Brigada Eskwela 2024: Newly-learned things

Good day @everyone. It’s been two weeks since I beeped your phone up.

As of this writing, I wanted to share how my Brigada Eskwela or the National Schools Maintenance Week journey went, and what I have learned about the entire week.

_{These are the industrious volunteers rendering services in getting the school ready for the new school year guided by the faculty and staff.}

_{These are the student-volunteers weeding the grasses in the school ground.}

Day 1
On the first day, we had the Kick-off program attended by external partners, Barangay officials, PTA Officials, parents, school heads, teachers, and students. Before the day's activity, the guests registered their names in the registration section for their participation records. We also made a short program to mark the start-up of the activity officially.

The program started with the formal preliminaries played by the multimedia. Then, the Faculty President acknowledged the guests and participants, as well as welcomed them all followed by the reading of the activity’s implementation guidelines. Right after, the barangay councilor took the floor hearing the school’s needs, and promised their best to transform their vision into action.

Amid the program, the school head along with the support of various school coordinators delivered the State of the School Address (SOSA). This was also the perfect time to disseminate the school’s concerns, progress, and success.

With each of their heartfelt keynote message of action, the neighboring barangay officials and SK Councilor had planned to join the workforce in their plans such as the gymnasium plan which will serve as the school’s activity center. The support and hopeful platforms of the external stakeholders from the Brgy. Official Representatives engraved a hopeful smile into everyone’s hearts.

In humble response, the school PTA President shared her words of gratefulness owing to the partners' support in giving their all-out support and plans for the welfare of the school. She also encouraged everyone to take charge in facilitating the student’s learning as well as collaborating with the school’s programs, projects, and activities for a quality education and progressive institution.

Then, the activity coordinator wholeheartedly gave her grateful heart appreciating everyone’s presence, cooperation, and hard work. With our hands positioned perpendicularly, we said yes to completing the activity affixing our signatures to the “pledge of commitment” chart.

Carrying the responsibility in our hearts, we still sealed the day with a photo opportunity among internal and external stakeholders. Then, everybody did the Bayanihan (helping one another) with the school cleaning in preparation for the opening of classes.

_{The signature of responsibility starts here!}

_{Happy that someone accepted the challenge of pruning the mango branches to avoid the beehive again..}

_{Other set of facilitated students joined the cause of helping the school backyard clean..}

_{Helping the cause makes the activity successful. Glory to God for the gift of being one.}

_{Backyard cleaning needed the serious attention because the grasses already levelled in our hips.}

Day 2
On the second day of the activity, I participated in the loading of the subject’s assembly. We used to have the paper strategy because it has been proven effective for two years now. We only need to plot our subject using our designated color.

To make it organized, grade 7 teachers will plot first, then grade 8 to 12. I am a grade 10 adviser and at the same time, a senior high teacher as of this year and I am still lucky to have this kind of job. This blessing still allows me to grow and enhance my skills.

Day 3
I painted the walls of my classroom since my classmate in college and my colleague donated and shared paints. I was so lucky to have been shared with them. I felt elated and that inspired me to inspire to do it myself. Besides, only a few students reported to school on this day. I was dedicating myself to painting the whole day. I even sacrificed the fiesta celebration of the neighboring municipality for my paint scene.

And yeah, I made it and painted half of my room the whole day. Numbed arms and hands tickled my senses after all, but it was worth it.

_{I was preparing a DIY long handle for the roller to reach the ceiling. Thankful for the bamboo stick trashed at the back of my room.}

Day 4
The fourth-day agenda was still the same. I had no choice but to continue what had been started. Disregarding the arm’s pain, I painted the other half of my room. But, with God’s grace, after minutes of painting, one of my previous students came and helped me out. I let them do the paint and scraped the paint’s mess.

Afterwards, I applied floor wax on the floor. In the afternoon, I facilitated the backyard cleaning and at the same time, continued the doings inside my classroom.

_{This was when the blessing of a cleaner/painter came in time when my arms and hands felt weary.}

Day 5
Fifth day was sectioning day. We divided the enrollees according to average and gender. So, we got an equal/fair number of outstanding, satisfactory, and fairly satisfactory students. I encoded the learner’s names and posted it on the bulletin board outside my room. I also finalized the number of chairs with extra, to accommodate new enrollees.

_{During rainy days, I have to dry up my lobby so that the water won't enter my room.}

_{Carefully putting the paint on vs. Thinking about the real painter's work.}

_{Seemed like the dog never mind. LOL. Anyways, I was making a smoke due to the buZZing mosquitoes in the surroundings.}

_{These are my hardworking students volunteering themselves to cut trim all the towering grasses in the building's sideyard.}

_{The avid School Maintenance Week's host for four years. What a Brigada luck!.}

Lessons from the Activity
1. Maturity comes at the right time. **This is the first maintenance week activity that I have seriously experienced. Imagine, I already conducted NLC classes for 15 days. So, that means, I drive myself for 15 days and I have never imagined extending myself to work for another five days for the maintenance week. I never think of doing so because I planned to stay home after the summer class. Hmmm, the reality is, I was grabbing another service credit opportunity that would be useful for the future.

2.Independence is stress-free. This was my first time straight driving myself for three consecutive weeks. I did not experience late mornings and bumpy rides. I only had a happy self and a steady mind.

3.Control time or time will control you. I never wasted the opportunity to conduct the class because I felt unproductive when I did the same household routine. So, I decided to get the slot and convinced myself I could do the 2-hour drive to and from the school.

4.Today never fails if we carefully set plans for yesterday. I was happy I was able to secure another service credit because it was beneficial during a family emergency. Recently, I filed for leave due to my father’s need to be health checked. Soon, I will use it again for a planned sibling’s occasion.

That’s it for today, my fellow hivers. Until the next rosealign.