The Teacher As A Person In The Society

Qualities of a Teacher

There are two distinct characteristics of an effective and efficient teacher:

1. Personal qualities- refer to the qualities that stem from the teachers personality,
interests , attitudes, and beliefs; and his/her behavior and working relationships with
his/her students and peers.
2. Professional qualities refer to the teache5rs knowledge of the subject matter, his/her
understanding of the psychological and educational principles and his/her
understanding of the teaching profession.

As a person

1. Innate Qualities
a. Aptitude
A saying goes Teachers are born. This refers to the inborn characteristics of
individuals such as aptitude, often defined as a strong inclination for some tasks
together with corresponding skills.
b. Mental ability
A mental ability that is above average and higher equips a teacher to carry on her
multiple tasks. After hurdling a 4 year bachelors degree, she can easily continue to
a masteral degree. Mentally gifted and bright teachers are capable of demonstrating
higher order thinking skills.
2. Personal qualities
In the chosen career of teaching, personality could serve as an inspiration or otherwise
to the student whom she pledge to lead by the hand.
A teacher must essentially possess the following person al qualities:
1. Presentable appearance, good manners, courtesy, and a pleasant voice.
2. Intelligence, emotional stability, and self-control
3. Sympathy, kindness, helpfulness, and patience
4. Integrity , trustworthiness, honesty and loyalty
5. Sociability, friendliness, and cooperativeness
6. Flexibility, creativity, and resourcefulness
7. Fairness impartiality, and tolerance
8. Sense of humor, cheerfulness, and enthusiasm

As a professional
Professional qualities include:
1. A mastery of the subject matter.
2. An understanding of the learners. This pertains to the teachers knowledge about the
learners and the principles of human growth and development.
 3. Liking and loving learners. A teacher who has genuine and sincere love for learners can
imbue them with love for learning.
4. Knowledge of the teaching principles and skills. A teacher must know the WHATS and
HOWS of teaching including the needed skills and teaching methods.
5. General understanding of the different branches of knowledge along with their
interrelationship and interdependence to solve lifes problems. Knowledge and
background study of arts, languages, philosophy, math, literature, and physical science
are deemed necessary. A teacher must also be knowledgeable of information and
communications technology (ICT) as in the use of computers.
6. An appreciation of the teaching profession.

Your Philosophical Heritage

Five philosophies of education:
Essentialism
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.
The emphasis is on academic content for students to learn basic skills or the
fundamental rsreading, riting, rithmetic, right conduct. The essentialist
curriculum includes the traditional disciplines such as math, natural science,
history, foreign language, and literature.
Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of subject matter. They are expected to
be intellectual and moral models of their students.
Progressivism
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.
Progressivist teachers teach to develop learners into becoming enlightened
citizens of a democratic society.
The progressivists are identified with need-based and relevant curriculum.
The subjects that are given e4mphasis in progressivist school are natural and
social science.
Progressivist teachers employ experiential methods. They believe that one learns
by doing.
Perrenialism
The perreniaslist 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.
 The perrenialist classrooms are centered around teachers the teachers do not
allow the strudents interests or experiences to substantially dictate what they
teach.
Existentialism
The main concern of existentialists is to help students understand and appreciate
themselves as unique individuals who accxept complete responsibility for their
thoughts, feelings and actions. Since existence precedes essence, the
existentialist teachers role is to help students define define their own essenceby
exposing them to various paths they take ion life by creating an environment in
which they freely choose their own preferred way.
Existentialist methods focus on the individual. Learning is self-paced, self
directed.
Behaviorism
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
Behaviorist ought to arrange environmental conditions so that students can
make the responses to the stimuli. They ought to provide appropriate incentives
to reinforce positive responses and weaken or eliminate negative ones.

Formulating Your Philosophy Of Education

Your philosophy of education is your window to the world and your compass in life.
Your philosophy of education is reflected in your dealings with students, colleagues , parents
and administrators. Your attitude towards problems a nd life as a whole has an undrrlyi ng
philosophy.
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 the truth.
What is true and good and therefore must be taught.

