All of these talked about how Jesus is the ultimate Shepherd that we all need. We are all lost sheep in this world of uncertainties and tragedy whether we accept it or not. The only true guide we need in living a blessed, happy, and content life in this temporal world is Jesus, of course also for eternity. 

I had my doubts and denials before, and there are times that I still have them. But through my personal experience with Him, I have realized that He is the real deal, a loving Father who made me feel loved wanted and protected. That the faith I put in Him is never wasted, mine was never a blind faith.

It has been almost four months since the Community Quarantine was first imposed in the Philippines because of the pandemic COVID-19, and CQ has been called a lot of names during this period: lockdown, ECQ, MECQ, GCQ, MGCQ, and a lot more. 

In this new normal, everyone is facing struggles on adjusting to the present setting of their lives. WFH or Work From Home is the new normal set up among some of the companies. Skeletal force is required to report physical in their workplace. All these adjustments are thanks to the blessing of technology. Before COVID-19, I thought advanced technology like wifi, smartphones, and others are doomed to destroy the lives of every human being because of the proliferation of pornography through these devices. Yet, during this time I realized that God has allowed the invention of these technologies to prepare us for what we have right now and also that good things can come out from the things God has allowed to happen. 

Education has received a blow because of this pandemic. Due to viruses, we are limited to move and do what we normally do during enrolment and classes. Face to face classes with the students is still prohibited since the learners are considered vulnerable to COVID-19. The Philippine educational system did not even consider the option of canceling the school year 2020-2021 due to COVID-19. But instead, they devised plans and programs to make sure the education of every young Filipino continues under the program LCP or Learning Continuity Plan of the Department of Education. 

The higher up have been exerting every effort to make education possible for every young Filipino in this time of pandemic and it goes the same way with the teachers. In little ways, teachers are doing their part to make sure they follow the direction of DepEd despite the uncertainties and anxieties brought by COVID-19. Teachers attend webinars, learn new strategies, techniques, and methods on how to deliver the teaching-learning process with the learners, while simultaneously complying with the paperwork and reports required by the school, division, region, or even from the national. 

It is overwhelming and one may not be excused to experience quarantine fatigue. I thought staying at home or working from home will be a smooth sailing ship, and guess what I was wrong. Definitely wrong. 

Paperworks and submission of reports arrive without a warning. They come on Saturday, Sunday, on weekends, at night, at midnight, and even during the dawn. It was a bit difficult at first, but DepEd is trying its best to prepare their teachers for the new normal by conducting webinars about mental health, psychosocial, and psychological support. I am glad that finally the department finally made this issue a priority not only for the learners but also for its personnel. 

As one of the public teachers, I still struggle with this new normal. It was hard to imagine at first how the school year 2020-2021 will sail. Right now, at least I have a little glimpse of what could happen this school year during the teaching-learning process without the face to face learning modality. Our school head conducted a survey about the teachers' preferred mode of teaching in consideration of the learners' preferred learning delivery. I chose modular since my internet is not reliable (Ahem, Globe, baka naman), as of this moment I am waiting for a better internet connection through Converge. So, I'll see which is better, I want to remain with Globe, yet the need for a faster and better internet connection is a must to have an effective WFH arrangement. 

Just today, I tried to create a digital presentation of a sample lessons for the LCP campaign of our school and also as a preparation for the new school year. I also made this because I had no choice but to choose to comply (hehe and because of Romans 13:1 NIV: "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.", to God be all the glory). 

I am happy with the results of my journey in creating digital content. I was excited after seeing the finished product, because of my excitement I posted the video on my Youtube channel. I am content with my work, and accept that there is still room for improvement. I hope that through this kind of digital content school yeat 2020-2021 will come to pass, in Jesus's name!