Anecdote of Communication Teachers in Educating Indigenous Learners in Remote Schools

This study explored the lived experiences of Communication teachers educating Indigenous learners in remote schools in Sarangani Province, Philippines. It sought to examine the challenges they encountered, the coping strategies they employed, and the insights they gained in delivering culturally responsive instruction within geographically isolated Indigenous communities. A qualitative narratological research design was employed to capture the meanings teachers attributed to their professional experiences through storytelling. Five Communication teachers were purposively selected based on their direct involvement in teaching Indigenous learners in remote school settings. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded with participants' consent, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Bruner's Narrative Analysis framework to identify recurring narratives and emergent themes. The findings revealed three overarching themes: Challenges, Coping Strategies, and Transformative Insights. The challenges included language barriers, limited instructional resources, cultural-learning differences, parental engagement barriers, and system-learning mismatch. To address these issues, teachers adopted culturally responsive strategies such as integrating Indigenous culture into instruction, collaborating with community elders and parents, practicing emotional resilience, engaging in peer-learning, and implementing flexible multilingual approaches. Their experiences also transformed their pedagogical perspectives, leading them to recognize the value of Indigenous cultural knowledge, embrace student-centered and multilingual instruction, strengthen community participation in education, and redefine educational success beyond academic achievement to include cultural identity and holistic learner development. The study concludes that culturally responsive pedagogy, community collaboration, and institutional support are essential for improving educational equity in remote Indigenous schools. These findings contribute to the growing literature on Indigenous education by providing context-specific evidence that may inform educational policies, teacher professional development, localized curriculum development, and inclusive instructional practices that promote culturally sustaining education for Indigenous learners.