SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHING: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY

Purpose - This study aims to explore the teachers’ lived experiences in Senior High School teaching.The K to 12 program is one curricular reform in the Philippines to ascertain that basic education graduates possess the required competencies at par with the international standards. Methodology - In this qualitative study, 15 Senior High School (SHS) teachers’ lived experiences were explored to arrive at the essence of SHS teaching at the onset of curriculum implementation. Using Husserlian phenomenological design and Colaizzi’s method of data analysis, three themes emerged from the in-depth interviews: expectations and apprehensions, experiences and strategies, and attitude and aspirations. The teachers have acknowledged their important roles and have remained optimistic despite the program’s limitations. Their unique experiences as they grapple with their new teaching assignment enthused them to explore ways to assist them in the teaching process. Findings - The findings provide academic institutions with input to revisit policies of SHS implementation by charting relevant trainings geared toward teachers’ professional development, conducting regular onsite monitoring, and providing need-based support and resources for teachers’ up-skilling and re-skilling. Significance - With the requirements towards SHS implementation and the teachers’ collective aspirations, the Department of Education can continue to provide inclusive and equitable education for all.


INTRODUCTION
Over the years, several academic undertakings in the Philippines have been dedicated to ensure that the curriculum is relevant and responsive to the emerging needs of the time. The K to 12 program is one curricular innovation that the country has implemented to ascertain that the graduates are given quality education at par with international standards. This is highlighted particularly in the Republic Act No. 10533 approved in 2013 which added Grades 11 and making it a 13year enhanced basic education system. Before this, the Philippines was the only country in Asia and one of the three countries in the world (the others were Angola and Djibouti) that had a 10-year basic education program. Moreover, implementing K to 12 is more than just keeping up with our regional neighbors or with the global community. DepEd secretary, Dr. Leonor Briones, believed that the adoption of the K to 12 enables the graduates to compete with the rest of the world by equipping them with appropriate skills, creativity, and intelligence to cope with the changing demands of time.
Despite the uproar of some teachers, parents, and students regarding the program's implementation, it has its full swing in 2013 and has produced the first batch of senior high school graduates in 2018. Moreover, its implementation has not been smooth sailing for the program implementers, i.e., the teachers. According to Asebiomo (2009), "no matter how well formulated a curriculum may be, its effective implementation is a sine qua non toward achieving the desired goals of education". This is because the problem of most programs arises at the implementation level. This change brought about by the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 necessitates that teachers must have a certain degree of curricular reform resilience to grapple with the change. In the senior high school curriculum, there are different tracks the students can choose from: academic (including Business, Science and Engineering, Humanities and Social Science, and General Academics), technical-vocational livelihood (with TESDA qualifications), arts and design, and sports. These tracks aim to equip a student with entrepreneurship skills, employment skills, tech-vocational training, and readiness for higher education. Thus, this entails careful training, hiring, and selection of teachers in the delivery of specialized courses (Department of Education, 2016).
For the past years, teachers in Senior High School have been exposed to several capacity-building trainings and seminars to equip them with the necessary content and pedagogical skills. These trainings and seminars have been laid down through the DepEd Memorandum No. 105, s. 2016 Senior High School (SHS) Training of Teachers for the K to 12 Basic Education Program, and the DepEd Order No. 35, s. 2016 The Learning Action Cell as a K to 12 Basic Education Program School-Based Continuing Professional Development Strategy for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning.
Being used to teaching in the Junior High School, several teachers are transferred to SHS although initially, those who come from different industries specializing in the different tracks would teach the subject. This results in the change of 'what to teach." Fullan (2001) believed that implementing educational change requires step-by-step planning; lest it will cause more problems than opportunities. Teachers need to understand clearly what change is taking place and what is expected of them thereafter. Henceforth, they have to be fully "on board" so the direction and focus become clearer. Human and material resources are identified as problems in the implementation of the program among others (Combalicer, 2016;Brillantes et al., 2019). While adding two more years to the country's traditional education system was done in good faith, there has been a seemingly unforeseen glitch in the K-12 system: junior high teachers teaching the specialized tracks in SHS. Although Briones has said that those who do not want to teach in senior high school have an option and will not be forced. According to some teachers, they did not want to change the subjects they were comfortable teaching for the past years. Some also did not like the additional workload. However, some teachers did not actually have an option because the school has not hired a teacher for SHS. This needs to be investigated for appropriate action because the teacher is a major hub around which the success of education revolves. Obinna (2007) observed that ''no government policy on education can be realized if it does not, first of all, perceive the problems and opportunities before initiating decision-making process". The teacher is in the best position and most qualified resource person to be consulted.
This study aims to explore the lived experiences of Senior High School teachers and to the ascribed meaning attached to their narratives. Their experiences in teaching varied subjects in the SHS highlight both the varied opportunities and possibilities for professional growth and the challenges that they have encountered in the implementation of the new curriculum. This study will provide the Department of Education (DepEd) with the picture of the opportunities and challenges experienced by the teachers while handling the courses in Senior High School (SHS). Furthermore, the result will provide the department with data to support any curricular initiatives to address the needs of SHS teachers coming from industry, higher education institutions, and junior high schools.

