The Roots of Time: A Journey of Patience

    Last December 2024, our ICT teacher assigned us a community-based research project, in which we were grouped into teams of four based on our residential areas. I was grouped with my classmates from Sta. Catalina, and together, we had to choose a topic related to the livelihood and economy of our community. After discussing various possibilities, we decided to focus on farming, one of the primary sources of income for many residents in Sta. Catalina.

    On January 7, 2025, we officially started our research. As the leader of the group, I was responsible for guiding my team, organizing tasks, and ensuring that everyone contributed to the study. We began by brainstorming potential research problems and discussing the relevant issues faced by our local farmers. After thorough deliberation, we decided that our study would focus on the challenges and successes of farming in Sta. Catalina. Our goal was to analyze the difficulties faced by farmers and explore how they overcome obstacles to sustain their livelihood.

    To collect data, we planned to conduct interviews as part of our methodology. My groupmates and I visited local farms to speak directly with farmers and understand their struggles. We asked about the challenges they encountered, such as climate change, lack of resources, and bankruptcy. Their responses provided us with valuable insights into the realities of farming in our community. Additionally, we had the opportunity to interview an agriculturist from our municipality, who shared information about the local government's efforts to support farmers through financial aid, technical assistance, and agricultural programs.

    Gathering information was a crucial part of our research process, but teamwork played an equally important role. Throughout our study, my groupmates and I collaborated effectively, ensuring that tasks were distributed fairly. Each member contributed to writing and organizing our research paper, making the process smooth and efficient. Despite minor challenges, our dedication and willingness to help one another allowed us to complete our paper successfully. After weeks of effort, we finally compiled our findings and finished our research report, feeling proud of our work.

    However, our task did not end with the research paper. The next step was to create a web page to present our study, which required us to apply our knowledge of HTML and CSS. Since we were already familiar with web codes, we divided the work based on the sections of our research paper. Each member was assigned a specific chapter to code, ensuring that all aspects of our research were represented on our website.

    Designing and coding the web page was a challenging but rewarding experience. At first, we faced several issues, such as incorrect coding and layout inconsistencies. Some sections did not function properly, and there were times when we had to rewrite entire portions of the code to fix errors. Despite these difficulties, we remained determined and patient. We sought help from online resources, reviewed our code carefully, and worked together to troubleshoot problems.

    One of the most difficult parts was ensuring that all the elements of our website were properly aligned and responsive. We wanted to create a visually appealing and can get the audience's attention, so we spent extra time refining the design. Adjusting margins, fonts, colors, and navigation bars required a lot of effort, but our teamwork and perseverance allowed us to achieve our goals. With each revision, we improved our web page, making it more polished and functional.

    After days of hard work, we finally completed our web page, and all the code was running smoothly. Seeing our finished project gave us a great sense of accomplishment. The challenges we faced during the coding process taught us valuable lessons about problem-solving, debugging, and the importance of teamwork in technical projects. Through patience and dedication, we turned our ideas into a fully functional website that effectively showcased our research.

    When the time came to present our work, we were both excited and nervous. However, our preparation and teamwork gave us confidence. We explained our research findings clearly and demonstrated our web page's features. Our presentation went smoothly, and we felt proud of what we had achieved as a group. Looking back, this project was a valuable learning experience for all of us. Not only did we gain knowledge about farming in our community, but we also developed important skills in research, collaboration, and web development. The process was challenging, but the experience of working together, overcoming obstacles, and successfully presenting our study made it all worthwhile. This project taught us that with dedication, teamwork, and perseverance, we can accomplish great things.