UNIT 1: The Teaching Profession

Welcome to Unit 1! This lesson will provide you an introduction and a flavor of essential ideas in
Teaching Profession.

Teaching as a Profession

- In the words "professional manner," "gawang propesyonal," "professional fee for expert
services rendered" the word "professional" implies one who possesses skill and competence
/ expertise. "Highly professional" "unprofessional... to act that way" imply a code of ethics by
which a professional person abides. In short, a professional is one who conforms to the
technical or ethical standards of a profession. So, two elements of a profession are
competence and a Code of Ethics.
The other elements of a profession are:
1. Initial Professional Education - Professionals generally begin their professional lives by
completing a university program in their chosen fields - teacher education, engineering,
nursing, accountancy. This means long and arduous years of preparation. Take note this
is just initial, which means only the beginning because a professional is expected to
learn endlessly.

2. Accreditation - University programs are approved by a regulatory body like the

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in the Philippines to ensure that graduates
from these recognized programs start their professional lives with competence.

3. Licensing - Licensing is mandatory, not voluntary and is administered by a government

authority. In the Philippines, this government authority is the Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC).

4. Professional Development - This is an ongoing professional education that maintains or

improves professionals' knowledge and skills after they begin professional practice. In
the Philippines this is Continuing Professional Development mandated by RA 10912,
otherwise known as the CPD Act of 2016.

5. Professional Societies Professionals see themselves as part of a community of like-

minded individuals who put their professional standards above the individual self-interest
or their employer's self- interest. These professional societies put dedication to the
public, interest and commitment to moral and ethical values. Professional societies
define certification criteria, manage certification programs, establish accreditation
standards and define a code of ethics and disciplinary action for violations of that code.

6. Code of Ethics Each profession has a code of ethics to ensure that its practitioners
behave responsibly. The code states what professionals should do. Professionals can
be ejected from their professional societies or lose their licenses to practice for violating
the code of ethics. (McConnell, Steve, Source: http://www.alexsbrown.com/prof9.html,
Retrieved 6-3-18).

- The teaching profession is governed by the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers.
Violation of the Code of Ethics for professional teachers is one of the grounds for the
revocation of the professional teacher's Certificate of Registration and suspension from the
practice of the teaching profession (Sec. 23., RA. 7836).

The historical Development of Teaching as a Profession in the Philippines

- The first legal document that professionalized teaching was Presidential Decree 1006
issued by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. It was only in 1976 with PD 1006 known as
the Decree Professionalizing Teaching that teachers in the Philippines became
professionalized. The need to professionalize teaching was felt "to ensure that in the
immediacy and urgency of teacher recruitment, qualitative requirements are not overlooked
" and "although teaching requires a number of years of collegiate study, it is the only course
 that is not vet considered a profession" (PD 1006). Furthermore "in recognition of the vital
role of teachers in nation-building and as an incentive to raise the morale of teachers, it is
imperative that they be considered as professionals and teaching be recognized as a
profession.”

- Then in 1994, R. A 7836, otherwise known as the Philippine Teachers Professionalization

Act of 1994, was passed to ... "promote quality education by proper supervision and
regulation of the licensure examination and professionalization of the practice of the
teaching profession." (Section 2)

- During the pre-Hispanic period, there was no established formal schooling in the country.
So, there was no formal preparation for teachers, too. The mothers and fathers and tribal
leaders served as teachers at home and in the community.

- During the Spanish period and by virtue of Educational Decree of 1863 free public-school
system was established. There was one school for boys and another school for girls in every
municipality. The Spanish missionaries served as teachers. The same Decree provided for a
normal school run by the Jesuits to educate male teachers in Manila. Normal schools for
women were not established until 1875. So, it was the Spaniards who started training
teachers in normal schools.

- Paz Ramos, once Dean of the College of Education of the University of the Philippines,
Diliman, claims:
The foundations of teacher education in the Philippines were laid by the Spanish
government during the mid-eighteenth century. It is said to have begun on August 4, 1765,
when King Charles of Spain issued a Royal Decree requiring each village to have a
"maestro. " On November 28, 1772, another Royal Decree specified the qualifications of
teachers. However, it was not until 1863 that there was a specific attempt to systematize
and update the education of Filipino teachers.

- At the end of Spanish rule, schools during the Spanish era were closed for a time by
Aguinaldo's government.

- So, there was no teacher preparation that took place, During the American regime,
American soldiers served as the first teachers. In 1901, the Philippine Commission enacted
into law Act 74 which created the Department of Public Instruction, laid the foundations of
the public-school system and offered free primary education for Filipinos.

- There was a shortage of teachers. The Philippine Commission authorized the Secretary of
Public Instruction to bring to the Philippines 600 teachers from USA. They were the
Thomasites. Due to urgent need for teachers, the Americans gave bright young Filipino
students opportunity to take up higher education in American colleges and universities
financed by the Phil. Government. They were the pensionados.

- Act 74 of 1901 also provided for the establishment of Philippine Normal School (PNS) in
Manila. The Philippine Normal School formally opened in September 1901, as an institution
for the training of teachers. For more than two decades, PNS offered a two-year general
secondary education program. In 1928, it became a junior college offering a two-year
program to graduates of secondary schools. In 1949, the Philippine Normal School,
renamed Philippine Normal College, offered the four-year Bachelor of Science in
Elementary Education. Other four-year teacher education courses followed after. This
means that the present four-year preparation for the professional teacher began as a two-
year program only. Teacher preparation became four years only in 1949 and thereafter.

