SpEd Hearts The Movie

I was browsing the DepEd Official Website  just now and I found some really interesting updates and news that's post-worthy. The clamor for the creation of the Special Education Bureau that will provide for a P600 million yearly budget for five consecutive years for the SPED program, while a separate P20 million yearly fund from the President’s Social Fund and from the Philippine Gaming Corp. will finance the founding and operation of the BSE.

Here's what has been achieved so far in the Legislative:

Senate Bill (SB) 2020 mandates the creation of at least one special education(SPED) center for each school division (one each in 17 regions) and three SPED centers in big school divisions. Lapus has asked Malacanang to certify as urgent Senate Bill (SB) 2020 as the government has to look after these children who are not yet provided with appropriate educational services. SB 2020 has been approved on second reading, and its Lower House counterpart, HB 6740, has been approved on third reading.

It's about time! Check out the official DepEd PR here.

On that note, I urge you to watch the film SpEd Hearts by Felbert P. Go. It is a film about a Special Education Teacher who draws strength from her special children in a small Montessori school as she ventures into new love amid single-motherhood duties. Interlaced with the drama of her co-teachers personal lives, they find a way to overcome such to finally achieve personal contentment, resolution, and happiness.

Movie trailer below:



Our special needs students have needs we teachers are providing every minute of our time with them. We nourish them in all areas of living and God knows how hard we try to give them the best. Our functions and roles in the lives of our students are invaluable and in the end, it's how they learn to cope in the real world that will say we made it or we failed.

And to veer away from the romanticism the topic gives, I'll let you in on a secret, special needs teachers also have lives to live.  We experience our ups and downs, triumph and defeats. We fall in love, we fall out of love. We burn out fast, burn out slow but we keep on going at times when we don;t even know where we are headed. People come and go and they almost always leave a mark on us, imprinted in our hearts and soul. Much of what I know I attribute them all to how I've dealt with my special needs students for the past ten years.

Our lives we share with our students are often "feel-good" aspect of living but I tell you now, these kids are sensitive with how their teachers are feeling. They can tell and they will share what they can to make us feel good in times of difficulties.

So the next time you see, hear a story or talk to a teacher, please take time to say thank you to them. A teacher is the reason why we know what we know now and why we are where we are. A pat on the back, a handshake for a job well done and a simple prayer for all the teachers around the world will help!