunch during school visitation, Sir AL brainstormed with the school heads and DIC how district post conference be conducted after the school visit. Before roaming around the classrooms and school campus, he would briefed first the team about the purposes and etiquettes of visitation. So, the conduct of district post conference required the following details:

• 1-day duration
• Covered venue accommodating more than hundred of teachers and personnel
• Opening program
• Feedbacking
• Presentation of ORA result
• Open forum
• Lecture presentation on Learn-To-Read and Read-To-Learn reading strategy
• Lecture presentation on Reading Quadrant
• Presentation of previous NAT results in grade 3 and grade 6

1-Day District Post Conference materialized for the first time DepED Conference Hall last January 13, 2015 with exciting programs, lectures and presentations as commented by many teacher-participants. It impacted much on the teachers to intensify their concerns how every child would become a reader especially from grades 1 to grades 3 learners.

Last May 29, 2015, ISD held 1-Day CI Action Planning Workshop in its office where Sir Alvarez was in attendance. Discussions over the preparation of district team visitation became the plenary session of the workshop. He oriented the school heads and DIC the goals and objectives of the school visitation. He consulted them what must be inspected, checked and assessed. He distributed the tasks among the team. After planning the visitation, he encouraged school heads to strategize the conduct of 1-day district conference at Timbangan ES, June 15, 2015 right after the visitation.

ISD is so much thankful to SDS, Dr. Tim J. Undain for remaining Sir AL still DC of the district although reshuffle among District Commissioners was already through in the entrire Sulu Division.