Teachers in the Philippines have a couple of obstacles that they need to hurdle. First, Filipino teachers face the difficulty of maintaining a decent standard of living on account of their meager salaries. Most of them are forced to do some moonlighting like selling life insurance policies, clothes and even food in school just to augment their income. Second, because they are burdened with their side jobs, they hardly have the time to focus on improving their craft which is what every teacher should spend most of their time.
Instead of preoccupying their mind on how they can earn extra money for their, teachers should be focused on improving their knowledge of the different subjects that they teach. But if they are not being paid well, then how can we expect teachers to buy books and attend seminars to improve their craft?
The Solution to Teacher Problems
There is an upcoming website specifically designed for Filipino teachers. It is an online marketplace where teachers can share their lesson plans and other teaching materials to other teachers. This website can also help Filipino teachers sell their lesson plans that they work hard to update every year.
This website will help teachers not only to earn from the fruits of their labor but to be recognized as well by their fellow teachers. After they register on the website, Filipino teachers can upload multiple lesson plans and sell them online, interact with their colleagues, share tips and strategies that will enhance their knowledge and expertise on the subjects they teach.
While it is true that there are books that teachers can simply purchase from bookstores and give lesson plan ideas, these books often end up in bookshelves a few days after they are bought. On the other hand, teachers always modify the contents of these lesson plans and other teaching materials and adapt them to the needs of their students. Thus, the teachers, and not the corporations which design lesson plans for teachers, who are the experts in creating lesson plans that fit with the students’ needs.
Not a New Idea
The idea of selling and buying lesson plans and other instructional materials is not new. Currently, there are several websites in the United States where American teachers can upload their instructional materials and sell them to other teachers. This business, though, has attracted numerous critics since there are those who believe that these teaching materials are owned by the school districts where these teachers work. Despite these criticisms, these websites are being supported by numerous entrepreneurial minded American teachers.
How it can help Filipino teachers
The website was created so that Filipino teachers can freely share their originally created teaching materials, purchase need teaching resources from each other, sell quality lesson plans, assessments and other materials that they have created.
The founders of the website are current and former educators in the Philippines and abroad. The founders believe that this website can help leverage income of Filipino teachers. Those who can prepare the highest quality lesson plans will attract the most buyers and followers. At the same time, it can help improve the standard of Philippine education since the teachers are encouraged to prepare highest quality teaching materials.
For more information about the up and coming website visit its Facebook fan page at Facebook.com/teachersearningonline.
About the Author: Stephen Gonzalvo is a former teacher who together with other seasoned teachers in the Philippines and abroad founded the upcoming website teachersearningonline.com.