Philosophical Stance
Philosophical assumptions are concerned with beliefs, values, ontology, epistemology, and rationality since research is subjective in a qualitative approach. A researcher employing qualitative method of research should agree with the underlying philosophical assumptions side by side with their own world views. Creswell and Poth (2017) described the following four philosophical assumptions: ontological (the nature of reality) relates to the nature of reality and its characteristics; epistemological (how researchers know what they know) describes how the researchers try to get as close as possible to participants being studied; axiology (the role of values in research) is how researchers make their values known in the study and actively reports their values and biases as well as the value-laden nature of information gathered from the field; and methodology (the methods used in the process of research) which may be inductive, emerging, and shaped by the researcher's experience in collecting and analyzing the data.
The ontology of this research study is that reality is socially constructed, and reality is perceived to be socially constructed and is subjective. Subjectivism (also known as constructionism or interpretivism) perceives that "social phenomena are created from the perceptions and consequent actions of those social actors concerned with their existence" (Dudovskiy, 2018). In this study, the researchers highlight that human beings have their thoughts, interpretations, and meanings of "what is". Moreover, it attempts to understand human beings in a social context. The research particiants' realities and their world, constructed through their lived experiences as highlighted to be the changes and challenges they have encountered, are manifested using research methods and techniques of the interpretive design such as interviews to deduce and interpret their feelings and inner thoughts. Further, to explore these realities, the participants are asked about the opportunities and possibilities afforded to them and the challenges and limitations that they have encountered in the implementation of the new curriculum.
Further, the epistemological stance of the study is constructivist. Constructivist research is relativist, transactional, and subjectivist. In this study, the researchers acknowledge that "there is no objective truth to be known"; that reality is a by-product of informant's (teachers) individual thoughts and interactions; and, that the world is not known, and that the role of the researcher is to construct an impression of the world as they (participants) see it. In this study, the researcher is the main data gathering instrument and is present in all face-to-face interactions or interviews with the teachers to fully comprehend, respond and make sense of these interactions. The researchers and the research participants are one in contextualizing and creating the meaning of the multiple realities that exist. Charmaz (2006) states that the aim of a constructivist inquiry is "to interpret research participants' meanings, which are themselves interpretations, and produce a 'substantive theory' or working hypotheses".
On the other hand, this study highlights axiological -"interpretivism" in which it is anchored on the belief that research is value bound, the researcher is part of what is being researched, cannot be separated and so will be subjective. This paper put emphasis or value on both policy and practice in the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum. By looking at the leaps and limits as deduced from the participants, this study provides the Department of Education (DepEd) the portrait of the opportunities and challenges experienced by the teachers handling the courses in Senior High School (SHS) which can be used to support any curricular initiatives to address the needs of these teachers.
Lastly, the rhetoric of the study distinguishes that knowing is subjective and involved, however, the researchers bracket their biases and own interpretations of the phenomenon. The "facts" and experiences of the participants speak for themselves and these are laid down using thematic presentation. Analyses focus on the language of research and elaboration is also in reference to some larger field of meaning.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The Philippines had a significant leap in education through the Republic Act No. 10533 known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act. This model of Department of Education (DepEd) -K-6-4-2 Model involves Kindergarten, six years of elementary education, four years of junior high school (Grades 7 to 10), and two years of senior high school (Grades 11 to 12). The additional two years of senior high school intend to provide time for students to consolidate acquired academic skills and competencies and equip learners with skills that will better prepare them for the future, whether it is for employment, entrepreneurship, skills development (further Tech-Voc training), and higher education or college (DepEd, 2019). The Senior High School Curriculum was developed in line with the curriculum of the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) to ensure that students graduate from Senior High School with the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to attend (Acosta et al., 2016). It is perceived that implementing this curricular reform will foster the growth and development of the country (Abueva, 2019). This K to 12 curricular reform was signed into law in 2013 and recently had its first batch of graduates in 2018. Before its implementation, the country was the only one in Asia that still has 10 years in basic education (Adarlo et al., 2017). This has put the country's graduates at a disadvantage in the global job market, and this educational reform is expected to address this concern. These new graduates are envisaged to become more competitive in the global business arena and to bring more success that would contribute towards building the nation and be at par with the rest of the world (Acosta et al., 2016). Thus, even with the so many concerns raised by the different stakeholders about the implementation of K to 12, the government still has pushed through with it.
The word implementation according to Ogar (2015) connotes the "operationalization of well-articulated and well-intentioned ideas packed as theory". Hence to implement is to put action-packed ideas or theories into reality. Mezieobi (1993), conceptualized the term implementation simply as a process of putting an agreed plan, decision, proposal, idea, or policy into effect. The real success of any plan is seen in its implementation. It is the moving force of any plan without which a plan is only a good wish or intention. On the other hand, the word curriculum in a formal setting can be seen as the planned learning experiences offered to the learner in school (Ogar, 2015).
Moreover, the teacher is at the forefront of curriculum implementation. Harris and Jones (2019) accentuated teacher's contribution to curricular change and their active participation in leading the change. However, only a few studies have been undertaken to determine the status of the program and the teachers (as implementers) in the country several years after its implementation (Almerino et al., 2020). The study of Rivera (2017) attempted to identify the misalignment of teaching pedagogies in the K to 12 curriculum and purported that there is a need to revisit the content and implementation of the curriculum. Another study by Trance and Trance (2019) explored the experiences of in-service and pre-service teachers and students and identified several issues and challenges they are facing like lack of materials and resources among others. The same concerns were also raised in the report conducted by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies in 2019. It is on this understanding that teachers need to embark on formidable challenges on improving the quality of their teaching while meeting the tremendous demand of change (Navarro et al., 2016). Likewise, coping with these changes of the K to 12 curriculum is still seen as a challenge up until now.
Even at the onset of the K-12 implementation, several arguments and recurring doubts have already surfaced such as scarcity of learning materials, lack of classrooms, and qualifications of teachers who teach the senior high programs had become a national issue (Rabacal et al., 2017). Initially, the Department of Education calls for specialists from different industries and those teaching in different universities to teach the specialized tracks namely Academic (which includes Business, Science & Engineering, Humanities & Social Science, and a General Academic strand) (2) Technical Vocational Livelihood (with highly specialized subjects with TESDA qualifications) (3) Sports (4) Arts & Design. DepEd Order No. 3, s. 2016 stipulates the qualifications for SHS teachers such as a) Bachelor's degree majoring in fields under the Track; or any Bachelor's degree plus 15 units of specialization, in the Strand; b) years of relevant teaching/industry work-experience; c) hours of training relevant to the courses in the Strand; and d) a LET passer (licensed or certified teachers).
However, schools have difficulty in hiring specialized teachers due to a number of factors including requirements and compensation (ADB, 2019). This has also resulted in the limited track and strands offered in various schools. Brillantes et al. (2019) reported that "there is a substantial proportion of the 11,087 senior high schools not offering even the main line academic strands and tracks". According to their study, 64 percent of these schools do not offer ABM, 70 percent do not offer HUMSS, 74 percent do not offer STEM, 37 percent do not offer GAS and almost all of them (99.6%) do not offer pre-baccalaureate maritime, and 38 percent do not offer TVL track, 99 percent do not offer sports, and 98 percent do not offer arts and design. This is due to the scarcity of qualified teachers as well as the resources (laboratory for instance) needed to teach these tracks. The development of tracks based on different competencies and/or student interests is an integral component of the program. These tracks-based competencies are developed to meet the country's varied human capital requirements and to prepare students for productive endeavors (Acosta, 2016).
Moreover, schools have tried to address the shortage of qualified SHS teachers. For instance, a number of Junior High School (JHS) teachers are transferred to SHS and made to teach the different tracks/strands. These teachers have been assigned to teach subjects that are not related to their areas of specialization. The same goes for those teachers who came from higher education institutions and industries who opted to teach in the public school system. While some teachers try to study their new subjects, some consider that such practice does not allow them to do "the subject justice" (Brillantes et al., 2019). Although teachers at the Senior High School are given capacity-building trainings and seminars to equip them with the necessary content and pedagogical skills, SHS-specific training seems inadequate for some teachers. While research on out-of-field teachers' impact on students' performance varies, the majority of these studies show that out-offield teachers are aware of and are concerned about the negative impact their teaching might have on their students' learning. It can also be devastating for a confident and competent teacher to be suddenly incompetent because he is made to teach an unfamiliar content. Real learning in an out-of-field subject -where there is improved capacity and confidence to teach -requires support from colleagues and school leaders, as well as time to extend content knowledge and teaching approaches. (du Plessis et al., 2014).
The K-12 program has been acknowledged as relevant and responsive to the needs of 21 st -century education as reported by various literature. However, its implementation brings forth a lot of concerns that DepEd and the government need to immediately address. Likewise, the teachers' voices can provide an understanding of what is happening in the field. This program is still in its transition period considering that the government still needs to revisit policies as well as address identified issues by the different stakeholders. It is still a work in progress, thus study into its implementation would greatly help the education sector in developing revised policies and guidelines, as well as tailoring initiatives to directly address the concerns of those who are implementing the programs.

