TTP TeachingProfession R1

The Teaching Profession, is a three-unit course
of the new teacher education curriculum. It attempts to

give the prospective professional teachers
comprehensive view of the varied tasks that awaits
them in the field. It further allows the aspiring
teachers to make informed decision on whether or not
they pursue teaching as a profession or give it up for a
more lucrative one.
That teaching does not attract the “best and
the brightest” is a given. The prevalence of “those
who can't, teach” mentality, is confirmed by the
present “over supply of mediocre-teachers”, the
high mortality rate in the Licensure Examination
for Teachers (LET) annually for the past ten years
(from 65% to 75%), and the Congressional report
on “continuously deteriorating quality of
education in the country”.
However, amidst this bleak context, are
pockets’ of individual teachers throughout the country
who demonstrate high degree of competence and
commitment to the teaching profession. Their
number must necessarily increase to form a critical
mass and be the “yeast” to the leaven of teachers
or run the risk of becoming endangered species and
face extinction from the face of the earth.
Thus, the ultimate purpose of this course is to
contribute to the formation of teachers who will make
a “difference” in the classroom and the community.
Chapter I Something of yourself remains wherever
you have been – Source Unknown
We don't live in a vacuum. We live in a society.

We are part of society. Our society influences us to
the extent that we allow ourselves to be influenced by
it. Our thoughts, values, and actions are somehow
shaped by events and by people with whom we
come in contact. We, in turn, help shape society -
its events, its people, and its destiny.
Chapter I
John Donne once said it in his song “No Man

Is an Island... No man stands alone... We need one
another...” In the context of our life as teacher, we
would say: “No teacher is an island. No teacher
stands alone.” Indeed you can't become a teacher
alone. Think of the people who might be helping you
now - financially or otherwise - earn units in
education.
Chapter I
For those who are just going into teaching, soon you
will be called “teacher” in relation to a student, in the
same manner your student will be called “student” in
relation to you as teacher.
In this chapter, you will be made to realize the
significant role that you will play in society. This is
perhaps one reason why many a time the teacher is
blamed for the many ills in society.
Chapter I
You will also come to realize the demands it will exact

from you for much is expected of you, the teacher. It
is, therefore, no joke to become one!
While teaching has many demands it also has its
share of rewards. Great teachers recite a litany of these
rewards most of which are invisible to the eyes but
are the most essential.
Chapter I
Your influence on your students and on other

people with whom you work and live depends a great
deal on your philosophy as a person and as a teacher.
Your philosophy of life and your philosophy of
education serve as your “window” to the world and
“compass” in the sea of life. Embedded in your
personal philosophy are your principles and values
that will determine how you regard people, how you
look at life as a whole.
Chapter I
They govern and direct your lifestyle, your thoughts,

decisions, actions and your relationships with people
and things.
In this chapter, you are expected to:
• summarize at least five philosophies of

education and draw their implications to
teaching-learning.
Chapter I
• formulate your own philosophy of

education.
• identify and clarify your role as a
teacher in relation to social institutions
such as the family, the school, the
church, and the state.
• discuss and internalize the foundational
principles of morality.
Chapter I
• accept continuing values formation as an

integral part of your personal and
professional life.
• clarify if you truly value teaching.
• explain teaching as a vocation, mission,
and profession.
• compile excerpts of interviews with model
teachers who lived teaching as a vocation,
mission and as a profession.
Your Philosophical Heritage “To philosophize is so essentially human - and in a sense to
philosophize means living a truly human life.”
- J. Pieper
We are heirs to a rich philosophical heritage.

Passed on to us are a number of philosophies of
various thinkers who lived before us. These
thinkers reflected on life in this planet. They
occupied themselves searching for answers to
questions about human existence.
Your Philosophical Heritage
These existential questions come in different

versions – “what is life?”, “who am I?”, “why am
I here” or “what am I living for?”, “what is
reality?”, “is the universe real?”, “what is good to
do?”, “how should I live life meaningfully?” and
the like.
In the school context, these existential questions are:

“why do I teach?”, “what should I teach?”, “how
should I teach?”, “what is the nature of the
learner?”, “how do we learn?”, etc.
What about you? What is your existential
questions of LIFE? Of EDUCATION?
Why teach?
This philosophy contends that teachers
teach for learners to acquire basic knowledge,
skills and values. Teachers teach “not to radically
reshape society” but rather “to transmit the
traditional moral values and intellectual
knowledge that students need to become model
citizens.”
1. Economic self-sufficiency
a. Economy of teaching effort and resources
b. Economy of student effort
c. Economy of subject matter generated

