College of Teacher Education

2ND Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023

PS 2: The Teaching Profession

MODULE 6
Personal Philosophy of Teaching

Introduction

The philosophy of a country like the Philippines is made up of the intricate and composite
interrelationships of the life stories of its people. In other word, the philosophy of our nation would be
strange and indefinable if we do not delve into the past tied up with the notable life experiences of the
representative personalities of our nation.

I. Lecture

JOSE RIZAL
Dr. Jose Rizal believed in the importance of the school as a social organization. According to
him, the school must train the citizens in the three phases of life - moral, spiritual and physical. Likewise,
the school should prepare the individual to live efficiently both as an individual and as member of the
community to which he belongs. Rizal9s concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated
in his work: entitled: Instruction wherein he sought improvement s in the schools and in the methods of
teaching. For him, the mission of education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and to
develop the people9s mentality. His philosophy of education centers on the provision of proper
motivation in order to bolster the great social forces that make education a success, to create in the
youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life eternal. He also lambasted the
superstitious beliefs propagated by the priests in the church and in the schools. all of these and a lot
more are evidences of Rizal9s religious philosophy. In Rizal9s political view, a conquered country like
the Philippines should not be taken advantage of but rather should be developed, civilized, educated
and trained in the science of self-government. Rizal9s guiding political philosophy proved to be the
study and application of reforms, the extension of human rights, the training for self-government and
the arousing of spirit discontent over oppression, brutality, inhumanity, sensitiveness and self-love.

The study of human behavior as to whether it is good or bad or whether it is right or wrong id that
science upon which Rizal9s ethical philosophy was based. The fact that the Philippines was under
Spanish domination during Rizal9s time led him to subordinate his philosophy to moral problems. To
bolster his ethical philosophy, Dr. Rizal had recognized not only the forces of good and evil, but also
the tendencies towards good and eveil.as a result, he made use of the practical method of appealing
to the better nature of the conquerors and of offering useful methods of solving the moral problems.
MANUEL LUIS QUEZON "Show me people composed of vigorous, study individuals, of men and
women healthy in mind and body, courteous, industrious, self-reliant, purposeful in thought as well as
in action, imbued with sound patriotism and profound sense of righteousness, with high social ideals
and a strong moral fiber, and I will show you a great nation, nation that will not submerged, a nation
that will emerge victorious from the trials and bitter strife of a distracted world, a nation that will live
forever, sharing the common task of advancing the welfare and promoting the happiness of mankind.

APOLINARIO MABINI

'Thou shalt cultivate the special gifts which had been granted thee, working and studying
according to thy ability, never leaving the path of righteousness and justice in order to attain thine own
perfection."

CAMILO OSIAS
 "School has an important role in the development of dynamic nationalism and internationalism
in relation to democracy in the education of the youth." "High educational institutions should do more
to turn out graduates who can think logically, scientifically and creatively". "After peace is established,
all our efforts will be directed to Americanizing ourselves, to cause a knowledge of the English language
to be extended and generalized in the Philippines, in order that through its agency the American spirit
may take possessions of us, and that may so adopt its principles, its political customs, and its peculiar
civilization that our redemption may be complete and radical:(excerpt from the letter of T.H. Pardo de
Tavera). "Our education should instill love for work, spirit of tolerance, respect for law, love for peace
and practice of thrift."

RAFAEL PALMA

Palma delighted and inspired his brother Masons with a large number of articles and masses
with a large number of articles and messages. On January 30, 1931, for example, as Grand Orator, he
delivered lengthy but moving message, in which he showed mainly the place of Masonry in the world
of ideas. He said, in part, the following: "The philosophy of Masonry has not lost faith in the goodness
of human nature and considers liberty as an inestimable boon and every man's birthright. It
consequently endeavors to inculcate the doctrine that man must be educated to be free and to seek to
know himself and develop his innate faculties and inclinations. This education involves the free exercise
of reason, not only to think and reason for himself, untrammeled by readymade dogma or opinions
consecrated by tradition or usage; but to follow a rule of conduct which he considers the most
accordance with prudence and wisdom, through it be in conflict with that which is generally accepted
and approved. Reason is the noblest gift to man... it is the right nay, the duty of each and every one of
us to make our contribution be it ever so small, to the progress of the world, and it is not by waiving the
free use of reason that we can add our grain of sand to that building, but by contributing a new thought,
a new idea, a new mode of procedure or new rule of conduct. He who contents himself with taking all
he needs from accumulated wisdom of the ages without giving anything in return is a spendthrift, not a
collaborator."

A scholar par excellence, Palma was advanced in his ideas. He believed that, despite our
imperfections, we should attain a degree of perfection, i.e., find the selves we were meant to be, and
that this quest or search should start with an open and tough mind. Listen to him once more: "Human
life could not be better symbolized than by the Masonic pavement which covers the floor of our temples
and is emblematic of how checkered our existence is with good and evil, grief and joy, suffering and
happiness. The work of the Mason cannot be symbolized better than by the construction of a temple
which was never finished, because whatever may be our wisdom and degree of skill, and however
charitable our feelings may be towards our brethren and fellows, we never attain perfection. The temple,
which we are building is our selves. The materials which we have to polish, adjust and fit into place into
place are passion and vices. There are, unfortunately too many racial, religious and political prejudices,
which blind the intellect and prevent the heart from recognizing the truth, cementing brotherly love, and
relieving distress. We have to rid ourselves of these prejudices. Masonry demands each individual and
open mind, quick sympathy, and disinterested charity, because only with these quoins and ashlars is it
possible for us to construct the temple dedicated to the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man
which are the strength and secret of our union."