Design
This study employed a descriptive phenomenological approach in exploring the teachers' lived experiences during their first two years in senior high school teaching. The Husserlian phenomenological approach was utilized to arrive at the description of the unique meanings of what is it like to teach in a SHS and how these meanings emerge and are shaped by consciousness. In this approach, the teachers' consciousness and introspection of their experiences was established for them to 'clearly notice' and share essential ideas process, and events associated with their work. Such an approach suits the study on the account of intentionality and the immanent reflection of the teachers to unfold their unique experiences (Gutland, 2018).
A phenomenological device of bracketing was done where the researcher's assumptions, personal experience, and hunches were recorded from pre to post data collection. This was done to ensure that meaning-making was not influenced by the researcher's preconceived ideas and regard towards the teachers' lived experiences. Consequently, aspects of meaning attached to the phenomenon of senior high school teaching emerged from thoughtfulness and attentiveness to the unique meaning and significance of the teachers' lived experiences.
An empirical method, such as interviewing, was used to gather experiential material. Creswell (2014) maintained that 'data are best collected in the form of descriptions of live-through moments and remembered stories of a particular experience.' Hence, the focus is on describing senior high school teaching directly without offering a causal explanation or interpretive generalizations. In the process, emerging questions and procedures, data collected under a natural setting, data analysis, and meaning-making are taken into consideration to uncover the essence of the studied phenomenon.