What to teach?
Essentialist programs are academically
rigorous. The emphasis is on academic content for
students to learn the basic skills or the fundamental
r’s — reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic, right conduct - as
thea are essential to the acquisition of higher or mort
complex skills needed in preparation for adult life.
The essentialist curriculum includes the “traditional

disciplines such as math, natural science, history,
foreign language, and literature. Essentialists frown
upon vocational courses... or other courses with
‘watered down academic content...’
The teachers and administrators decide what is

most important for the students to learn ... and place
little emphasis on student interests, particularly when
they divert time and attention from the academic
curriculum.”
How to teach?
Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of
subject matter. They are expected to be intellect and
moral models of their students. They are seen as
“fountain” of information and as “paragon of virtue” if
ever there is such a person. To gain mastery of basic
skills, teachers have to observe “core requirements
longer school day, a longer academic year...”
With mastery of academic content as primary

focus, teachers rely heavily on the use of prescribed
textbooks, the drill method and other methods that will
enable them to cover as much academic content as
possible like the lecture method. There is a heavy
stress on memorization and discipline.
Why teach?
Progressivist teachers teach to develop learners
into becoming enlightened and intelligent citizens
of a democratic society. This group of teachers teach
learners so they may live life fully NOW not to
prepare them for adult life.
What to teach?
The progressivists are identified with need-
based and relevant curriculum. This is a curriculum
that “responds to students’ needs and that relates to
students' personal lives and experiences.”
Progressivists accept the impermanence of life and the

inevitability of change. For the progressivists,
everything else changes. Change is the only thing
that does not change. Hence, progressivist teachers
are more concerned with teaching the learners the
skills to cope with change.
Instead of occupying themselves with teaching

facts or bits of information that are true today
but become obsolete tomorrow, they would
rather focus their teaching on the teaching
of skills or processes in gathering and
evaluating information and in problem-
solving.
The subjects that are given emphasis in progressivist

schools are the “natural and social sciences. Teachers
expose students to many new scientific,
technological, and social developments, reflecting
the progressivist notion that progress and change are
fundamental. ... In addition, students solve problems
in the classroom similar to those they will encounter
outside of the schoolhouse.”
How to teach?
Progressivist teachers employ experiential
methods. They believe that one learns by doing. For
John Dewey, the most popular advocate of
progressivism, book learning is no substitute for
actual experience. One experiential teaching method
that progressivist teachers heavily rely on is the
problem-solving method.
This problem-solving method makes use of the

scientific method.
Other “hands-on-minds-on” teaching methodology

that progressivist teachers use are field trips during
which students interact with nature or society.
Teachers also stimulate students through thought-
provoking games, and puzzles.
Why teach?
We are all rational animals. Schools should,

therefore, develop the students' rational and moral
powers. According to Aristotle, if we neglect the
students' reasoning skills, we deprive them of the
ability to use their higher faculties to control their
passions and appetites.
What to teach?
The perennialist curriculum is a universal
one on the view that all human beings possess
the same essential nature. It is heavy on the
humanities, on general education. It is not a
specialist curriculum but rather a general one.
There is less emphasis on vocational and
technical education.
Philosopher Mortimer Adler claims that “the Great

Books of ancient and medieval as well as modern
times are a repository of knowledge and wisdom, a
tradition of culture which must initiate each
generation". What the perennialist teachers teach are
lifted from the Great Books.
How to teach?
The perennialist classrooms are “centered

around teachers”... The teachers do not allow the
students’ interests or experiences to substantially
dictate what they teach.
They apply whatever creative techniques and other

tried and true methods which are believed to be
most conducive to disciplining the students’ minds....
Students engaged in Socratic dialogues, or mutual
inquiry sessions to develop an understanding of
history's most timeless concepts.
Why teach?
The main concern of the existentialists is “to
help students understand and appreciate themselves
as unique individuals who accept complete
responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and
actions”.
Since ‘existence precedes essence’, the existentialist

teacher's role is to help students define their own
essence by exposing them to various paths they
take in life and by creating an environment in
which they freely choose their own preferred way.
Since feeling is not divorced from reason in decision
making , “the existentialist demands the education
of the whole person, not just the mind.”
What to teach?
“In an existentialist curriculum, students are
given a wide variety of options from which to
choose.” Students are afforded great latitude in their
choice of subject matter. The humanities, however,
are given tremendous emphasis to “provide
students with vicarious experiences that will help
unleash their own creativity and self-expression.
For example, rather than emphasizing historical

