Leonard Pascua Estoesta

Peace River

Narrative Report On-The-Job Training in NLAB

On-The-Job Training is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the

teachings of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific goals of

improving ones capability, capacity, and performance. It forms the core of apprenticeships and

provides the backbone of content from the academic tutorials into the real world training. And it

is also an avenue for applying, enriching and enhancing the trainees acquired knowledge in the

school in order to become more responsive to the demands of their chosen field of profession

enabling them to apply the relevant theories of their course into practice in a chosen community

which is the Northern Luzon School for Visually Impaired children for 60 hours of actual work

and open the door for various opportunities and even lead to employment right after graduation.

Northern Luzon School for Visually Impaired (NLSVI) formerly Northern Luzon Association for

the Blind (NLAB) offers a life changing opportunity to visually impaired children from the

Cordillera to the other part of Luzon Like La Union, Pangasinan and Ilocos it is a school that

nurtures this childrens special skills and God given talents. The NLSVI provides formal

education to children in the Northern Philippines prior to their inclusion into regular primary

public schools in the childrens hometowns. The corporation also trains adult masseurs and

provides support for self-reliant massage clinics in the city after proficient levels of skills have

been attained. The school is functioning thru donations from various sectors and people who

have a big heart. It is like an ordinary school where there are several levels or grades which

starts from kindergarten to grade school. But teachers and staffs classifies the children not on

their age but according to their level of competencies. The school have 23 total of students 11 of

them are stay in who are taken cared by their house parents namely Mrs. Elizabeth Oller

Garbin, and Ms. Beatriz Oller Garbin. They served as the guardians of the live in students and

theyre the one who is preparing and cooking meals, doing the laundry and taking care of the

live in students. And there are five faculty staff who patiently teaching the children to read and

write using the brail doing handcrafts like clay molding and pot holder making. The children also

have a computer subject which helps them to become literate in the modern technology

nowadays. But among all the faculty staff, theres this one teacher who captured my attention
she is Ms. Martha Bitaga. She is also a visually impaired and former student of NLAB. I asked

her about her life and she happily told me a bit of her life story. She was a native cordilleran and

was happily married to her former schoolmate and co alumnus and now a music teacher in

NLAB. With all those personal information that was relayed by Mrs. Bitaga, I cant help myself

but to ask if she was born blind and she answered me no. She explained to us together with my

group on what happened why she became blind. When she was young, she had a measles and

she was not given necessary medical treatment because of being poor and also they are far

from the hospital since they are living in a rural area of Benguet. Since it was not diagnosed and

treated early her eyesight got affected and little by little, she lost her vision. I came to realize

how painful it is in her side for not seeing how the beautiful the world is and how difficult to face

the day knowing that one of the most important sense was lost. But I was wrong, despite of

being blind she continued her studies and reach her ultimate goal which is to become a teacher.

She was given the opportunity to reach her goal by NLAB and she was very thankful to the

institution and now she is returning the favor to her Alma Mater and by that I was amazed on

her dedication. And she is now the living proof and model to her students. Just like James, nine

years old, grade two student from Pangasinan. He is a multi-talented, intelligent and leader of

his own and happens to be assigned to me to take care and assist him for five days. I was so

blessed to meet a child like him because he change the way I see and treat a child. Because

before, I dont like children and I am not used to take care of them, assisting them, and

attending to their needs and queries. It was a challenge for me on how to improve the way I

treat and take care a child especially during our first day at NLAB. I was been introduced to him

by the houseparent and I went closed to him and he greeted me with a smiley face and I cant

help myself but to respond to his greetings we had a quality time together and I was been

attached to him and treated him as my own child. He let me experience how to become

a parent whos taking care of them and make sure that hell be fine always, preparing his foods

teaching him how to fold his blanket and how to fix his bed every time he wakes up and

preparing his bath and assisting him and instructing him how to take a bath properly and how to

put on his uniform and shoes. Those children are very in simple things you do or give to them

like candies or chocolates. After their school hours, we are gathering them at the lounge area in

the school and let them have a contest like singing, dancing, and passing the ball and the

winner in every game will have a corresponding prize. We also taught them how to dance the

Baby Shark craze. And in or last day of OJT that was the happiest yet the saddest day in our

five days in NLAB. Happiest, because finally we finished our community duty and we can move
on to our clinical duty. Saddest, because we were attached to the children and became closed

with them and its hard in our part to bid farewell to them but thats the way it is.

We will treasure our experience with those children and we will use them as our motivation to

continue and pursue our career to be able to become successful in our endeavors in life. MMS

made it happen for me to experience everything and showed what life has to offer me. To our

Training Coordinator, Admins and Staffs, Instructors, thank you so much for making everything

possible and for nurturing the gift and giving me opportunity to showcase my skills and talents in

the school. I will treasure all the memories that I had in the school.