CAN WE EQUATE QUALIFIED TEACHERS AND QUALITY TEACHERS?

A qualified teacher is commonly defined as a teacher who has at least the minimum
academic qualifications required for teaching subjects at the relevant level in a given
country.1 At present, one can be a school teacher if he/she finishes Education in
Elementary or Secondary, or must be a Bachelor Degree plus a Certificate in Teaching
Profession to be able to teach in secondary level; and must pass the Licensure Exams for
Teachers (LET) to be a certified and licensed teacher. 

On the other hand, quality is defined as a distinctive attribute or characteristic

possessed by someone or something, meanwhile the definition of quality teacher varies,
debated and the gauge of its quality is still a challenge.

Personally, I don’t agree that qualified teachers can be equated to quality teachers
for the following circumstances - personal desire, the code of ethics of professional
teachers and mediocrity. One of the few things I learned from our eight-week Certificate
Program for Teachers (CPT) is there are four types of teachers:

Teacher by choice or those individuals who accepted teaching as a vocation.

‘A call’ according to its definition, that demands an intentional response, for which we
assume a responsibility once accepted;
Teacher by chance or the way that events happen when they are not planned
or controlled by a person;
Teacher by force who was born from a family of teachers and that the
teaching profession is already running on their veins hence, has no choice but to
follow their breed; and
Teacher by accident who found himself teaching that happened without
apparent or deliberate cause; an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance
for that matter.

Obviously, teaching by choice will surely have an edge over the others because it is
a calling in life to do something not for themselves but for others and as the call comes
from beyond oneself, so its task and purpose extends beyond oneself as well. Also, the
direction of a vocation is toward service of someone else.

More importantly, when someone practices teaching as a vocation, they teach with
love of work, passion and dedication. Afterall, Simon Sinek once said “Working hard
for something we don't care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is
called passion.”

1
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318966870_Will_qualified_teachers_deliver_quality_education_The_emphasis_on_training_teachers_in_
Bangladesh's_Primary_Education_Development_Plan_3_PEDP-3
 Next would be is practice by heart the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers 2.
The code of ethics  provides guidance and set common ethical standards to promote
consistency in behavior across all levels of employment. According to the codes’ Preamble,
“teachers are duly licensed professionals who possesses dignity and reputation with high
moral values as well as technical and professional competence in the practice of their noble
profession, they strictly adhere to, observe, and practice this set of ethical and moral
principles, standards, and values.“

Said code also clearly manifests his key roles in dealing with the state, his
community, teaching as a profession, with his higher authorities in the profession, his
learners, parents and the like. Thus, the reflection of being a quality teachers can only be
seen if one can imbibe said Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers by heart. Said Code
is also in congruence with ours - the Code of Ethics of Army Instructors 3 clearly reflected in
our TRADOC Faculty Regulations Handbook.

Lastly is mediocrity - the bare minimum. The moderate quality. Teaching in

mediocrity is rather not showing out our best; not doing what we ought to do; throwing out
opportunities thus depriving ourselves from personal growth; and greed of our potential
contribution to the world in which we live. 

The ‘pwede na yan’ attitude is a concrete and most prevalent symptom. It defeats
the purpose of education that is to develop in us a perspective of looking at life. This social
malady, once set aside, will be like a termite that will slowly eat a house until it loses its
foundation and crashes down on the ground. Excellence is mediocrity’s worst enemy. If we
want to shun away mediocrity, we should see it as an attitude and a choice – it’s a choice
not to try and not to find.

2
http://teachercodes.iiep.unesco.org/teachercodes/codes/Asia/Philippines.pdf

3
Chapter 4.5, TRADOC Faculty Regulations Handbook Series 2011.