events , existentialists focus upon the actions of
historical individuals, each of whom provides
possible models for the students' own behavior. ...
Moreover, vocational education is regarded more as

a means of teaching students about themselves
and their potential than of earning a livelihood. In
teaching art, existentialism encourages individual
creativity and imagination more than copying and
imitating established models.”
How to teach?
“Existentialist methods focus on the
individual. Learning is self-paced, self-directed. It
includes a great deal of individual contact with the
teacher, who relates to each student openly and
honestly. To help students know themselves and
their place in society, teachers employ values
clarification strategy.
In the use of such strategy, teachers remain non-

judgmental and take care not to impose their
values on their students since values are personal.”
Why teach?
Behaviorist schools are concerned with the
modification and shaping of students' behavior by
providing for a favorable environment, since they
believe that they are a product of their
environment. They are after students who exhibit
desirable behavior in society.
What to teach?
Because behaviorists look at "people and

other animals... as complex combinations of matter
that act only in response to internally or externally
generated physical stimuli", behaviorist teachers
teach students to respond favorably to various
stimuli in the environment.
How to teach?
Behaviorist teachers “ought to arrange
environmental conditions so that students can
make the responses to stimuli. Physical variables
like light, temperature, arrangement of furniture,
size and quantity of visual aids have to be controlled
to get the desired responses from the learners. ...
Teachers ought to make the stimuli clear and

interesting to capture and hold the learners'
attention. They ought to provide appropriate
incentives to reinforce positive responses and weaken
or eliminate negative ones.” (Trespeces, 1995)
Philosophy Formulation Philosophy is vital only when the questions are mine and so
is the struggle towards answers.
- W. Luijpen
You have been acquainted with various

philosophies. With which do you identify yourself?
What is your personal philosophy of education?
You are expected to formulate it in this second topic.
Philosophy Formulation
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.
You surely have one just as everybody has, only

that sometimes it is not well articulated. Your
philosophy of education is reflected in your dealings
with students, colleagues, parents and
administrators.
Your attitude towards problems and life as a whole

has an underlying philosophy. In this lesson, you will
articulate your thoughts on how you perceive the
learner, on what are the right values, on what and
on how you must therefore teach.
If you articulate your philosophy of education, you
may find yourself more consistent in your dealings
with other people, in your actions and decisions.
What does a philosophy of education contain or

include? It includes your concept about:
• the human person, the learner in particular

and the educated person
• what is true and good and therefore must be

taught.
• how a learner must be taught in order

to come close to the truth
• what is true and good and therefore

must be taught.
• how a learner must be taught in order

to come close to the truth
Here is an example:
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 by

his/her environment.
• is unique and so comparing a child to

other children has no basis
I believe that there are unchanging values in

changing times and these must be passed
on to every child by my modeling, 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 him/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
others 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”
experiences inside and outside the classroom
• providing every child activities meant to

develop the body, the mind and the spirit
The Teacher in the Society What are we in this world for if not to make this world more
bearable for each other?.
- Source Unknown
Below is an excerpt of the findings of a study on

Pre-service Elementary Teacher Training conducted
by Rosita L. Navarro, et al in 1994. (Navarro, Rosita et
al. Study of Pre-Service Elementary Teacher Training
SPETT, June, 1994.)
The Teacher in the Society
The responses were from 1,460 respondents in

12 regions of the country. The community
respondents' group consisted mostly of parents (26%),
non-government organizations (24%), principals and
assistant principals (23%), representatives from the
business and industry sectors ( 21%) and School
Superintendents (6%).
Here are the research findings on:
Community Perception on the Role of Teachers in the

Community
Teachers are perceived to be:
1. very important in a community.
2. respected in a community.
3. help in the community to some
extent.
Community Perception on Beliefs and Attitudes about

