Chapter 1: You, The Teacher, As A Person in Society Learning Objectives
Chapter 1: You, The Teacher, As A Person in Society Learning Objectives
Catbalogan City
W. Samar, Philippines 6700
(Tel. No. 055-543-8381
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
A.Y. 2021-2022 – First Semester
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the chapter, students are expected to:
1. summarize at least seven (7) philosophies of education and draw their implications to
teaching-learning.
2. formulate their own philosophy of education
3. discuss and internalize the foundational principles of morality.
4. accept continuing values formation as an integral part of their personal and
professional life.
5. clarify if they truly value teaching.
6. explain teaching as vocation, mission and profession.
7. embrace teaching as a vocation, mission and profession.
Learning Concepts:
In this Lesson, our discussion on values formation is based on the premise that there are
transcendent values. Most Filipinos, if not all, believe in a transcendent being whom we call by
different names Bathala, Apo Dios, Kabunian, Allah, and the like.
Are values caught or taught? Our position is that values are both taught and caught. If
they are not taught because they are merely caught, then there is even no point in proceeding to
write and discuss your values formation as a teacher here! Values are also caught. We may not
be able to hear our father’s advice “Do not smoke” because what he does (he himself smokes)
speaks louder than what he says. The living examples of good men and women at home, school
have far greater influence on our value formation that those well-prepared lectures on values
excellently delivered by experts who may sound like “empty gongs and clanging cymbals.”
Values have cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions
Values have cognitive dimension. We must understand the values that we want to
acquire. We need to know why we have to value such. This is the heart of conversion and values
formation we need to know to live by that value. These are the concepts that ought to be taught.
Values are in the effective domain of objectives. In themselves they have an affective
dimension. For instance, “it is not enough to know what honesty is or why one should be honest.
One has to feel something toward honesty, be moved toward honesty as preferable to
dishonesty.” (Aquino, 1990)
Values also have a behavioral dimension. In fact, living by the value is the true acid test
if we really value like honesty.
Values formation includes formation in the cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects
Your values formation as teachers will necessarily include the three dimension. You have
to grow in knowledge and in wisdom and in your “sensitivity and openness to the variety of
value experiences in life.” (Aquino, 1990) you have to be open and attentive to your value
lessons in Ethics and for those in sectarian schools, Ethics and Religious Education. Take active
part in values sessions like fellowship, recollections organized by your church group or
association. Since values are also caught, help yourself by reading the biographies of heroes,
great teachers and saints (for the Catholics) and other inspirational books. (It is observed that less
and less teachers read printed materials other than their textbooks.) Your lesson in history,
religion, and literature replete with opportunities for inspiring ideals. Associate with model
teachers. If possible, avoid the “yeast” of those who will not exert a very good influence. Take
the sound advice from Desiderata: “Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexation to the
spirit.” Join community immersion where you can be exposed to people from various walks of
life. These will broaden your horizon, increase your tolerance level, and sanitize you to life
values. These will help you to “fly high” and “see far” to borrow the words of Richard Bach in
his book, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull.
Your value formation in essence is a training of your intellect and will, your cognitive
and rational appetitive powers, respectively. Your intellect discerns a value and presents it to the
will as a right or wrong value. Your will wills to act on the right value and will to avoid the
wrong value presented by your intellect. As described by St. Thomas Aquinas. “The intellect
proposes and the will dispose”.
How can you will be trained to desire strongly the desirable and act on it? William Kelly
explains it very simply:
In short, a virtuous life strengthens you to live by the right values and live a life of
abundance and joy while a vicious life leads you to perdition and misery. WARNING: Then
NEVER to give way to a vice! Instead develop worthwhile hobbies. Cultivate good habits.
A virtue is no other than a good habit. You get so used to doing good that you will be
stronger to resist evil. So, START and CONTINUE doing and being good!
Max Scheler outlined a hierarchy of values. Our hierarchy of values is shown in our
preferences and decisions. Aquino (1990) presents Scheler’s hierarchy of values arranged from
the lowest to the highest as shown below:
health
vitality
- values of vital feelings
capability
excellence
as “absolute objectives”
belief
adoration
bliss
Values clarification
The advocates of value clarification assert that we must clarify what we really value. The
term value is reserved for those “individual beliefs, attitudes and activities … that satisfy the
following criteria: 1) freely chosen; 2) chosen from among alternatives; 3) chosen after due
reflection; 4) prized and cherished; 5) publicly affirmed; 6) incorporated into actual behavior;
and 7) acted upon repeatedly in one’s life.
