W.A.T.C.H.
ACTIVITIES
ARRIVING late for meetings and appointments has become normal in recent
years primarily because of the worsening traffic everywhere.
Transportation and traffic problems have justified the so-called Filipino Time, the
bad habit of being an hour or more late. Being late has become the stereotype of
Filipinos.
“Filipino Time” is a negative trait that we should change as we begin a new year.
It is thus fitting that an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) reminded
teachers recently about punctuality and honesty. Teachers are supposed to be role
models to their students, the parents, and the community.
Being a good and effective teacher doesn’t only mean having a good scholastic
record, great teaching techniques, but also having good work ethics, said Tonisito
Umali, DepEd assistant secretary for legal and legislative affairs, as reported in The
Manila Times.
Teachers should teach students the value of punctuality by arriving in class on
time. Being late is disrespectful of other people’s time, as well as insulting and
infuriating. Being punctual should not apply only to teachers but to every Filipino. But
the teachers bear the extra burden of teaching the value of time to young minds so they
will grow up ingrained with the desirable habit of punctuality.
Punctuality is a good sign that a person who observes it has self-discipline and
respect for other people. Honesty goes with it. When you are on time, you don’t have to
think of reasons like the traffic to justify your being late even when you actually woke up
and left home late.
“We will strengthen the concept of values formation. As I have always said,
whoever we are right now is a product of good education, the kind of pedagogy, the
kind of values education formation that we’ve had in the past 30 or 40 years. And if we
do it in a better way, people will become honest, punctual, and more disciplined,” Umali
said.
(Titia C. Valderama, The Manila Times, 2017)
https://www.manilatimes.net/2017/01/02/opinion/analysis/teaching-values-time-
honesty/304665
In Bagong Negros Elementary School, we’ve created an innovative program
called Project I.N.T.E.G.R.I.T.Y:
The overall program in our school is known as Project I.N.T.E.G.R.I.T.Y.
INTEGRITY
I – Improved the quality of school performance by intensification of
N – Networking through implementation of
T- Time Consciousness and Honesty in school and community by
E- Educating people on its values and importance to
G- Generate strong bonds, friendship and camaraderie to foster best
R- Relationships to all stakeholders to
I – Increase and widen the W.A.T.C.H. horizon to promote
T- True spirit of compassion, and after all it will provide a
Y- Yard line impact to all.
This program proudly embraces greater change in our working environment,
because when you act with integrity, you do the correct thing even when no one is
looking. Integrity at work is demonstrated when we carry out our responsibilities
honestly, adhere to our personal code of conduct, and treat our coworkers ethically
(morally and intellectually).
Every Monday morning, all employees were able to be in school for a flag raising
ceremony as mandated in the Heraldic Code of the Philippines.
Also, to complement the Department of Education's objective, the school
encourages punctuality and honesty. The school runs programs to teach time
management and honesty to teachers, parents, students, and the community. Project
ORASAN (Oras, Respetuhin, Alagaan, Seryosohin, Natin): To implement this program,
the school gave a clock to each purok in Barangay Bagong Negros, Kiblawan, Davao
Del Sur, so that the distribution and retrieval of modules could be done at the same
time.
Equally important, our school has started the Early Bird Award, which recognizes
teachers and parents who arrive early to school with certificates of appreciation, school
supplies, and slippers, among other things, to encourage people to manage and
appreciate their time.
Likewise, the school also has an Honesty Store to provide food for educators, as
well as a school utility to keep them from leaving the building and having less contact
with the community due to COVID 19 regulations. This organization, on the other hand,
encourages teachers to be truthful by requiring them to put their money in a box if they
want to buy something.
In addition, every Monday during the flag ceremony, the school recognizes
students who advocate for the WATCH Program with recognition and awards. Students
who have displayed honesty to their classmates as well as the school faculty and staff
are also given mementos of appreciation and awards. This encourages everyone to be
aware of and honest about their job, as well as their leadership roles (Teacher and
Students). Teachers were also honored at our weekly staff meeting, which took place
every Friday afternoon.
Uniquely, Bagong Negros Elementary School has adopted the WATCH
advocacy, which encourages timeliness, honesty, and integrity, in collaboration with
PTA leaders, barangay officials, stakeholders, and teachers. Being an early bird and
arriving at work on schedule. "The Best Policy Is Honesty" Honesty is more than just
telling the truth. It's about being honest with yourself and others about who you are,
what you want, and what you require in order to live your most genuine life. Honesty
encourages transparency, empowers us, and allows us to build consistency in our
presentation of information. Honesty sharpens our awareness and allows us to see
things clearly around us.
In the same way, Bagong Negros Elementary School carries the project with all
their hearts and open minds, creating innovative and effective program that will lead to a
yard line impact to community members and stakeholders. A healthy, happy workplace
culture is built on trust and respect. You are a team player if you communicate politely,
respect your colleagues' perspectives and ideas, and seek to improve relationships on a
regular basis. Working as a team fosters trust and demonstrates that you can be
trusted.
In certain cases, workplace honesty is preferable in theory than in practice. ...
Employees are happier when their work environment is more transparent. Employees
are more productive when they are happy. Finally, honesty fosters school trust and
leadership confidence.
“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have
an impact on society if you have not changed yourself. Great peacemakers are all
people of integrity, of honesty, but humility”-(Nelson Mandela).