Teachers and Teaching
The community respondents strongly agreed that

teachers:
1. help develop the moral character of
children.
2. are second parents.
3. are assets to the community.
The community respondents agreed

with. 12 beliefs and attitudes, as follows:
1. The most intelligent child
should be encouraged to enter
the teaching profession.
2. Teacher sets moral standard
of the community.
3. Teachers make good parents.
4. Men should be encouraged to enter

the teaching profession.
5. The teaching profession is one of the
lowest paid.
6. Teachers should be paragons of
virtue.
7. Children obey and respect their
teachers.
8. Teachers play an active role in

disciplining children.
9. Praising boosts a child's self-
confidence.
10. A teacher is a child's model.
11. Child's interest in studies depends
upon his/her teachers.
12. Parents entrust children's welfare

to teachers.
The community respondents were

doubtful regarding this item: "Female
teachers generally become old maids.“
They disagreed with this item:
"Teachers may inflict physical punishment
on children."
Teacher’s Morality When you carry out acts of fondness you get a wonderful feeling
inside. It is as though something inside your body responds and
says, yes, this is how I ought to feel.
- Harold Kushner
Someone once wrote of teachers: “Even on

your worst day on the job, you are still some
children's best hope.” Indeed society expects much
from you, the teacher. This was affirmed by a finding
in Navarro's research which was presented in the
previous topic. You, too, have a significant influence
in society.
Teacher’s Morality
Henry Brooks Adams said it succinctly: “A teacher

affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence
stops.”
For us to be able to cope with these expectations

we should be anchored on a bedrock foundation of
moral and ethical principles. Let us begin this lesson
by defining what morality is.
As defined by one textbook author, morality

refers to “the quality of human acts by which we
call them right or wrong, good or evil.” (Panizo,
1964) Our human action is right when it conforms
with the norm, rule, or law of morality. Otherwise it
is said to be wrong. For instance, when Juan gets the
pencil of Pedro without the latter’s permission, Juan’s
action is wrong because it is contrary to the norm,
“stealing is wrong”.
A man's action, habit or character is good when it

is not lacking of what is natural to man, i.e. when it
is in accordance with man's nature. For instance, it
is not natural for man to behave like a beast because
he is not a beast. He is man and, unlike the beast, he
has intellect and free will. That intellect makes him
capable of thinking, judging and reasoning. His
free will gives him the ability to choose.
Unlike the beasts, he is not bound by instincts. It is a

natural occurrence for beasts when a male dog
meets a female dog on the street and mate right
there and then as they are not free but bound by
their instinct, like sexual instinct. But it is contrary to
man's nature when a man and a woman do as the
dogs do. To do so is to go down to the level of the
beast.
What is meant by foundational moral

principle? The word principle comes from the Latin
word princeps which means a beginning, a source. A
principle is that on which something is based,
founded, originated, initiated. It is likened to the
foundation of a building upon which all other parts
stand. If we speak of light, the principle is the sun
because the sun is the body from which the light of
this world originate.
A foundational moral principle is, therefore, the

universal norm upon which all other principles on
the rightness or wrongness of an action are based.
It is the source of morality.
Where is this foundational moral principle? It is

contained in the natural law. Many moralists,
authors, and philosophers may have referred to this
foundational moral principle in different terms. But it
may be acceptable to all believers and non-believers
alike to refer to it as natural law.
What is the natural law? It is the law “written

in the hearts of men”. (Romans 2:15) For theists, it
is “man's share in the Eternal Law of God...” (Panizo,
1964) St. Thomas defines it as “the light of natural
reason, whereby we discern what is good and what
is evil... an imprint on us of the divine light...”
(Panizo, 1964) It is the law that says: “Do good and
avoid evil.” THIS IS THE FUNDAMENTAL OR
FOUNDATIONAL MORAL PRINCIPLE.
All men and women , regardless of race and

beliefs, have a sense of this foundational moral
principle. It is ingrained in man's nature. “ It is built
into the design of human nature and woven into the
fabric of the normal human mind.” We are inclined to
do what we recognize as good and avoid that which
we recognize as evil.
Panizo says: “Writings, customs, and

monuments of past and present generations point out to
this conclusion: that all peoples on earth , no matter
how savage and illiterate, have recognized a
supreme law of divine origin commanding good and
forbidding evil” (Panizo, 1964) The same thing was
said by the Chinese philosopher, Mencius, long ago:
All men have a mind which cannot bear [to see the suffering
of] others... If now men suddenly see a child about to fall into
a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of
alarm and distress... From this case we may perceive that he
who lacks the feeling of commiseration is not a man; that he
who lacks a feeling of shame and dislike is not a man; he who
lacks a feeling of modesty and yielding is not a man; and that
he who lacks a sense of right and wrong is not a man.... Man
has these four beginnings... ( Fung Yulan, 1948, 69-70)
The natural law that says “do good and avoid

evil” comes in different versions. Kung-fu-tsu said
the same when he taught: “Do not do to others what
you do not like others to do to you.” This is also the
Golden rule of Christianity only that it is written in
the positive form: “Do to others what you like
others do to you.”
Immanuel Kant's version is “Act in such a way that

your maxim can be the maxim for all.” For
Christians, this Golden Rule is made more explicit
through the Ten Commandments and the Eight
Beatitudes. These are summed up in the two great
commandments, “love God with all your heart, with
all your mind, with all your strength” and “love
your neighbor as you love yourself.”
The Buddhists state this through the eight-fold path.