Environment
This study was conducted in selected Senior High Schools in Region 7 from the different schools divisions. To obtain the needed data, 15 SHS teachers from varied settings: Junior High School, Higher Education Institution (HEI), and industry, were chosen to constitute the study participants. Teachers from HEIs and industry (e.g. call centers, hospitals, firms, etc) were included because their experiences prior to being appointed as SHS teachers might have an influence on how they regard and perform their roles and responsibilities in their new work station, the Department of Education.

Participants and Sampling Technique
This study utilized purposive sampling, which is widely used in qualitative studies. The participants were selected based on the inclusion criteria: a) appointed as Senior High School teachers since 2016; b) had undergone trainings/ workshops/ seminars related to SHS teaching; c) was given a full load of teaching, and 4) voluntarily consented to be part of the study and are willing to articulate their experience as Senior High School teachers. The representation was deemed necessary to ascertain that various settings and contexts could be explored to capture the essence of the experiences as lived by the participants. No further interview was conducted after interviewing the 15 th participant since data saturation was already achieved and no new information emerged from the interview.

Instrument
In this phenomenological inquiry, the researcher is the primary data collection instrument. According to Pezalla et al. (2012), as the initiator of the interview, the researcher, plays an active role in making specific decisions about the progress of the in-depth, unstructured interview. The participants' unfolding of their experiences is contingent upon the skills of the researcher in drawing out their life-worlds.
The researcher-interviewer, guided by the research question drew out the participants' senior high school teaching experiences. Prompts and probing questions were used to aid the participants in providing richer and more vivid details of their experiences. These served as follow-up questions that would invite the participants to share more to get the desired thick description of the phenomenon being studied (Leech, 2002).
The open-ended questioning shed light on the focus which is understanding and describing the essence attached to senior high school teaching. Also, since there might be things not captured during the online interview, participants were informed of member checking once the interview transcripts were done.

Data-gathering Procedure
Approval of the Research Ethics Committee was sought prior to the conducting the interview. Then, transmittal letters and consent were given to the participants who were selected based on the preset inclusion criteria. As the nature of the study necessitates that data collection involves an interview, participants' informed consent was sought after explaining them the nature of their participation, purpose of the study, time commitment, benefits to be expected, and confidentiality of their identity.
An in-depth interview was used as a means for exploring and gathering experiential material. With the current situation where mobility and physical presence are challenged, an online platform such as Zoom, Google Meet, Messenger supplemented the face-to-face interviews. Each interview session was recorded and facilitated by the assigned researcher. Prompts were used to encourage the participants to explicate points mentioned after giving the main question of describing their senior high school teaching experience from the beginning until the present. The researcher was given permission to contact the participants to present and discuss the interim research texts with them to fully capture their experience as shared during the interview. This would also provide the the participants a chance to validate their statements and the researcher a chance to ask for any clarifications about the significance of their experience.

