Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:

▪ elaborate on community's expectations from teachers and on teacher’s
expectation from communities
▪ describe teacher's ethical and professional behavior in the community by
giving concrete examples

ACTIVITY 1

1. Think of your favorite teacher. Why was he/she your favorite? What qualities did he/she possess? Is he/she
your ideal teacher? What influence did he/she have in your life? Did she act in accordance to the expectations
of the community?
2. Group yourselves by 5. Share your answers to # 1 with the group.
Take note of qualities common among your favorite teachers.

ACTIVITY 2

Here are quotes on teachers. Read and understand them. Do you agree with each of the quotation?

"Teachers change the world, one child at a time."

"Teachers, I believe are the most responsible and most

important members of society because their professional
efforts affect the fate of the earth."

"Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never

give up on them, who understands the power of connection
and insists they become the best they can possibly be."
- Rita Pierson

"The influence of a good teacher can never be erased."

"I am a teacher.
I am not in it for the income.
I am in it for the outcome.
I am a teacher.
It's who I am.
Tt's my passion, my calling, and my world."

What is your favorite quote? Any message for you?

Share with your group.

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ANALYSIS

1. Are the traits shared in your small groups the same traits that schools and the larger community expect of
professional teachers?
2. Based on your observation, do all teachers. embody the traits expected of professional teachers?

ABSTRACTION

Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers, Article III

The very title of this Unit indicates that teachers are expected to be part of the community. To be part of
the community definitely means to participate in the life of that community. What is that community referred to
here? The 8 Sections of Article III of the Code of Ethics refers to the community within the school and the
community outside the school. How can teachers be a part of the community? The various Sections of Article III
give more details.

Teacher as Facilitator of Learning

Article III, Section 1 states that the teacher is a facilitator of learning and the development of the youth...
therefore shall render the best service by providing an environment conducive for such learning and growth.
Facilitator comes from the word "facilitate" which means to make something easy or easier. You as, the
professional teacher, facilitate learning or make learning easier. Learning is a difficult task and is made easier
when you make dry lesson interesting, exciting and enjoyable. As a professional teacher, you make learning
easier when you simplify the complex and concretize the abstract. This is what is ethical for every professional
teacher like you ought to do. This you can do after four long years of academic preparation.
What happens sometimes, however, 1s teachers complicate the simple and teaches only at the abstract
level.
To facilitate learning, a conducive learning environment is necessary. It has been proven that learners
learn best in a pleasant environment. A pleasant environment is Where the learners can h themselves because
teachers are caring. No need to put best self forward because teachers and classmates truly care and take you
for who you are. All forms of bullying have no place in a conducive you learning environment. A conducive
learning environment makes learners believe they can do the work and they feel accepted. A favorable learning
climate is not competitive where everyone is tense.
The teacher who believes that "Every child deserves a champion an adult who will never give up on them,
who understands the nor of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly like Teacher Rita
Pierson in TED Talk is a facilitator of learning.

Teacher Leadership and Initiative for Community Participation

Section 2 refers to the "leadership and initiative of the professional teacher to participate in community
movements for moral, social, economic and civic betterment of the community." As professional teachers you
do not live in an ivory tower, meaning you are not supposed to be removed nor aloof from community life. Schools
are at the heart of communities and you as professional teachers are expected to be be-in-the-world and to be-
in-the-world-with-others and for others (borrowing the words of Heidegger).
The words in Section 2 of Article ll are "provide leadership and initiative..." This implies that as a
professional teacher you have not to wait for community to ask for help. Section 6 further explicates how you
can show your professional leadership, to wit: "Every teacher is an intellectual leader in the community,
especially in the barangay, and shall welcome the opportunity to provide such leadership when needed, to extend
counseling services, as appropriate, and to be actively involved in matters affecting the welfare of people.
You do not just welcome the opportunity to lead. Section 2, states that you, the professional teacher
ought to take the initiative to offer your help for the improvement of the community. Many a time, you can be a

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guidance counselor, a prayer leader, commentator or reader in religious celebrations, fiesta coordinator, judge
in or coach for a contest, financial adviser, a nurse, a doctor, commentator, prayer rolled into one.
Providing leadership and initiative also means working with the community. This means getting the
parents and other members of the community participate in school activities. Teachers, as they participate in
community affairs prove that they "are the most responsible and most important members of society because
their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth."