JORGE BOCOBO
"To my humble way of thinking education (college) has for its supreme and overshadowing aim
the formulation of a sound and noble outlook of life."

FRANCISCO BENITEZ
"The qualities that should distinguish the educated Filipinos of today are power to do, knowledge
of the past and current events, and possession of the elements of conduct that are the accomplishments
of culture and morality." "The functions of our school is neither to fit the individual for the past which is
dead and gone, nor to prepare him for a remote future which is problematical, rather it is to train the
individual so that he will be a member of the world as it is."

DR. LOURDES QUISUMBING

Believes that education must strengthen the dignity of the learner as a human person. As such,
the various dimensions of man9s personhood have to be fully developed by the school system through
the effective and systematized values education.
 Personal Philosophy

Your philosophy of education is your "window" to the world and "compass" in life. Hence, it may
be good to put that philosophy of education in writing. As a student, you will articulate your thoughts on
how you perceived the learners, on what and on how you must therefore teach. If you articulate your
philosophy of education, you will find yourself more consistent in your dealings with other people, in
your actions and decisions.
Teacher's Philosophy of Teaching
The teacher’s philosophy of teaching should be characterized by the following:
1. In accord with the philosophy of education of the State and that of the educational institutional
he serves.
2. The teacher’s philosophy of teaching must have a religious outlook.
3. The teacher’s philosophy of teaching must be in accord with the acceptable social, spiritual
and ethical standards.
4. The teacher’s philosophy of teaching must be characterized by love and service, for pupils
and students.
5. The teacher’s philosophy of teaching must be characterized by a strong desire to mold the
individual child into a self-reliant, independent and reasonable citizen equipped with a proper
cooperative and leadership qualities.

Considerations in Writing Teaching Philosophy

There is no right or wrong way to write a teaching philosophy statement. However, there are
certain considerations that must be observed.
1. Make the teaching philosophy statement brief.
2. Include introduction (thesis statement or general belief about education); body (goals and
objectives for the students); and conclusion (goals as a teacher, personal approach to pedagogy and
classroom management, and uniqueness as an educator) in the statement.
3. Write in present tense and use a first-person point of view.
4. Refrain from using technical terms. Instead, use language that is simple and easily
understood.
5. Create a clear picture of the philosophy statement by including specifics like methods and
strategies, including examples.

When thinking of a philosophy statement to write, it would be good to benchmark from belief
statements, as well as educational implications of some famous philosophies.
1. Idealism
2. Realism
3. Pragmatism
4. Existentialism
5. Social Reconstructionism

Samples of a Teacher's Philosophy of Teaching

Here is a sample teaching philosophy statement:
“My philosophy of education is that all children are unique and must have a stimulating
educational environment where they can grow physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. It is my
desire to create this type of atmosphere where students are invited to share their ideas and take risks."

Study the example of Teacher Macrina’s Philosophy of Education given below.

My Philosophy of Education as a Grade School Teacher

• I believe that every child
• Has a natural interest in learning and is capable of learning
• Is an embodied spirit
• Can be influenced but not totally totally by his/her environment Is unique, so comparing a child
to other children has no basis
• Does not have an empty mind, rather is full of ideas and it is my task to draw out these ideas
 • I believe that there are unchanging values in changing times and these must be passed on to
every child by my modelling, value inculcation and value integration in my lessons.

I believe that my task as a teacher is to facilitate the development of every child to the optimum and to
the maximum by:
• Reaching out to all children without bias and prejudice towards the "least" of the children Making
every child feel good and confident about himself/herself through his/her experiences of success
in the classroom
• Helping every child master the basic skills of reading, communicating in oral and written form,
arithmetic and computer skills
• Teaching my subject matter with mastery so that every child will use his/her basic skills to
continue acquiring knowledge, skills and values for him/her to go beyond basic literacy and basic
numeracy
• Inculcating or integrating the unchanging values of respect, honesty, love and care for other
regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, appearance and economic status in my lessons
• Consistently practicing these values to serve as model for every child
• Strengthening the value formation of every child through "hands-on-minds-on-hearts-on"
experiences inside and outside in the classroom
• Providing every child activity meant to develop the body, the mind and the spirit
• Teaching not only what to learn but more important how to learn

Your philosophy of education is your concept of the learner, concept of what must be taught and how
this must be taught. These thoughts are the bases of your actions and decisions when you prepare to
teach and when you teach.

Performance task
With teacher Macrina’s philosophy in education as an example, formulate your own philosophy of
education.

References:

• https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-southern-mindanao/estraktura-ng-wikang-
filipino/ped02-mod2-dewag/36746869
• https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Philippines_1987.pdf?lang=en