Data Analysis using Colaizzi's Descriptive Phenomenological Method
To arrive at an all-encompassing description and rigorous analysis of senior high school teaching as experienced by the participants, Colaizzi's (1978) in Morrow's (2015) distinctive seven steps were followed. At the onset, the researchers familiarized themselves with the data.
Data immersion commenced within the first 24 hours after every interview by listening to the recorded interview. This was followed by repetitive reading of the transcripts. Having been immersed with the data, the researcher identified significant statements which are of direct relevance to the studied phenomenon. The formulated meanings from the significant statements were considered with the researcher's conscious and reflexive bracketing of her pre-suppositions. Identified meanings were then clustered into themes which were discussed in full to present a description of senior high school teaching. Saldana (2013) defines themes, an implicit topic, as an outcome of coding categorization and analytic reflection. The exhaustive description/ themes were condensed into short, dense statements to produce the fundamental structure, that is, the essential aspects of the experiences of the teacher-participants. Part of the process of analysis was to seek verification of the fundamental structure developed in the previous stage. This was done when the researcher returned the created fundamental structure to the select participants who validated whether the statements really captured their experience. They were told that they could add further information related to their responses to contextualize or explain the concepts mentioned during the interview. Participant validation was purposely done to discuss initial results with the participants and ascertain that nothing is missed during the transcription and condensation of meaning.

Ethical Considerations
Considerably, the wealth of knowledge and understanding of the teachers' accounts present the myriad issues that beset them as teachers in SHS. It is therefore a moral obligation of the researcher to strictly consider the rights of the participants, to establish trust among them, and to respect them as independent individuals who are capable of making sound decisions. The major ethical issues in conducting this study include (a) informed consent, (b) beneficence, (c) confidentiality and anonymity, and (d) respect for privacy, and the right to withdraw from the study anytime. Participants' signed consent forms support their approval to provide the needed data in the study. They were not linked to the data, in whatsoever means, and their identities were known only by the researcher. The participants were identified by their coded ID in the study and the audio recordings were destroyed after they had validated the presented fundamental structure according to a mutually agreed schedule. Lastly, the participants were informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time if they wish to. This right was explained to them prior to their engagement in the research.

Trustworthiness
To ensure reliability and traceability of decisions on the themes, the researcher established the transcription rigors and developed the codebook.Transcription is an integral part of the research process as it helps interpret the information precisely and concisely. The data obtained during the interview were easier to analyze because the transcripts were reviewed several times (for data immersion). To make sense of the interviews, the researcher, as the main instrument, engaged in the process of identifying the significant statements (SSs), and the formulated meanings (FMs) were derived thereafter. The FMs, in the codebook, were the tags or labels for assigning units of meaning to the descriptive or inferential information compiled during the initial phase of data analysis.
Moreover, the four trustworthiness criteria according to Lincoln andGuba (1985, cited in Nowell et al., 2017) namely credibility, dependability, transferability, confirmability were observed. Member checking was done by contacting and sharing to the participants the interim research texts (credibility). An inquiry audit, requiring outside persons as reviewers of the research process and analysis, was done (dependability). There was also a thick description of the data from purposively selected participants' contexts obtained through the interview (transferability). Lastly, neutrality was observed through an audit trail (basis of the themes) to ensure that the findings accurately portrayed the teachers' responses and were not skewed to fit a certain narrative (confirmability).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This study explored the teachers' lived experiences in Senior High School teaching. It used a qualitative framework and methods appropriate for a phenomenological research-guided data collection and analysis. The results of this study described the challenges and opportunities of SHS teaching through the themes deduced from the formulated meanings. Careful analysis of the interview transcriptions allowed the researchers to identify word and thought patterns which set the stage for later theme emersion (Schuemann, 2014).

Summary of Participants
The data collected from this study are from the face-to-face interviews with the identified participants. Point of saturation was achieved on the 13 th participant and the researchers added two more to make sure that no new major concepts emerged in the following interviews. Selection of participants for the study was guided by the following inclusion criteria: a.) Senior High school teachers in Region 7 coming from a Junior High school (JHS), higher education institutions (HEI), and from industry, b.) applied and appointed as a teacher in the Senior High School since 2016; c) must have undergone trainings/ workshops/ seminars related to SHS teaching; d) were given a full load of teaching, and e) voluntarily consented to be part of the study.
There were 15 participants, with five from each of the three categories: SHS teachers coming from a Junior High school (JHS), teachers from higher education institutions (HEI), and those coming from industry.