For the Buddhists, they do good when they “(1) strive
to know the truth; (2) resolve to resist evil; (3) say
nothing to hurt others; (4) respect life, morality,
and property; (5) engage in a job that does not
injure others; (6) strive to free their mind of evil;
(7) control their feelings and thoughts, and (8)
practice proper forms of concentration.” (World
Book Encyclopedia, 1988)
Buddha taught that “hatred does not cease by

hatred; hatred ceases only by love.” The
Islamic Koran “forbids lying, stealing,
adultery, and murder” It also teaches “honor
for parents, kindness to slaves, protection for
the orphaned and the widowed , and charity
to the poor. It teaches the virtues of faith in
God, patience, kindness, honesty, industry,
honor, courage, and generosity.
It condemns mistrust, impatience and cruelty.”

(World Book Encyclopedia ,1988) . Furthermore, the
Muslims abide by The Five Pillars of Islam: 1)
prayer, 2) self-purification by fasting, 3) fasting, 4)
almsgiving and 5) pilgrimage to Mecca for those who
can afford. (www.islaml0l.com/dawal/pillars.html)
As laid down in the preamble of our Code of

Ethics of Professional Teachers, “teachers are duly
licensed professionals who possess dignity and
reputation with high moral values as well as
technical and professional competence. In the
practice of their profession, they strictly adhere to,
observe and practice this set of ethical and moral
principles, standard and values.”
From the above preamble, the words moral

values are mentioned twice, to accentuate on the good
moral character expected of us, the teachers.
When are we of good moral character? One
Christian author describes four ways of describing
good moral character: 1) being fully human - you
have realized substantially your potential as a
human person,
2) being a loving person - you are caring in an

unselfish and mature manner with yourself, other
people and God, 3) being a virtuous person - you
have acquired good habits and attitudes and you
practice them consistently in your daily life, and 4)
being a morally mature person - you have reached
a level of development emotionally, socially,
mentally, spiritually appropriate to your

developmental stage. (Cosgrave, William, rev. ed.
2004, 78-79) To summarize, we are on the right track
when we strive to develop our potential, we love
and care for ourselves and make this love flow to
others, we lead a virtuous life, and as we advance in
age we also advance in our emotional, social,
intellectual and spiritual life.
Teacher’s Value Formation Education in values means the cultivation of affectivity, leading
the educand through exposure to experience of value and of the
valuable.
- R. Aquino
Transcendent Value
As mentioned in our previous topic, to be
moral is to be human. Living by the right values
humanizes. The question that we may raise at this
point is: Is there such a thing as right , unchanging
and universal value? Is a right value for me also a
right value for you?
Teacher’s Value Formation
Are the values that we, Filipinos, consider as right

also considered by the Japanese, the Americans or the
Spaniards as right values? Or are values dependent
on time, place and culture?
There are two varied answers to the question,

depending on the camp where you belong. If you
belong to the idealist group, there are unchanging
and universal values. The values of love, care and
concern for our fellowmen are values for all people
regardless of time and space. They remain unchanged
amidst changing times. These are called transcendent
values, transcendent because they are beyond
changing times, beyond space and people.
They remain to be a value even if no one values

them. They are accepted as value everywhere. On
the other hand, the relativists claim that there are no
universal and unchanging values. They assert that
values are dependent on time and place. The values
that our forefathers believed in are not necessarily
the right values for the present. What the British
consider as values are not necessarily considered
values by Filipinos.
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 transcendental being whom we call by
different names Bathala, Apo Dios, Kabunian,
Allah, and the like.
Another essential question we have to tackle is:

