Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

University Town, Catarman, Northern Samar

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Secondary Education Department
1st Semester SY: 2017-2018

Module in
“The Teaching Profession”
This module is prepared by:

Christine M. Adlawan
Instructor 1
Module 1 Teaching as a Profession

LEARNING PLAN

At the end of the module, the students should be able to:

1. examine the teaching profession against the elements of a profession;
2. trace the historical development of teaching as a profession in the
Philippines;
3. explain teaching as a mission and as a vocation; and
4. discuss the meaning of a teacher as a professional.

OVERVIEW

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a
day in your life”
- Unknown.

This is the very reason why we need to understand teaching not just a
profession but also a mission. It is not just a vocation but a special calling.
Teachers should be committed and dedicated to serve and to touch the lives of
the students not just to be prepared for a job but also to become better
individuals and eventually rightful citizens of the country.

Teaching as a profession has become a huge concern in our society.

However, teaching as a profession is the question that remains to be answered
clearly. The academic society needs to spell out a sense of professionalism in
order to ease this concern. “Unlike other professions where you make ‘machines’
work, this profession allows one to deal with the most complex phenomena on
earth. Ranging from most studious to most mischievous students, the teachers
need to maintain a balanced attitude and approach in transforming them to
mature individuals” (Kishore, 2000, paragraph 4). Professionalization of the
teaching workforce is a major concern that needs to be addressed because it is
a field of significant knowledge. The process of teaching can influence the lives
of many students.

This module consists of two lessons. Lesson 1 dwells on teaching as a

profession and lesson 2 discusses teaching as a vocation and mission.

ACTIVITY 1
“Teaching as a Profession”

Read the following instances when the word “professional” is used. ADD SOME
MORE INSTANCES, IF YOU CAN. Explain what the word “professional” means
in each case.

1. One night, cellphones were stolen right there from your home while
you were asleep. There was no indication of forced entry, so you
claimed that the manner by which your cellphone was stolen was
highly professional.

2. Father tells floor tile setter home he asked to work on a newly

constructed bathroom “Gusto ko yong gawang propesyonal,
malinis at maganda.”

3. She is highly professional in her ways. She deals with

everyone including her daughter- employee professionally.

4. “How unprofessional of her to act that way. Teacher pa naman din.”

 5. Medical doctors, lawyers, education consultants are
entitled to professional fees (PF) for expert services
rendered.

6. After his oath taking as a professional teacher, he was

congratulated and was told “now you are truly a professional.”

ANALYSIS 1

What does the word “professional” mean as used in the instances given
above?

ABSTRACTION

“Without hard work and discipline it is difficult to be a top professional”

 A professional is one who conforms to the technical or ethical standards of

a profession. So, two elements of a profession are competence and a
Code of Ethics.

 The other elements of a profession are:

1. Initial Professional Education - Professionals generally begin their

professional lives by completing a university program in their chosen
fields- teacher education, engineering, nursing, accountancy. This
means long and arduous years of preparation. Take note this is just
initial, which means only the beginning because a professional is
expected to learn endlessly.
2. Accreditation - University programs are approved by a regulatory
body like the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in the
Philippines to ensure that graduates from these recognized programs
start their professional
lives with competence.

3. Licensing - Licensing
is mandatory, not
voluntary and is
administered by a
government authority
is the Professional
Regulation
Commission (PRC).

4. Professional development - This is an on-going professional

education that maintains or improves professionals’ knowledge and
skills after they begin professional practice. In the Philippines this is
Continuing Professional Development mandated by RA 10912,
otherwise known as the CPD Act of 2016.

5. Professional Societies -
Professionals see themselves as
part of a community of like- minded
individuals who put their
professional standards above the
individual self- interest or their
employer’s self- interest. These
professional societies put
dedication to the public interest
and commitment to moral and
 ethical values.

Professional societies define certification criteria manage certification

program, establish accreditation standards and define a code of ethics
and disciplinary action for violation of that code.