SHS Teachers Coming from a Junior High School (JHS)
Most people find change to be an overwhelming experience, especially if it is abrupt. This is a prevalent theme among the five respondents who started teaching in Junior High School for 3-15 years already before they were designated as teachers in SHS. Two participants have been teaching for 3-5 years, the other three have been teaching for more than five years, one of whom has taught already for 15 years. Three are female and two are male. All are regular teachers in the Department of Education. They come from different provinces in the region: Cebu Province, Bohol, and Negros Oriental.
What is common to all five is that they were assigned by their principal to teach in SHS basically because their school lack teachers. They claimed that their transition from JHS to SHS was by no means easy. They felt the demands and expectations in all forms.
For the two who have taught for 3-5 years, they felt that their responsibilities expanded considerably. Teaching in JHS for quite some time, for them, was not enough to be qualified to teach in SHS. They believe that they lack the expertise to teach the courses offered in SHS. Those who have been in the profession for more than five years felt the necessity and importance of continuing studies and pursuing post-graduate studies. They claimed that they are not experts in this new field and there is still so much to do when it comes to content, pedagogy, materials, and the like. Aside from that, they also need to adjust in terms of dealing with more mature students who should have been college students already (about the old curriculum). However, all five believe that where they are now is a great learning experience, and favorable outcomes will be achieved for both teachers and students if they will be continuously and adequately provided with curricular support.

SHS Teachers from Higher Education Institutions
When K to 12 was implemented, there were college and university teachers who expressed concern about being displaced, retrenched, or worse, terminated. However, some saw it as an opportunity for more stable employment (especially for those who come from a private school). This is also true for all five respondents in this study who previously taught in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), but now teaching in SHS. They all have taught for three years or more in private HEIs from different provinces in the region: Cebu Province, Siquijor, and Negros Oriental. Four females and one male; and all are passers of the licensure examination for teachers. They did not expect the great shift of their career when K to 12 was implemented.
Three of these respondents consider it as an opportunity for them to get to a more stable job, i.e., teaching in a public school. However, two of them did not have much choice as the HEI informed them that they would no longer be given any teaching load. This left them no choice but to apply in a public SHS. Teaching in SHS for all five have been challenging due to scarcity of materials, and the adjustment of their teaching approaches they required to make to teach at the basic level. In terms of mastery of content and dealing with students, they say that they are confident since they teach the same subjects in HEIs. They, like the teachers from JHS, were encouraged to pursue postgraduate education to be more equipped.

SHS Teachers from the Industry
The scope of SHS teaching, especially on applied and specialized courses, provided an opportunity for those who are practitioners and experts not just from the education sector but even from different relevant industries in the country. They were invited either to teach part-time (even without a teacher license) or full-time (if they will secure the teacher license within five years). This was a good opportunity especially for those who wanted to be teachers (but did not have the opportunity to become one), those who wanted to work in a public sector (if there is a promise of job security), and those who would want to explore and venture out other areas within their expertise. These were the reasons why these five respondents opted to change their workplace. They were not retrenched or terminated, rather, it was their choice.
The five respondents under this group have been working in the industry for between 5 and 24 years. One respondent has been in the industry for 15 years, and one for 24 years before being transferred to a public SHS. The other three respondents were employed in the public sector for 5 to 10 years.
For these five, all the aspects of SHS teaching were challenging. They needed to simply and teach the contents according to the specified objectives in the curriculum guide. They require a lot of support with teaching approach. The materials provided were inadequate, adding to their list of worries. However, what is common to all five is that despite all these challenges, they brought with them a considerable amount of optimism and resiliency. They claim that deciding whether or not to leave their comfort zone was the most difficult part for them.
All five were very optimistic that with proper support and trainings, they will be able to acquire the skills they need and adjust to the new environment.

From the Qualitative Database to Themes
The meanings ascribed to the narratives are presented thematically following Colaizzi's seven-step process of data analysis. The researcher, a narrative inquirer, attended to the ways the narratives of experience are embedded in social and educational contexts. This was realized when interview transcripts were organized to capture the multiple interactions and reflections on and of their experiences. The succeeding section presents the exhaustive description of the three themes: expectations and apprehensions, experiences and coping strategies, and attitudes and aspirations. These themes are condensed into the fundamental structure of the participants' accounts characterizing their perceptions and experiences of Senior High School teaching.