Society and You

Here is an excerpt of the findings of a study on Pre-service Elementry 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 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%).

Community Perception on the Role of Teachers in the Community

Teachers are perceived to be:
1. Very important in a community
2. Respected in community
3. Help in the community to some extent
Community Perception on Beliefs and attitudes about Teachers and Teaching
The community respondents strongly agree that teacher:
1. Help develop the moral character of children.
2. Are second d 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. Teachers set moral standard of the community.
3. Teachers make good parent.
4. Men should be encouraged to enter the teaching profession.
5. The teaching profession is one of the lowest paid.
6. Teachers should be paragon virtue.
7. Children obey and respect their teachers.
8. Teachers play an active role in disciplining children.
9. Praising boosts childs confidence.
10. A teacher is childs model.
11. Childs interest in studies depends upon his/her teachers.
12. Parents entrust childrens welfare to teachers.
The community respondents were doubtful regarding this item: Female teachers
become generally old maids
They disagreed with this item: Teachers may inflict physical punishment on children.

The Foundational Principles of Morality and You

What is Morality?
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(Paniso,1964). Your human action is
right when it conforms to the norm, rule, or law of morality. Otherwise it is said to be
wrong.
Meaning of 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, and initiated. A foundational moral principle is, therefore, the universal norm
upon which all other principles on the rightness or wrongness of an action are based.
 The foundational moral principle is contained in the natural law. It is the law
written in the hearts of men.(Romans 2:15) For theists, it is mans 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 evilan 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.
The Teacher as a person of good moral character
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.
Christian authors describe four ways of describing good moral character:
Being fully human
Being a loving person
Being a virtuous person
Being a morally mature person

Values Formation and You

Transcendent Value
According to the idealist group, Transcendent values are values that remained
unchanged amidst changing times. Transcendent because they are beyond changing
times, beyond space and people. Examples of these are values of love, care and concern
for our fellowmen.

Values are caught and taught

Values are both caught and taught. We may not be able to hear our fathers 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 cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions

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.
Values are in the affective domain of objectives. In themselves they have an affective
dimension.
Values also have a behavioral dimension. In fact, living by the value this is the true acid
test if we really value like honesty.
Value formation includes formation in the cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects
Since values are caught, it is up to you how to enrich yourself with values that could help
you to be a better person. You have to grow in knowledge and in wisdom and in your
sensitivity and openness to the variety of value experiences in life.

Value formation is a training of the intellect and will

Your value formation in essence is a training of your intellect and will, your cognitive and
rational appetitive powers, respectively. Your intellect discerns a value and presents it to
the will as a right or wrong value.

Virtuous versus vicious life and their effect on the will

In short, a virtuous life strengthens you to live by the right values and live life of
abundance and joy while a vicious leads you to perdition and misery.

Max Schelers hierarchy of values

Max Scheler outlined a hierarchy of values. Our hierarchy of values is shown in
our preferences and decisions. Schelers 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 Values 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 of the body and of the
environment:
- 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 Schelers hierarchy of values, the highest values are those that 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 Schelers hierarchy of values. We will live
miserably if we distort Schelers hierarchy of values.

Teaching as Vocation, Mission and Profession

Teaching as your vocation

Teaching is a vocation. Vocation comes from the Latin word vocare which
means to call. Based on the etimology of the word, vocation, therefore, means a call. If
there is a call, there must be a caller and someone who is called. The fact that you are
now in the College of education signifies that you positively responded to the call to
teach.
Teaching as your mission
The word mission came 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. Teaching is your mission means it is the task entrusted to you in this world. If it is
your assigned task then you naturally have to prepare yourself for it. You have embarked
in a mission that calls for a continuing professional education.
Teaching as your profession
Teaching is also a profession. It is our way of rendering service to humanity. The
quality of our professional service to is determined to a very great extent on the four
elements of profession which are as follows: 1.)our long and arduous period of
preparation,2) a striving for excellence,3) a dedication to the public interest, and
4)commitment to moral and ethical values. If we give professional quality service, then
mediocrity has no place. If we live up to our name as a professional teacher, a
meaningful and fulfilled life will not be far behind.