CHAPTER

2
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TEACHERS:
ACTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The teachers’ role in society is both essential and significant. Having the greatest influence over the
students and the community, they are expected to play the lead roles in the building of an intelligent and
responsible citizenry. They perform various roles and responsibilities in a society as the architect of the future
generation.

Intended Learning Outcome (ILO)

Develop a web of teachers’ role and responsibilities in society.

INTRODUCTION
Teachers of the 21st century will witness the evolution of their professional roles. Their roles will be
more complex and challenging. They will no longer be transmitter of knowledge. They will be facilitators of
learning. They will set the goals and organize the learning process accordingly towards the realization of these
goals.

Teachers will develop among the students the ability to gain information and to use and select them.
Technology will be their partner in the process. Hence, teachers should be information and technology experts.
They should also be prepared to act as technicians and troubleshooters when the need arises.

Society expects much from teachers. Since they are regarded as architects of the future generation,
teachers are expected to perform their roles not only within the walls of the classroom but beyond… into the
community. They are expected to possess state-of-the-art knowledge, skills, values, and competencies that
would make them effective teachers for the 21st century learners.

In this chapter, the personal and professional attributes of teachers as well as their roles and
responsibilities shall be presented to you. You are expected to prepare a web of the roles and responsibilities
of a teacher at the end of this chapter.

What is a professional teacher? Let us use the metaphor of the mountain and the teacher to identify
the salient qualities of a professional teacher.
 The mountain is a huge creation that stands towering over all other structures in the land. It stands
majestic and impressive providing a soothing effect when viewed from a distance. Its stature is a symbol
of strength and stability.

Because of its elevated position, the mountain receives the first rays of the sun at dawn. The
radiance of the sun’s rays on the summit creates a beautiful panorama to behold. It is a spectacular scene
to lay the eyes on.

The mountain provides shelter to animals and other creatures living in it. At times when the rain
comes, the soil in the mountain is eroded and water flows freely to the land and rivers below. The
rainwater from the mountain fertilizes the land at the foot of the mountain. The plants grow and produce
abundant harvest for the people living in the area.

The grandeur of the mountain denotes strength and stability. So do teachers. Teachers must be healthy
and physically fit to perform their job efficiently and effectively. Healthy teachers have the enthusiasm and
vitality to guide the students in the learning process. They are patient and can control their emotions when
stressful and unexpected incidents happen.

As teachers, they must possess certain personal qualities and attitudes in order to succeed in their
profession.

Personal Qualities

A. Good Personality
Personality refers to the character and appeal the teachers exude as they walk and relate with
others. Good personality serves as inspiration to the students. They are motivated to learn and get
involved in the learning process under teachers who have pleasing personality.

B. Honest
Honest teachers possess good sense of value. They are trustworthy and viable to manifest
integrity as professionals.

C. Enthusiastic
Enthusiastic teachers have pleasant outlook, optimism and sense of humor.

D. Caring
It includes being compassionate and interested in others. It is expressed through
understanding how other people feel and react.

E. Role Model
Models good behavior and sets a good example for others to emulate.

F. Fair
Fairness denotes impartiality, open-mindedness and objective judgment and decision-
making.

G. Friendly
Friendly teachers demonstrate pleasant, warm-hearted, and loving relation with their
students.

H. Respectful
 Being respectful means being well-behaved. Teachers show politeness and courtesy in dealing
with their students and the public.

I. Dedicated
The teachers are devoted, loyal and committed to the profession.

J. Creative
Creative teachers do things in their own way. They have the ability to create new and original
ideas. They are able to influence their students to be creative themselves.

K. Flexibility
Flexibility is the ability of teachers to adapt to situations. They do not easily get disturbed or
upset when unexpected situations and problem arise.

Attitude of Professional Teachers are Manifested in Terms of:

• Empathy towards students

• Commitment and dedication to the profession
• Reflective practitioner
• Passion for teaching

Successful teachers take care of their wellness. Wellness refers to the combination of physical health,
good attitude and increased productivity.

Going back to our metaphor of the mountain, we imagine beautiful scenery of the rays of the early
morning sun kiss the peak of the mountain. It creates a beautiful view, which is amazing and inspiring for the
spectators.

Teachers are amazing and inspiring too. Students and parents look up to them as their inspiration and
ideal. Students imitate their teachers’ mode of dressing, their conversational style, etiquette and even their
mannerisms. Society considers teachers their role model. They put so much trust in them that they accept,
conform and imitate their way of living. They are the paragon that exemplifies the characteristics and virtues
that make teachers stand above the rest.
THE TEACHER AS A PROFESSIONAL
Teachers are professionals. They belong to a profession which society regard as a noble profession.

What is profession?

A profession is an occupation that claims exclusive technical competence, service, ideals, and ethics of
professional conduct.

A profession is the application of intellectual technique to the ordinary business of life acquired as a
result of prolonged and specialized training.

From the two definitions presented to you, you can discern that there are certain criteria for
professional teachers.

Criteria of Professional Teachers

1. Professional Academic Preparation

Teachers have finished a four-year degree course in education.

2. Licensure and Commitment to the Service

Teachers are licensed professional as certified by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). They
possess extensive knowledge in their own field and are committed to the service of the youth.

3. Public Service and Altruism

Teachers are aware that teaching is service. They entered the profession in the hope that they could
help influence the students to become better persons and live more meaningful life.

4. Legal Practice of the Profession

The teaching profession is recognized by the government as its partner in educating the youth. Society
views the teachers as the second parents of their children.