6. Code of ethics - Each profession has a code of ethics to ensure that

its practitioners
behave
responsibly. The
code states what
professionals
should do.
Professionals
can be ejected
from their
professional
societies or lose their licenses to practice for violating the code of
ethics. (McConnell, Steve, source: http://www. Alexs brown.
com/prof9.html, retrieved 6-3-18)

The teaching profession is governed by the Code of Ethics for

Professional Teachers. Violation of the Code of Ethics for professional teachers
is one of the grounds for the revocation of the professional teacher’s Certificate
of Registration and suspension from the practice of the teaching profession
(Sec.23., RA.7836).

Historical development of teacher preparation and professionalization in

the Philippines

Teaching became a profession in

1976 with .The requirement of a licensure examination for teachers that puts
teaching at par with the other professions was enacted only in 1994 with the
passing of , otherwise known as The Teachers’ Professionalization Act.
 There was no formal preparation for teachers during the pre-Hispanic
times. The formal training of teachers began during the Spanish period when
men were trained as maestros by The Jesuits. A few years’ later “maestros” were
also trained. In 1901, a two-year preparation for teachers was given by Philippine
Normal School. Then the two years became four years since the two-year
academic preparation was seen inadequate. To ensure quality teachers and to
make teaching at par with other professions, in addition to a four-year teacher
education course, passing a licensure examination was made mandatory by RA.
7836.

ACTIVITY 2

Discuss your answers to these questions:

1. When a mother says, “I think my son has vocation,” what does she
mean?
2. A soldier reports and says “Mission accomplished”. What does this
imply? What does he mean?

ANALYSIS 2

1. What is meant by vocation? Mission?

2. Are these two (vocation and mission) related?
3. Teaching as a job or a mission. What’s the difference?

Teaching: Is it a Mission and/or Job?

  If you are doing it only because you are paid for it, it’s a job
 If you are doing it not only for the pay but also for service, it’s a mission. If
you quit because your boss or colleague criticized you, it’s a job;
 If you keep on teaching out of love, it’s a mission.
 If you teach because it does not interfere with your other activities, it’s a
job;
 If you are committed to teaching even if it means letting go of other
activities, it’s a mission. If you quit because no one praises or thanks you
for what you do, it’s a job;
 If you remain teaching even though nobody recognizes your efforts, it’s a
mission. It’s hard to get excited about a teaching job;
 It’s almost impossible not to get excited about a mission. If our concern is
success, it’s a job;
 If our concern in teaching is success plus faithfulness in our job, teaching
is a mission. An average school is filled by teachers doing their teaching
job;

A great school is filled with teachers involved in a mission of teaching.

*Adapted from Ministry or Job by Anna Sandberg

 TEACHING AS A VOCATION

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 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. 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.

Most often, when people use the word “vocation,” they refer to a religious
vocation, like the mother in the Activity phase of this lesson. Vocation includes
other big callings like marriage and single blessedness. It does not only refer to a
religious vocation. It can also refer to a call to do something like to teach, to heal
the sick, etc. Whatever is our calling or station in life, the call is always to serve.

The Christians among you 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
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. Buddha
must have also heard the call to abandon his royal life in order to seek the
answer to the problem on suffering.

From the eyes of those who believe, it was God who called you to teach,
just as God called Abraham, Moses, and Mary, of the Bible. Among so many,
you were called to teach. 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 your 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 you are now in the College of Teacher Education signifies that you
said YES to the call to teach. Perhaps you never dreamt to become one!
Teaching must be your vocation, your calling. May this YES response remain a
YES and become even firmer through the years.

 TEACHING AS A MISSION

Teaching is also a mission. The word mission comes from the Latin word
“mission” which means “to send.” The Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary
Defines mission as “Task assigned.” You are sent to accomplish an assigned
task.

The phrase “ mission accomplished” from the soldier in the Activity phase
of this lesson suggests that you were sent to do an assigned task, a mission and
so if you faithfully accomplish the assigned task, you proclaim “mission
accomplished’.” You responded to the call to be a teacher and so your mission in
the world is to teach, the task entrusted to you in this world. These are how
vocation and mission are related. You were called for a purpose, i.e. to
accomplish a mission while on earth which is to teach.

