Let no one seek his or her own, but each one the other’s well-being.
 
With this Biblical message, I would like to underscore our teachers’ passion for teaching and their love to form the character of their learners.
 
To our teachers who have been in the profession for quite a time and teachers who are new, this is my challenge to you—to teach truly from your heart.
 
The challenge is for you to learn, unlearn, and relearn.
 
Let us always remember that change is the only constant thing we can truly rely upon so we learn to navigate and adapt. This is essential for us to thrive in the ever-changing world. Learning to navigate and adapt to change is not just a means to survive, but it’s the only way to thrive.
 
Can you remember what Charles Darwin said? It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.
 
From here, we need to understand that teachers have to be versatile, creative, and innovative especially amid this pandemic. If there’s one lesson that this pandemic has silently taught us – it is being prepared at all times.
 
Teachers are the first persons ready to adjust in case untoward circumstances occur. Teachers need to adopt and adapt to the challenges. In short, the last months have been a test of their ability to embrace change, to adapt, and to advance.
 
As futurist and philosopher Alvin Toffler once wrote, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
What does this mean?
 
We learn new things, but sometimes we do not let go of what we have learned even if we know that something new is better. Let us unlearn what could hinder us to be the best teachers that we could be. We relearn so we could cope with the demands, the challenges, and the new discoveries to help us to teach with better strategies and to teach from the heart.
 
No one said it’s easy to become a teacher, but every teacher would say it’s a joy to see every learner grow and ready to cope with life’s challenges.
 
In the celebration of the World Teachers’ Day, we are all reminded again of people who make a lot of sacrifices, who see to it that they live the values they teach, who show more love and compassion.
 
Thank you, teachers! The world is blessed to have human beings called teachers. The Department will always be proud of you. You are heroes. You are beautiful creations of God. If children are the rainbows that color the world, you are the stars that light the way for them.
 
You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
 
Mabuhay ang ating mga guro! Mabuhay ang DepEd!
 
This is the cover page of DepEd Davao Dispatch 3rd quarter issue with the notes of the Regional Director.