Theme 1. Expectations and Apprehensions
Any new teacher hopes to be ready for anything at the start of their teaching career. Knowing what to teach and how to teach can make their work a lot easier. With various experiences before being hired as Senior High school teachers, the study participants shared their expectations and apprehensions towards teaching. These expectations come from perceived competence and readiness to be in control of their classroom, availability of resources, and active student engagement. Apprehensions, on the other hand, pertain to their concerns and worries concerning their teaching skills, self-efficacy, and effective pedagogy.
The majority of the participants disclosed their expectations and apprehensions, saying: The offering of the senior high school program as part of the curriculum in the basic education in the Philippines opened a door to a lot of opportunities as a new approach, I was not expecting it to be an easy load. I was given directly the task of a Grade 11 adviser. I was hesitant at first to accept the assignment because in the first place, I am not a The teachers are at the forefront of SHS curriculum implementation from the time they are hired. At the onset, they acknowledged that it is an opportunity, that SHS students are easy to deal with considering their age, and that there is seemingly less work to do. The participants who are not new in teaching, as well as those coming from the industry, expected SHS teaching to be worry-free and opportunitiesfilled. Conversely, they have also recognized the need to embark on formidable challenges that beset them since the program is new and several challenges have to be hurdled. They have doubts about being able to satisfy the need of the stakeholders especially when the students will be sent out during the immersion phase. Further, the need to be equipped with the learners' resource materials and teaching guides and contributory to the apprehensions on how SHS teaching be done effectively.
Similarly, Rabacal et al. (2017) pointed to teachers' readiness and qualifications and learning materials as national issues confronting the K to12 program implementation. These had led to several arguments, uncertainties, and doubts. With only the curriculum guide at hand, multiple designations, the unfamiliarity of the competencies, kinds of public-school students are among the factors that cause discomforts and apprehensions. Indeed, the experiences of the pilot implementation of the K to 12 program uncover the plight of teachers as they fulfill their tasks in honing their students' competencies. Teachers have acknowledged that a certain degree of adjustments, creativity, and resourcefulness are expected of them. Though there may be apprehensions, there are mechanisms are in place.
For instance, the Department of Education has outlined and considered the groundwork from planning up to dissemination. Mass trainings for SHS teachers were done at regional and national levels and teachers are enjoined to develop learning materials. Studies by Acar (2017) and Abdullah (2020) showed that teachers are provided with resourceful mechanisms to deliver their lessons in a meaningful way despite the lack of materials and facilities and the school's nonadoption of admission and retention policy

Theme 2. Experiences and (Coping) Strategies
The experiences of senior high teachers pertain to their encounters, understandings, and application of proficiencies in teaching while coping strategies refer to their ability to handle overlapping activities, student diversity, limited resources, poor student motivation, and adherence to the policies. Being the first set of SHS teachers gave them a vantage point to share how they grapple with it or try to overcome the perceived limitations at the onset of curriculum implementation. Their experiences were not always pleasant, but they managed to see the very purpose of their chosen profession. Significant adjustments had to be made along with their conscious effort to make things work. It all started with accepting the reality and responding appropriately to it. According to them,

I delivered the lessons through my own resourcefulness and initiative. Researches for learning materials and collaboration with other SH teachers were done. I even have decided to buy my LED TV and to have my broadband connection to answer one of the emerging demands of a 21st-century teacher. (P2)
In other schools, they have a unified book and even the daily lesson plan in class. Which  They participated in collaborative and benchmarking activities to learn what materials others are using and how they address their concerns on lack of teaching resources. This proved that newly-hired teachers in SHS are cognizant of the fact that they are not alone and that they can build a support system among their colleagues who are willing to assist them. Simpson (2016) identified a teacher's support system as influential in teacher efficacy. Novice teachers, ( in this case, new in SHS teaching) acknowledged guidance and support, professional development, and opportunities for collaboration as instrumental as they carry out their tasks.
Since learning materials, out-of-field teaching, and multiple designations are quite challenging, teachers find solace in online resources, in colleagues' assistance, and in attending mass trainings and seminars. Being at the forefront, they acknowledge that they must do something or they will not be able to provide necessary knowledge, skills, and attitude to their students. This assertion is supported by the study of Bacus (2021) on the teacher's distinctive powers to make decisions on how to teach and what to teach, given the needs and context of their students and in a specific learning milieu. The reality faced by SHS teachers provided them with an avenue to exercise their ingenuity. Obtaining resources, attending seminars and mass trainings for Senior High School, findings ways to get acquainted with the system, and embracing all delegated responsibilities strengthened their regard towards SHS teaching. Their narratives below indicated their varied ways of addressing such reality. It takes a lot of time and effort to become adjusted to something new. The unique experiences and strategies propel the SHS teacher to act on the reality and responsibility attached to the four-year-old SHS program in the country. While they have been immersed with the public school system, they might be continually benefitting from regular curricular conversations, academic fora, and periodic seminars and trainings. Lastly, sharing of best practices may be done through benchmarking activities.

