A total of 281 Marianas High School students are expected to take part in the Public School System\u2019s Distance Education program, which MHS principal Sherlyn Cabrera credits for their all-time high number of 301 graduates last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of our students, they want to advance themselves, they want to graduate early, challenge themselves so that\u2019s why they took [the classes],\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said there were around 200-plus seniors, with the rest being juniors for next year\u2019s graduating class.<\/p>\n
It was reported earlier that the 301 graduating students were an MHS all-time high.<\/p>\n
Cabrera said response has been \u201cgood\u201d for the last several of Distance Education, which was implemented in school year 2010-2011 and provides as much as 49 online courses.<\/p>\n
PSS was expected to have 45 eTeachers for its 1,500 students in the program for this school year, according to a statement this summer.<\/p>\n
Usually students participating in the program have both \u201cground\u201d classes, with face-to-face time with instructors, and online courses, according to Cabrera.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt forces them to take charge of their learning and be independent learners,\u201d she said of the program.<\/p>\n
She related it to her experience as a graduate student, where even one online class was challenging.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just admire our students who were able to do it, [because] the rigor is there, the demand is there, and so they are really learning some really good skills,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
While there is something \u201cabout the face-to-face\u201d connection between teacher and student, she said the Distance Education program comes as another option for students as well as a system that lacks teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some students who are really sick, who can\u2019t come to school, but they have access to Internet, and can continue their education,\u201d she said, adding that some are also parents who are not able to find a babysitter for their children.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor those kind of reasons, I think it\u2019s a great option,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Not every student can avail of the program, however. Students in the program must be first recommended by their respective counselors.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes [students] think they can just go to a computer shop in the village and do it once a week [but] they have to make sure they have the Internet support at home, from their parents, and that they as a student are able to do this, so if students are not very strong in their academics then they\u2019re not recommended,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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