Activity 1: Answer the following questions.
Activity 2:
A. Do as directed.
2. In the modern parable “The Little Prince” written by Antonie Exupery, the Little Prince
in his visit to one planet, met an alcoholic. The following was their conversation:
Based on the above conversation, is the alcoholic (or any alcoholic for that
matter) happy for being one? What lessons can you learn from the life of an alcoholic or
of gambler?
Evaluation
Make a portfolio using A4 bond paper. Your portfolio must contain of at least
three (3) pictures of men or women whose lives were oriented toward the values of the
spirit and/or the values of the Holy. Indicate also their stories how they become holy or
great. The objectives of the portfolio is to prove to every viewer/reader that those who
live beyond pleasure values and vital values are those who are great in the eyes of their
fellow men and of God (for those who believe). Be creative in doing this activity!
Lesson 5: Teaching as Your Vocation, Mission and Profession
Vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare” which means to call. Based on the
etymology of the word, vocation, therefore, means a call. If there is a call, there must be a caller
and someone who is called. There must also be a response. For Christians, the Caller is God
Himself. For our brother and sister Muslims, Allah. Believers in the Supreme being will look at
this voiceless call to have a vertical dimension. For non-believers, the call is also experienced but
this may viewed solely along a horizontal dimension. It is like man calling another man, never a
Superior being calling man.
The fact that you are now in College of Teacher Education signifies that you positively
responded to the call to teach. Right? May this YES response remain a YES and become even
firmer through the years. Can you believe it? Better believe it!
Teaching is also a mission. The word mission comes from the Latin word “misio” which
means “to send”. You are called to be a teacher and you are sent into the world to accomplish a
mission, to teach.
Teaching is your mission means it is the task entrusted to you in this world. If it is your
assigned task then naturally you’ve got to prepare yourself for it. From now on you cannot take
your studies for granted! Your four years of pre-service preparation will equip you with the
knowledge, skills and attitude to become an effective teacher. You have embarked in a mission
that calls for a continuing professional education. As the saying goes “once a teacher, forever a
student.”
` What exactly is the mission to teach? Is it merely to teach the child the fundamental skills
or basic r’s of reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic, and right conduct? Is it help the child master the basic
skills so s/he can continue acquiring higher-level skills in order to become a productive member
of society?
If you are doing it only because you are paid for it, it’s a job;
If you are doing it not only for the pay but also for service,
it’s a mission.
If you quit because your boss or colleague criticized you, it’s a job;
If you keep on teaching out of love, it’s a mission.
If you teach because it does not interfere with your other activities,
it’s a job;
If you quit because no one praises or thanks you for what you do,
it’s a job.
If you remain teaching even through nobody recognizes your efforts,
it’s a mission.
Teaching like engineering, nursing, accounting and the like is profession. A teacher, like
a engineer, a nurse and an accountant, is a professional. What are the distinguishing marks of
professional teacher? Former Chairperson of the Professional Regulation Commission, Hon.
Hermogenes P. Pobre in his pithy address in a national convention of educator remarked: “The
term professional is one of the most exalted in the English language, denoting as it does, long
and arduous years of preparation, a striving for excellence, a dedication to the public interest,
and commitment to moral and ethical values.”
If you take teaching as your profession, this means that you must be willing to go through
a long period of preparation and a continuing professional development. You must strive for
excellence, commit yourself to moral, ethical and religious values and dedicate yourself to public
service.
The “striving for excellence” as another element of a profession brings us to our “pwede
na” mentality, which is inimical to excellence. This mentality is expressed in other ways like
“talagang ganyan ‘yan”, “wala na tayong magagawa”, - all indicators of defeatism and
resignation to mediocrity. If we stick to this complacent mentality, excellence eludes us.
Activity 2: An assumption.
Direction: Imagine that you are now a public school teacher and after two weeks the classes will
start, therefore you will be preparing everything you need to ensure a good start of your teaching
job. Present your preparation in a picto-narrative – picture with an annotation/caption. One bond
paper contains two pictures with annotation. Consider the given sequence to visualize your
preparation.
Submitted by:
___________________________
Student