If it is your assigned task then naturally you’ve got to prepare yourself for
it. From now on you cannot take your studies for granted! Your four years of pre-
service preparation will equip you with the knowledge, skills and attitude to
become an effective teacher. However, never commit the mistake of culminating
your mission preparation at the end of the four year pre-service education. You
have embarked in a mission that calls for a continuing professional development.
As the saying goes “once a teacher, forever a student”.

Flowing from your uniqueness, you are expected to contribute to the

betterment of this world in your own unique way. Your Unique and most
significant contribution to the humanization of life on earth in the field for which
you are prepaid-
teaching.

What exactly is the mission

to teach?

Is it merely to
teach the child
fundamental skills or
basic r’s of reading,
‘riting, ‘rithmetic and
right conduct? Is it to
help the child master the basic skills so he/she 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 test? Or is it to “midwife” the birth of ideas latent in the minds
of student? 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 remove hampering
influences” as Bertrand Russell put it? you will be made to answer this question
again when you will be made to write down your philosophy of education in a
later lesson.

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.
Teaching is indeed your mission:

• If you are doing it not only for the pay but also for service,
• If you keep on teaching out of love, it’s a mission.
• If you are committed to teaching even if it means letting go of other
activities,
• If you remain teaching even though nobody recognizes your efforts, It
makes you get excited
• If your concern is success plus faithfulness, it’s a mission.

 Teaching and life of meaning

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.

There may be times, when you feel like giving up (many leave teaching
after 3or 5 years for varied reasons). Remember you responded to the call to
teach and that you have accepted the mission to teach. May you be found faithful
to your vacation and mission till the end.

The “Pwede na” Mentality: Enemy of Excellent Mission Preparation and

Accomplishment

For a professional teacher who looks at teaching as his/her mission,

he/she will do everything to arm himself/herself for an excellent accomplishment
of that mission. The striving for excellent accomplishment sometimes 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
magagawa”, “di na mahalata”, or “ di ko na yan sagot” – are all indicators of
deafetism and resignation to mediocrity, If we stick to this complacent mentality,
excellent mission accomplishment eludes us. In the world of work whether here
or abroad, only the best and the brightest make it. 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.

APPLICATION

1. Why does a profession like teaching require long years of initial professional
education and continuing professional development after that long, arduous
initial professional education?
2. By way of an acrostic, explain the elements of a profession.
P
R
O
F
E
S
S
I
O
N

3. Watch “Discovering Your Life’s True Calling” by Lou Sabrina Ongkiko in

Youtube using this link (https://youtu.be/Z39yyx_8JY4). Based on the video,
what is our life’s true calling? How can you apply that in your calling to teach?

ASSESSMENT
Answer the following questions briefly:

1. Does the teaching profession fulfill all the elements of a profession? Explain
your answer.

2. Is professionalization synonymous to professionalism?

3. To be true to your vocation and mission as a teacher, you have to “have

more, do more in order to be more” to your students and all others to whom
you were sent. What does “do more, have more in order to be more” mean?
4. The Greatest Teacher, Jesus Christ, spent much time to prepare his apostles
before He “sent” them for their mission to “go into the world baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” What is the
equivalent of this preparation in your life as a future professional teacher?

FEEDBACK

How did you go on so far with this module? Were you able to answer all
the activities? If yes, you now have the basic knowledge on the teaching
profession. You may now proceed to the next topic in this module. For any
question, you may write the same below.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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Module in “The Teaching Profession Prof. Christine M. Adlawan

SUMMARY
To aid you in reviewing the important concepts in this module, here are
the highlights.

 Teaching is a profession. It requires a) long years of initial professional

education, b) the attainment of a college/university degree, c) a licensure
examination, d) continuing professional development, and e) adherence
to the Code of Ethics for professional teachers;
 Teaching became a profession in 1976 with P.D 10006.
 The requirement of a licensure examination for teachers that puts
teaching at par with other professions was enacted only in 1994 with
the passing of R.A 7836.
 There was no formal preparation for teachers during the pre-Hispanic
times.

REFERENCES

 Bilbao, P. et al. (2018). The Teaching Profession, 4th Edition. Lorimar

Publishing Inc.

 Boholano, Helen B., et. Al. The Teaching Profession. Mutya Publishing
House, Inc. 2019.

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