OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION BY GRADE 1 TEACHERS IN A CITY SCHOOLS DIVISION

This research aimed to capture the lived experiences of the teacher counselors in using counseling skills and techniques in public secondary schools in a school district to serve as basis for program development. T his study i s qualitative in nature and used phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of the seven subjects who were chosen purposive ly . D ata were gathered using individual in depth interview and analyzed using four phenomenological intertwining steps or phases which involve d the epoche, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation and synthesis. The res ults highlight ed the role and extent of involvement as well as the problems and challen ges encountered by the teacher counselors in using counseling skills and techniques in Gumaca D istrict. The qualified co researchers were teacher counselor s who have dir ect lived experiences on the phenomenon and have b een practicing the profession for more than two years . The theme s derived were decades of dedication and consistency, encouraging self to positivity, and maturity in dealing with the minority Most of the c o researchers encountered difficulties as they lack proper training and skills to come up with the techniques and approaches needed by different situations and cases of students they deal with. A ll of the co researchers found the work itself difficult as t hey are expected to solve school absences, straighten up poorly behaved students, and counse l sensitive matters of students life. Meanwhile, th e y make sure that they know the difference between their work as class teacher and as guidance teacher. They als o stated that they learn from the experiences of the students they talk to each day. The experiences of the students from bullying, academic failure, and family problems g ive them emotional improvement and t he more students they counsel, the deeper their l ove for their work prevails. The co researchers stated that they do not have the same level of expertise that registered guidance counselor s possess because their field of expertise is focused on teaching students based on lesson plans and academic referen ces. The y recommend the need to empower guidance teacher s to better serve the school community by attending seminars and training s that may increase their capabilities.