5. Adherence to Professional Ethics

Teachers are governed by the Code of Ethics of Professional Teachers. The code provided for ethical
behavior expected of the teachers for discipline purposes.

6. Membership to Professional Organizations

Professional organizations have been organized for teachers to take care of their welfare. Examples
are National Organization of Professional Teachers Inc. (NOPTI), Manila Public School Teachers
Association (MPSTA), and Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP).

Another focus of comparison between the mountain and teachers is the benefits we gain from them.
The mountain provides shelter for animals and other creatures living in it. The teachers provide love and
nurturing assistance to their students. At times, when the rain comes, water flowing freely down from the
mountain symbolizes what teachers can offer to the students. It signifies their commitment and dedication in
the teaching profession. Their principal role as teachers is to inspire the students to reach their potentials and
be functioning members of society. In view of this, teachers provide opportunities for students to cultivate
analytical and critical thinking as well as creative problem-solving skills to meet the demands of the future.
They also develop among the students knowledge, habits, skills, and values that would prepare them for the
competitive world.
 EXPLORE

Teachers are active members of social institutions

What are social institutions? Social institutions are special structures which are organized to meet the
basic needs of society. Social institutions include the family, education, religion, and government.

1. Family

It is a group of people who are related by marriage, blood, or adoption and who often live together
sharing a common residence and common economic resources.

The family is the most universal social institution. Its primary function is to provide for the physical
and emotional needs of its members. Those who are deprived of the family’s affection and attention
oftentimes grow with personality problems.

It is with the family where the development of socialization starts. Children learn who they are and
what they can do from the family. They learn valuing, the sense of right or wrong, proper behavior and
religious practice at home. Children learn from their parents the habit and skills that they will need in
preparation for adulthood. So parents are regarded as their first teachers.

Reflect
What skills did you learn from your mother/father which you now practice as an adult? What
habits have you developed which started at home?

2. Education

It refers to the process in which knowledge, skills, values, and pattern of behavior are transmitted from
an individual or group to another.

Schooling is formal education which involves instruction based on a curriculum by professional

teachers. Schools and teachers are responsible for formal education. They are tasked to transmit
knowledge and technical skills for survival, transmit shared values and beliefs and prepare the students
for their role in society.

School acts as agent of socialization. The lessons that children learned from the home are fully and
intelligently discussed in school. Students are trained how to get along well with others, through the
various activities they engage in during the learning process. Activities like field trips, group work and
school programs and celebrations develop the social skills and values of the students. Social ethics is also
discussed in schools to cultivate moral and ethical behaviors.

Teachers of the 21st century are expected to prepare the students to be lifelong learners. Here are some
expectations of society from them.

1. Help the students succeed in the knowledge society

• Academic achievement
• Communication skills
• Creative and critical thinking
• Social problem-solving
• Workplace skills
 The teacher is expected to create a community of learners who will become independent thinkers
and problem-solvers.

2. Prepare students to be functioning members of society.

3. Teach virtues such as punctually, truth, hard work, honesty, hygiene, patriotism, love and sincerity,
obedience, etc. Society needs these values to be propagated.

As Theodore Roosevelt, President of the U.S. stated, “To educate a person in mind and not in
morals is to educate a menace to society.”

4. Act as the bridge between the school and the community.

5. Identify pressing issues and provide enlightenment to society.

The 21st century education demands opportunities for the students to develop intellectually,
ethically, and aesthetically. They also expect the school to develop skills to prepare the students to
meet the challenges of the new era – such skills as creative problem-solving skills, self-awareness and
self-dependency to enable them to be better persons and contribute to a better society.

• Academic
The school provides for the development of a brand array of knowledge and
intellectual skills. The school develops problem-solving and critical thinking skills among
the students.

• Vocational
The school prepared the individual for the world of work and his economic
responsibilities. The school develops skills and work habits that will enable them to work
in teams. It also provides opportunities for developing survival skills of the students that
they may be able to function in society.

• Social and Civic

The school acts as an agent of socialization. Students learn how to get along well with
others through the various activities they engage in. The school prepares the students to
become worthy members of society and models behavior that would prepare the students
to participate in a complex democratic society. Social ethics are discussed in schools to
make students aware of their moral and ethical obligation as a person and as a member
of society.

• Personal
This pertains to the development of individual talent and self-expression. The school
provides the total development of the individual including creativity and authenticity.

3. Religion (Church)

Religion is a system of roles and norms that involves faith which binds people together in social groups.

The church is an institutionalized organization of religious believers following a body of doctrine or

dogma.
 Functions of religion

• Social cohesion
Religious beliefs encourage strengthening of bonds among people and cultivate social
solidarity and collective conscience among the believers.

• Social control
Religion guides people to conform to the norms and values of society. Specific
religious norms of conduct and values control the behavior of the members. They become
the standards to follow. The church has an intense influence over the beliefs, principles,
and practices of its believers.

• Emotional support
Religion provides meaning for life. It fosters closeness, love, cooperation and
helpfulness among its members. In times of crisis and calamities, the church lends to the
victims. It makes suffering more bearable because of their faith.

Reflect
• How does the norm of the church affect your behavior in society?
• What religious values do your family practice?

4. Government

It is an institution that holds the power to make and enforce the rules and laws of society. The ruling
body must be recognized by its power to enforce the laws or rules and govern them.
In democratic type of government, the citizens elect their official periodically to govern them for the
period.

Reflect
What type of government do we have in the Philippines? What kind of leaders should we elect
to govern us?