“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 and society have far greater influence
on our value formation than those well-prepared
lectures on values excellently delivered by experts
who may sound like "empty gongs and clanging
cymbals.”
Values have a cognitive dimension. We must

understand the value 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 how to live by that value. These are
the concepts that ought to be taught.
Values are in the affective 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 .towards honesty, be moved towards
honesty as preferable to dishonesty.” (Aquino,
1990)
Values also have a behavioral dimension. In

fact, living by the value this is the true acid test if
we really value a value like honesty.
Our value formation as teachers will

necessarily include the three dimensions. We
have to grow in knowledge and in wisdom and
in your “sensitivity and openness to the
variety of value experiences in life.” (Aquino,
1990) We have to be open to and attentive in our
value lessons in Ethics and for those in sectarian
schools, Ethics and Religious Education.
We take active part in value sessions like

fellowships, recollections organized by your church
group or associations. Since values are also caught,
we help ourselves 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.)
Our lessons in history, religion and literature are

replete with opportunities for inspiring ideals.
Associate with model teachers. If possible, we avoid
the “yeast” of those who will not exert a very good
influence. Let us take the sound advice from
Desiderata: “Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexations to the spirit.”
Join community immersions where we can be

exposed to people from various walks of life. These
will broaden our horizon , increase our tolerance
level , and sensitize us to life values. These will help
us to “fly high” and “see far” to borrow the words of
Richard Bach in his book, Jonathan Livingstone
Seagull.
Our value formation in essence is a training

of our intellect and will, our cognitive and rational
appetitive powers, respectively. Our intellect
discerns a value and presents it to the will as a
right or wrong value. Our will wills to act on the
right value and wills to avoid the wrong value
presented by your intellect. As described by St.
Thomas Aquinas. “The intellect proposes and the
will disposes”.
It is clear that “nothing is willed unless it is first

known. Thought must precede the deliberation of
the will. An object is willed as it is known by the
intellect and proposed to the will as desirable and
good. Hence, the formal and adequate object of the
will is good as apprehended by the intellect”.
(William Kelly, 1965) These statements underscore the
importance of the training of our intellect.
Our intellect must clearly present a positive value to be

a truly a positive value to the will not as one that is
apparently positive but in the final analysis is a
negative value. In short, our intellect must be
enlightened by what is true.
It is, therefore, necessary that we develop our

intellect in its three functions, namely: “formation of
ideas, judgment and reasoning” (William Kelly,
1965). It is also equally necessary that we develop
our will so we will be strong enough to act on the
good and avoid the bad that our intellect presents.
How can our will be trained to desire strongly the
desirable and act on it? William Kelly explains it very
simply:
Training of the will must be

essentially self-training. The habit of
yielding to impulse results in the
enfeeblement of self- control. The power of
inhibiting urgent desires, of concentrating
attention on more remote good, of
reinforcing the higher but less urgent
motives undergoes a kind of atrophy
through disuse.
Habitually yielding to any vice, while it does

not lessen man's responsibility, does
diminish his ability to resist temptation.
Likewise, the more frequently man restrains
impulse, checks inclination, persists against
temptation, and steadily aims at virtuous
living, the more does he increase his self-
control, and therefore, his freedom.
To have a strong will means to have control of the

will, to be able to direct it despite all contrary
impulses.
In short, a virtuous life strengthens us to live

by the right values and live a life of abundance and
joy while a vicious life leads us to perdition and
misery. WARNING: Then NEVER to give way to a
vice! Instead develop worthwhile hobbies. Cultivate
good habits.
If we recall, in our the topic on morality, we

said a moral person is one who leads a virtuous life.
Panizo claims “virtue involves a habit, a constant
effort to do things well in spite of obstacles and
difficulties.” A virtue is no other than a good habit.
We 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. For instance , we may prefer to absent
from class because we want to attend the annual barrio
fiesta where we are the “star” because of your ability to
sing and dance. Another one may prefer just the
opposite by missing the fiesta (anyway, we can have
all the fiestas after studies) and attends class.
Aquino (Aquino, 1990) presents Scheler's hierarchy of

values arranged from the lowest to the highest as
shown below:
Pleasure Values - the pleasant against the unpleasant
- the agreeable against the disagreeable
* sensual feelings
* experiences of pleasure or pain
Vital Value - values pertaining to the well being

either of the individual or of the
community
* health
* vitality
- values of vital feeling
* capability
* excellence
Spiritual Values - values independent of the whole

sphere
- grasped in spiritual acts of
preferring, loving and hating
* aesthetic values: beauty against
ugliness
* values of right and wrong
* values of pure knowledge
Values of the Holy - appear only in regard to objects

intentionally given as “absolute
objects”
* belief
* adoration
* bliss
Based on Scheler's hierarchy of values, the