TEACHING AS A VOCATION

- 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 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.

- Most often, when people use the word “vocation,” they refer to a religious vocation, like the
mother in the Activity phase of this lesson. Vocation includes other big callings like marriage
and single blessedness. It does not only refer to a religious vocation. It can also refer to a
call to do something like to teach, to heal the sick, etc. Whatever is our calling or station in
life, the call is always to serve.
- The Christians among you realize that the Bible is full of stories of men and women who
were called by God to do something not for themselves but for others. We know of
Abraham, the first one called by God, to become the father of great nation, the nation of
God’s chosen people. We recall Moses who was called while in Egypt to lead God’s chosen
people out of Egypt in order to free them from slavery. In the New Testament, we know of
Mary who was also called by God to become the mother of the Savior, Jesus Christ. In
Islam, we are familiar with Muhammad, the last of the prophets to be called by Allah, to
spread the teachings of Allah. All of them responded positively to God’s call. Buddha must
have also heard the call to abandon his royal life in order to seek the answer to the problem
on suffering.

- From the eyes of those who believe, it was God who called you to teach, just as God called
Abraham, Moses, and Mary, of the Bible. Among so many, you were called to teach. Like
you, these biblical figures did not also understand the events surrounding their call. But in
their great faith, they answered YES. Mary said: “Behold the handmaid of the lord. Be it
done to me according to your word”. (Of course, it is difficult explaining your call to teach as
God’s call for one who, in the first place, denies God’s existence, for this is a matter of faith.)
The fact that you are now in the College of Teacher Education signifies that you said YES to
the call to teach. Perhaps you never dreamt to become one! Teaching must be your
vocation, your calling. May this YES response remain a YES and become even firmer
through the years.

TEACHING AS A MISSION

- Teaching is also a mission. The word mission comes from the Latin word “mission” which
means “to send. “The Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary Defines mission as “Task
assigned.” You are sent to accomplish an assigned task.

- The phrase “mission accomplished” from the soldier in the Activity phase of this lesson
suggests that you were sent to do an assigned task, a mission and so if you faithfully
accomplish the assigned task, you proclaim “mission accomplished’.” You responded to the
call to be a teacher and so your mission in the world is to teach, the task entrusted to you in
this world. These are how vocation and mission are related. You were called for a purpose,
i.e. to accomplish a mission while on earth which is to teach.

- 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. However,
never commit the mistake of culminating your mission preparation at the end of the four-year
pre-service education. You have embarked in a mission that calls for a continuing
professional development. As the saying goes “once a teacher, forever a student.” (More is
said of continuing professional development in the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers
in chapter 3.)

- Flowing from your uniqueness, you are expected to contribute to the betterment of this world
in your own unique way. Your Unique and most significant contribution to the humanization
of life on earth in the field for which you are prepaid- teaching.

- What exactly is the mission to teach? It is merely to teach the child fundamental skills or
basic r’s of reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic and right conduct? Is it to help the child master the
basic skills so he/she can continue acquiring higher-level skills in order to become a
productive member of society? Is it to deposit facts and other information into the “empty
minds” of students to be withdrawn during quizzes and test? Or is it to “midwife” the birth of
ideas latent in the minds of student? Is it to facilitate the maximum development of his/her
 potential not only for himself/herself but also for others? In the words of Alfred North
Whitehead, is it to help the child become “the man of culture and of expertise? Or is it “to
provide opportunities for the child’s growth and remove hampering influences” as Bertrand
Russell put it? you will be made to answer this question again when you will be made to
write down your philosophy of education in a later lesson.

- To teach is to do all of these and more! To teach is to influence every child entrusted in your
care to become better and happier because life becomes more meaningful. To teach is to
help the child become more human.
Teaching is indeed your mission:
- If you are doing it not only for the pay but also for service,
- If you keep on teaching out of love, it’s a mission.
- If you are committed to teaching even if it means letting go of other activities,
- If you remain teaching even though nobody recognizes your efforts,
- It makes you get excited
- If your concern is success plus faithfulness, it’s a mission.

Teaching and life of meaning

- Want to give your life a meaning? Want to live a purpose-driven life? Spend it passionately
in teaching, the most noble profession. Consider what Dr. Josette T. Biyo, the first Asian
teacher to win the Intel Excellence in Teaching Award in an international competition, said in
a speech delivered before a selected group of teachers, superintendents, DepEd officials
and consultants, to wit:
Teaching may not be a lucrative position. It cannot guarantee financial
security. It even means investing your personal time, energy, and resources.
Sometimes it means disappointments, heartaches, and pains. But touching the
hearts of people and opening the minds of children can give you joy and
contentment which money could not buy. These are the moments I teach for.
These are the moments I live for.

- There may be times, when you feel like giving up (many leave teaching after 3or 5 years for
varied reasons). Remember you responded to the call to teach and that you have accepted
the mission to teach. May you be found faithful to your vacation and mission till the end.