CHAPTER ONE

You, the Teacher, as a Person in Society

“Teachers… are the most responsible and important member of society because their
professional efforts affect the fate of the earth." -Helen Caldicott

INTRODUCTION

We live in a society that influences us and we, in turn, help shape society. No teacher is
an island. You can’t become a teacher alone. In this Chapter, you will be made to realize the
significant role that you will play in society. Teaching has many demands it also has its share of
rewards. 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.

Lesson 1: 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. In this lesson, there are seven philosophies
of education: essentialism, progressivism, perennialism, existentialism, behaviorism, linguistic
philosophy, and constructivism.

Essentialism contends that teachers teach for learners to acquire basic knowledge, skills and
values. Essentialist programs are academically rigorous. The essentialist curriculum includes the
“traditional disciplines such as math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature.

Progressivists accept the impermanence of life and the inevitability of change. Progressivist
teachers teach to develop learners into becoming enlightened and intelligent citizens of a
democratic society.

Perennialist curriculum is a universal one on the view that all human beings possess the same
essential nature.

Existentialists help students understand and appreciate themselves as unique individuals who
accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and actions.

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.
Linguistic philosophy develops the communication skills of the learner because the ability to
articulate, to voice out the meaning and values of things that one obtains from his/ her
experience of life and the world is the very essence of man.

Constructivism develops intrinsically motivated and independent learners adequately equipped

with learning skills for them to be able to construct knowledge and make meaning of them.

Lesson 2: Formulating Your Philosophy of Education

Philosophy is vital only when the questions are mine and so is the struggle towards answers.
- W. Luijpen

Your philosophy of education is your “window” to the world and “compass” in life. It is
reflected in your dealings with students, colleagues, parents and administrators. Your attitude
towards problems and life as a whole has an underlying philosophy. A philosophy of education
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, and how a learner must be taught
in order to come close to the truth.

Lesson 3: The Foundational Principles of Morality and You

When you carry out acts of kindness 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. -Unknown

Morality refers to “the quality of human acts by which we call them right or wrong, good
or evil. Human action is right when it conforms with the norm, rule, or law of morality.
Conversely, actions that deviate from these norms are considered wrong. The goodness of a
person’s actions, habits, or character is determined by their alignment with what is natural to
humans Unlike the beast, humans possess intellect and free will, enabling them to think, judge,
reason, and make choices. Behaving like beasts is contrary to human nature and reduces
individuals to the level of beast.

The word principle comes from the Latin word princeps which means a beginning, a
source. A foundational moral principle is the universal norm upon which all other principles on
the rightness or wrongness of an action are based. It is the source of morality. This foundational
moral principle is commonly referred to as natural law.

Natural law is described as the law “written in the hearts of men” and “man’s share in
the Eternal Law of God”. 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…” The foundational
moral principle is to do good and avoid evil. All men and women, regardless of race and belief,
have a sense of this foundational moral principle. Different cultures express this moral principle
in various forms such as the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, the Eightfold Path, and the
Five Pillars of Islam.
 Teachers are expected to possess good moral character, which includes being fully
human, loving, virtuous, and morally mature.

Lesson 4: Values Formation and You

Education in values means the cultivation of affectivity, leading the educand through exposure
to an experience of value and of the valuable. – R. Aquino

The question of universal values is debated between idealists and relativists. Idealists
believe in unchanging and universal values like love, care, and concern for our fellowmen are
values for all people regardless of time and space. These are called transcendent values,
transcendent because they are beyond changing times, beyond space and people. On the other
hand, relativists claim that there are no universal and unchanging values. They assert that
values are dependent on time and place. In this lesson, the discussion on values formation is
anchored on the belief in transcendent values.

The lesson also addresses the question of whether values are taught or caught,
concluding that they are both, with living examples having a greater influence than lectures. It
emphasizes that values have cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, all of which need
to be developed for effective value formation. Value formation also includes formation in the
cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects.

Value formation is a training of the intellect and will. The intellect discerns a value and
presents it to the will as a right or wrong value. The will wills to act on the right value and wills
to avoid the wrong value presented by your intellect. Developing the intellect involves three
functions, namely: "formation of ideas, judgment and reasoning". A virtuous life strengthens
you to live by the right values and live a life of abundance and joy while a vicious life leads you
to perdition and misery.

Max Scheler outlined a hierarchy of values, with the highest values pertaining to the
Supreme Being and the lowest values pertaining to 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. Value
clarification is necessary in a pluralistic society to avoid value confusion and value
contradictions.

Lesson 5: Teaching as Your Vocation, Mission and Profession

“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who
touched our human feelings…” – Carl Jung

Vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare” which means to call. If there is a call, there
must be a caller and someone who is called. There must also be a response. Christians and
Muslims believe that the Caller is God or Allah. Teaching is seen as a vocation, and believers
may consider it as a call from God.

Teaching is also a mission. The word mission comes from the Latin word “misio” which
means “to send”. You are called to be a teacher and you are sent into the world to accomplish a
mission, to teach. The Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines mission as “task assigned”. It
is the task entrusted to you in this world.

Teaching is also a Profession. A teacher like an engineer, a nurse and accountant is a

professional. It requires a long and arduous years of preparation and a striving for excellence
because the end goal of a profession is 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 an indicator of defeatism and resignation to mediocrity. In the world of work, only
the best and the brightest make it.