Prof. Dalona shares insights, efforts, hardships in inFlex modality

By Henrilaine Ones, Honey Grace Gaid, Dhale Rose Solmayor

If you really are a teacher, you just know how to teach whatever the modality is.

As MSU-IIT completed a semester in an innovative flexible (InFLex) teaching and learning modality, Professor Alvert Dalona, Chairperson of the Department of Philosophy and Humanities, spoke about professionalism and hardships in the online class, and advised students in an online interview conducted by CASSayuran.

It is now almost a year since MSU-IIT announced the suspension of classes due to COVID-19 that thrusted the school communities into a rapid transition to remote learning. The shifting has resulted in different struggles – not just to the students but also to the educators.

Prof. Dalona shared his insights in playing the role of an educator in the so-called "comfort of your home" amidst the health and financial crisis. 

When asked how he brought his professionalism in a virtual-lecture room, he said he is just being himself, “Being professional is not a label that compartmentalizes one's being (self) rather is an actualized affirmation of who one is. Hence, I do not bring any self with me virtually. I just live the way I am at that moment - TEACH-ing.”

He also shared how he extends an effort to reach out to students. Regardless of the situation brought by the pandemic, Prof. Dalona ensures that his students feel comfortable during and after their class by giving freedom to seek for clarification.

“Most of the time, if not always, I see to it that feedback mechanism is in place whenever I communicate with my students”, he said. Similar to the students, he also uses Social Media applications such as Messenger, Facebook Group, Google Meet and even through phone calls and texts just to communicate with them for clarifications.

“In that way, I am hoping that they will be comfortable reaching out with me whenever they see the need to do so. Thus, reaching out is not a matter of imposition but a kind of recognition that the other matters.” he added.

Talking about hardships in playing the role of an educator in the so-called ‘comfort of our home’ amid health and financial crisis, Prof. Dalona says “teaching the self (assuming the self exists) that teaching and academia in general still matter”. 

He believes he is capable of teaching, yet deep inside, struggling to reconcile the act with its purpose in this time where he is virtually teaching. He expressed his concerns if what he does still serves a certain good with the questions: "What good does the academe have to offer when many are troubled how to overcome the crisis? What good will it be to inspire students about living a life to the fullest when they are yet to figure out about surviving?"

Students and professors have survived and completed a semester dealing with the different struggles. As the second semester is approaching, many students are torn between to stop or continue learning. As an educator, Prof. Dalona admitted that he is not in position to judge the students’ decisions in life. However, these are the words he left for the students:

“If I am given the luxury of being able to advise any of them, living at the moment is the only thing I would encourage him/her to do. They would know whether to stop or to continue. It is when they are able to live the present moment that they would be able to see what they want to do with their lives from that day onwards.”