highest values are those that directly pertain to the
Supreme Being while the lowest values are those
that pertain to the sensual pleasures. We act and
live “well if we stick to Scheler's hierarchy of
values, i.e., give greater preference to the higher
values. We will live miserably if we distort Scheler's
hierarchy of values, like for instance, when we
subordinate spiritual values to pleasure values.
We act well when we give up the pleasure of

drinking excessive alcohol for the sake of our
health. But while we take care of our health,
Christians will say, we bear in mind that we do not
“live by bread alone” but also by “the word that
comes from the mouth of God” (Luke 4:4). ...life is
more than food and the body more than clothing.”
(Luke 12:23)
Our concerns must go beyond the caring of our bodily

health. As we learned in from our philosophical
heritage, man is an embodied spirit and so we also
need to be concerned with matters of the spirit like
appreciation of what is right and what is beautiful.
The saints have been raised to the pedestal and are
worthy of the veneration of the faithful because they
gave up their life for their faith in the Holy one.
San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint, spurned

offers of liberty and life for his faith in God. Having
done so, “he affirmed the absolute superiority of the
Holy.” We also know of Albert Schweitzer, the much
honored physician, missionary, and musician who
because of his deep reverence for life spent many
years extending humanitarian assistance by
treating thousands and thousands of sick people
during his medical mission in Africa.
He also built his hospital and leper colony for the less
unfortunate in Africa. We cannot ignore Blessed
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India who chose to leave
a more comfortable life in the convent in order to
devote her life bathing, consoling, and picking up
the dying outcasts in the streets of Calcutta out of
genuine love and compassion.
Outside the Catholic Church, we, too, can cite

several whose lives were focused on matters of the
spirit more than the body. At this point we cite
Mahatma Ghandi, the great political and spiritual
leader of India, who passionately fought
discrimination with his principles of truth, non-
violence, and courage. His non-violent resistance to
the British rule in India led to the independence of
India in 1947.
We do not forget Helen Keller, who despite her being

blind, traveled to developing and war-ravaged
countries to improve the conditions of the blind like
her for them to live meaningful life. Of course, we do
not forget Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero, Benigno
Aquino Jr. and all other heroes of our nation who
gave up their lives for the freedom that we now
enjoy. And many more for you to talk about at the end
of this Chapter.
Teaching as Our Vocation, Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real
Mission and Profession possession in the changing fortunes of time.
- Desiderata
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.
Teaching as Our Vocation,
Mission and Profession
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 Christians among us 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 a 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. Budhha must
have also heard the call to abandon his royal life in
order to seek the answer to the problem on suffering.
Perhaps you never dreamt to become a

teacher! But here you are now preparing to become
one! How did it happen? From the eyes of those
who believe, it was God who called you here for
you to teach, just as God called Abraham, Moses,
and Mary, of the Bible. 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 our 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 we are
now taking up the CPE courses or preparing for
LET may signify that we positively responded to
the call to TEACH.
This YES response – for the time being - remains a

YES and may become even firmer through the
years… remains to be seen and to be proven. How?
Through the eyes of Faith!
Teaching is also a mission. The word mission

comes from the Latin word "misio" which means "to
send". We are called to be teachers and we are sent
into the world to accomplish a mission, to teach. The
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines mission
as "task assigned". We are sent to accomplish an
assigned task.
Teaching is our mission means it is the task

entrusted to you in this world. If it is our assigned
task then naturally we've got to prepare ourselves
for it. We can no take our studies for granted – I hope!
Our pre-service preparation will equip us with the
knowledge, skills and attitudes to become an effective
teacher.
However, never commit the mistake of culminating

our mission preparation at the end of our CPE
course or after having passed the LET – in flying
colors. We have embarked in a mission that calls
for a continuing professional education. As the
saying goes "once a teacher, forever a student."
(More is said of continuing professional education in
the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers)
Flowing from our uniqueness, we are expected to

contribute to the betterment of this world in our
own unique way. Our unique and most significant
contribution to the humanization of life on earth is in
the field where we are prepared for - teaching.
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 to 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? Is it to deposit facts and other information
into the "empty minds" of students to be withdrawn
during quizzes and tests? Or
is it to "midwife" the birth of ideas latent in the

minds of students? 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 to remove hampering influences" as
Bertrand Russell put it?
If we recall the various philosophies in Lesson 1

and add more to those enumerated. 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.
A letter given by a private school principal to

her teachers on the first day of a new school year may
make crystal clear for us our humanizing mission in
teaching:
Dear Teacher:
I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes

saw what no man should witness:
- Gas chambers built by learned engineers.
- Children poisoned by educated physicians.
- Infants killed by trained nurses.
- Woman and babies shot and burned by high
school and college graduates.
So I am suspicious of education. My request is:

Help your students become human. Your efforts
must never produce learned monsters, skilled
psychopaths, and Eichmann 's.
Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if

they serve to make our children more human.
"Mission accomplished!" This is what a

soldier tells his superior after he has accomplished
his assigned mission. Can we say the same when
we meet our "Superior" face to face?
Teaching like engineering, nursing,

accounting and the like is a profession. A teacher
like an engineer , a nurse or and accountant is a
professional. What are the distinguishing marks of
a professional teacher? Former Chairperson of the
Professional Regulation Commission, Hon.
Hermogenes P. Pobre in his pithy address in a
national convention of educators 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."
Why does a profession require "long and

arduous years of preparation" and "a striving for
excellence"? Because the end goal of a profession is
service and as we have heard many times "we cannot
give what we do not have." We can give more if we
have more. His Holiness Pope Paul VI affirmed this
thought when he said: "Do more, have more in order
to be more!" For us to be able to give more,
continuing professional education is a must.
For us teachers, continuing professional education is

explicit in our professionalization law and our Code
of Professional Ethics.
Our service to the public as a professional turns

out to be dedicated and committed only when our
moral, ethical and religious values serve as our
bedrock foundation.
The same moral , ethical and religious convictions

inspire us to embrace continuing professional
education.
If we take teaching as our profession , this

means that we must be willing to go through a long
period of preparation and a continuing professional
development.
We must strive for excellence, we commit ourselves

to moral, ethical and religious values and dedicate
ourselves 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 magawa", - all
indicators of defeatism and resignation to
mediocrity.
If we stick to this complacent mentality, excellence

eludes us. In the world of work whether here or
abroad, only the best and the brightest make it. (At
this time, you must have heard that with the rigid
selection of teacher applicants done by DepEd, only a
few make it!) The mortality rate in the Licensure
Examination for Teachers for the past ten years is
a glaring evidence that excellence is very much
wanting of our teacher graduates.
If we remain true to our calling and mission as a

professional teacher, we have no choice but to take
the endless and the "less traveled road" to
excellence.
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.

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The Teaching Profession, is a three-unit course

of the new teacher education curriculum. It attempts to

We don't live in a vacuum. We live in a society.

John Donne once said it in his song “No Man

You will also come to realize the demands it will exact

Your influence on your students and on other

They govern and direct your lifestyle, your thoughts,

• summarize at least five philosophies of

• formulate your own philosophy of

• accept continuing values formation as an

We are heirs to a rich philosophical heritage.

These existential questions come in different

In the school context, these existential questions are:

a. Economy of teaching effort and resources

b. Economy of student effort

c. Economy of subject matter generated

The essentialist curriculum includes the “traditional

The teachers and administrators decide what is

With mastery of academic content as primary

Progressivists accept the impermanence of life and the

Instead of occupying themselves with teaching

The subjects that are given emphasis in progressivist

This problem-solving method makes use of the

Other “hands-on-minds-on” teaching methodology

We are all rational animals. Schools should,

Philosopher Mortimer Adler claims that “the Great

The perennialist classrooms are “centered

They apply whatever creative techniques and other

Since ‘existence precedes essence’, the existentialist

For example, rather than emphasizing historical

Moreover, vocational education is regarded more as

In the use of such strategy, teachers remain non-

Because behaviorists look at "people and

Teachers ought to make the stimuli clear and

You have been acquainted with various

Your philosophy of education is your “window”

You surely have one just as everybody has, only

Your attitude towards problems and life as a whole

What does a philosophy of education contain or

• the human person, the learner in particular

• what is true and good and therefore must be

• how a learner must be taught in order

• what is true and good and therefore

• how a learner must be taught in order

My Philosophy of Education as a Grade School

I believe that every child:

• can be influenced but not totally by

• is unique and so comparing a child to

I believe that there are unchanging values in

I believe that my task as a teacher is to

• reaching out to all children without bias and

• making every child feel good and confident

• helping every child master the basic skills of

• teaching my subject matter with mastery so

• inculcating or integrating the unchanging

• consistently practicing these values to serve

• strengthening the value formation of every

• providing every child activities meant to

Below is an excerpt of the findings of a study on

The responses were from 1,460 respondents in

Here are the research findings on:

Community Perception on the Role of Teachers in the

Community Perception on Beliefs and Attitudes about