It cannot be denied in basic education that home visitation is of great help, particularly in saving the academic plight of a student who is on the verge of dropping out of the roster. As a strategy, teachers have been going out of their way to meet students for quite some time, with or without established motives, who have already stopped schooling. For reasons, it is necessary for teachers to find out some specifics of such prolonged absence and eventually convince students to return to school with the pledge to complete the entire school year. And for lack of or unclear reasons, teachers need to know what the obstacles or impediments to schooling are, and find ways to counter them.
The entire process takes an extra mile, a labor of love as teachers risk their lives particularly when visiting dangerous areas or vulnerable communities. Risky locations such as homes in dumpsites, in informal settlements or in far-flung / mountainous areas that would take hours to reach by foot or by risky mode of transport. But all of these, ever since, are taken wholeheartedly by teachers as part of their dedication and zeal to ensure that no student is left behind, adding to the burden that a student who is unable to complete the school year means laxity on the part of the teachers, an unfair misconception for committed public officials.
This follow-up approach is usually for when a strong failure on the part of parents or guardians already exists. I dare say negligence because of a number of attempts to communicate with the parents / guardians involved, and by all means, but in vain. Moreover, the fact that a parent-teacher general orientation clearly spells the shared responsibility between the school and the parents in the education of the children at the opening of each school year.
While the Department of Education is finalizing the guidelines for the reopening of classes, home visiting is seen as one of the approaches in areas where communication is a problem. But in this pandemic, please, home visits can't operate in those areas because it will put the teachers in great danger. The danger now lies in our neighborhoods, not in our schools in general, because we stopped the school year, early mid-March, before the virus began spreading too quickly.
My prevent hope is that the Department would be adequately careful and cautious to incorporate home visitation based on local contexts and procedure. More than ever, the call for parents is to trigger their role of giving their children clear and constant guidance. And depending on the age level, such parental encouragement is very important to our early-stage children, and graduated as they are at the higher level. For example, for elementary level parental assistance is highly needed while in senior high school such help can come in ascertaining that tasks are properly performed against expectations.
During this time of pandemic where there is no cure or vaccine, home visits or any possibility of keeping one's distance close to another human, risk one 's life is paramount and should therefore be opposed.