Theme 3: Attitude and Aspirations
Other than experts in terms of content, teachers also strive to become role models of positive attitudes who consider challenges as opportunities, not harbingers of doom and despair. The last theme that emerged from the respondents' utterances is Attitudes and Aspirations. This pertains to the teachers' attitudes and hopes towards the curricular change and their overall feelings about the experience.
Attitude refers to their feelings about the experiences they have as SHS teachers. This reflects both negative and positive feelings. On the other hand, Aspiration is what these teachers hope to happen or achieve in the future as SHS teachers.
Research establish that a positive attitude promotes a positive outlook in life (Cherry, 2019& Woods, 2019. It helps one overcome the daily hurdles of life. It makes one bravely venture out new things with optimism and turns challenges into opportunities. Teachers who have this attitude project a good level of emotional intelligence which contribute to efficiency, efficacy, and satisfaction towards work. Moreover, Nagase et al. (2020) also pointed out that teachers who project an overall positive attitude make a positive impact as well on their students in terms of greater academic gains (in reference to their peers). Thus, it is important for a teacher to possess a high level of emotional intelligence, to remain positive and strong-willed, and to be motivated as these greatly affect their students in many ways which can shape their learning experience. Moreover, teachers' positive regard for the different curricular changes helped them look for workable solutions to certain problems. These characteristics were shown by the 15 teachers in this study. They say, These SHS teachers may have encountered a considerable amount of pain, exhaustion, and stress at the onset of the implementation of the new curriculum, but they have not given up. Rather, these circumstances prompted them walk an extra mile with their students. They made them realize once again what it is to be a "teacher" and enhanced their motivation and reminded them of the importance of their work once again. Change, big or small, always causes rift and confusion. However, it is also an opportunity to improve.
Nonetheless, with still the so many things the SHS teachers must overcome, they have not let go of their aspiration that everything will be in place. They believe that as their administrators and other stakeholders listen to what they have been through, they will act on tangible solutions to address these challenges. After all, it is not for them, but their students. The SHS curriculum should be responsive and adaptive to students' overall needs. Datnow (2020) stated that "teachers are central to educational change and play an important role in the implementation of any educational reforms". The success of any educational reform relies heavily on the direct implementers of these changes.
The SHS teachers aspired that they will be continually assisted, and problems will be specifically addressed in time. They are also proud to be part of this historic shift in the country's educational system and they believe that all they are doing and the challenges they have encountered will be worthwhile. They say, The K to 12 program is beneficial to our students who need to be globally competitive at present. Amidst the many controversies, the K to 12 program has to be pushed through. Being a teacher with a passion to teach, I am and will always be taking this challenging task of forming senior high school learners. (P7) Teaching is just part of life that sums up everything all we need to do is to continue life not just thinking of ourselves but for others. For great teachers are not those who know everything but those who give everything. (P8) I know that there is a purpose why fate has brought me here and it is "This is my Mission." (P10) But despite these heavy burdens and wearies, I know it will be worth it. I must know or at least be reminded that not only in teaching that hardships especially in the beginnings exist. With continuous support and consolidated efforts from all stakeholders, teachers believe that the implementation of the K to 12 program will yield good results. This great optimism among teachers leads them to concretize these beliefs and put them into action. Thus, teachers have augmented deficiencies in instructional materials, pedagogy, content, and the like. These are evident in their shared experiences (Theme 2). Furthermore, "educators play a significant role in any decision making and policy reform as they are the navigators and direct implementers of these curricular changes. They need to be at the forefront of these innovations with their commitment to ensuring an all-out effort for quality education" (Alda et al., 2020).
The teachers' responses, regardless of the nature of how teaching in SHS came to be, showed their commitment to the teaching profession. They are hopeful that this change will provide their students with better opportunities and uplift the country's educational system.

CONCLUSION
The induction period, i.e., the first three years in Senior High School teaching helps pre-service and in-service teachers of academic institution with an understanding of the influence of teaching preparation and support to withstand the challenges brought about by the curricular change. The lived experiences of Senior High School teachers provided an avenue for them to share their stories then and now, paving the way for institutions to explore ways to assist the teachers better.
Despite the failed expectations, these teachers made the most of their teaching experiences, extending and augmenting the different deficiencies of the program. They acknowledged the importance of this significant leap in education and maintained a positive attitude in the entire process. They aspire that continuous support will be afforded to them from different stakeholders in education. They are one with the government's goal of improving the quality of life among Filipinos through inclusive and equitable quality education.
Furthermore, this study also provided a clearer view of the different needs of SHS teachers coming from a Junior High school (JHS), teachers from higher education institutions (HEI), and those coming from industry. Though given the same teaching assignments, their background and experiences in the previous workplace form part of how they regard their current work; and understanding the transition is valuable. Given the context of teaching, education stakeholders' realization of their respective roles is of paramount importance. Teachers need to develop a sense of initiative and self-directedness to fulfill their roles as frontliners in curriculum implementation. Administrators of academic institutions may revisit policies of SHS implementation and continuously support teachers' continuing professional development by charting relevant trainings, conducting regular onsite monitoring, and providing resources for teachers' upskilling and re-skilling.
The study focused only on the experiences of the SHS teachers during their first three years of teaching and did not cover the quality of their teaching performance in key result areas in teaching. Another study may be done to determine teachers' growth in terms of career stages embodied in the professional standards for teachers.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This is a university-funded research. The authors thankfully acknowledge Center for Research and Development (CRD), Cebu Normal University for providing research trainings, external experts, and financial support, all of which greatly helped in the completion of this project.