Professional Teacher with Honor and Dignity

Section 3 states: "Every teacher shall merit reasonable social recognition for which purpose he shall
behave with honor and dignity at all times and refrain from such activities as gambling, smoking, drunkenness,
and other excesses much less illicit relations." Obviously, if as a professional teacher, you are an inveterate
gambler, chain smoker and alcoholic or if it is common knowledge that you are engaged in an illicit relationship,
how can you have moral authority? Who will listen to you when you advise your class not to smoke, not to drink
alcoholic drinks, not to gamble, etc.? Your audience will say "Look, who is talking!" It is a matter of "do what I
say not what I do."
Society expects so much of teachers that when they fail to live up to the challenge to behave or model
good behavior, they are condemned without trial!" It is no wonder why many are afraid to answer the call to
teach. Society seems to expect much more from professional teachers than from any other professional and so
look at teachers with scrutinizing eyes.
The quotation states "The influence of a good teacher can never be erased" but the influence of a
dishonorable teacher is as lasting.

Teacher's Attitude Toward Local Customs and Traditions

Section 4 expects every teacher to live for and with the community and shall, therefore study and
understand local customs and traditions in order to have a sympathetic attitude, therefore, refrain from
disparaging the community." The professional teacher is neither ethnocentric nor xenocentric. He/she is not
ethnocentric and so does not look down on community's culture because of the thought that his/her culture is
superior to the culture of the community. Neither is he/she xenocentric and so looks at his/her culture as inferior
in to other community's culture.
Fortunate and happy is the community that has teachers who live with them, exert effort to understand
their local customs and traditions and consequently appreciate the same. This author sees no culture as perfect.
Every culture including hers has its positive and negative aspects. What we need to pass on are the positive
aspects of the culture. We need to purity, however, the negative aspects with teacher pointing them out tactfully
and sincerely.

The Professional Teacher and Information Update

Section 5 states that the teacher "shall help the school inform the community about the. schools work,
accomplishments, needs and problems. Community here refers to internal as well as external stakeholders.
Internal stakeholders include the students, the parents of the students and the teachers. The external
stakeholders are the other parents in the community without children enrolled in school, barangay officials and
other government officials, non-government organizations, government organizations, alumni /alumnae and
retirees.
Why do these stakeholders have to be informed? The school is there for the community and so the
community has the right to be informed about its activities, accomplishments, needs and problems. Informing
them about the school's projects, needs and problems give them a sense of ownership. Having a sense of
ownership, these stakeholders will participate more actively in the resolution of school's problems and needs.

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The Parents-Teachers Association

We have Parents' and Teachers' Associations (PTA) in place in every school. Some private schools call
it Home School Association or Family Advisory Council. This is for internal stakeholders only. A PTA is an
association of teachers and parents with children who are enrolled in a school. It is a forum for discussions on
school problems and how they can be solved.

The School Governing Council

Other than the PTA is the School Governing Council. The SGC has different membership and functions.
A School Governing Council as a policy-making body has the school head as Chief Executive Officer, Manager
and Chief Operations Officer. The formation of SGC in every school is a proof of school head sharing his/her
leadership with members of the community.
It determines general policies on student welfare, discipline, well-being; it is concerned with the
development and implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP), 'and
reporting of the progress of the SIP implementation to the Schools Division Superintendent and the community.
In addition to PTAs are the School Governing Council in every public school. This School Governing
Council shares in the management of the school with Sch0ol Head as Chair. This School Council is another
opportunity for communities to participate in school activities.

The Professional Teacher and Government Officials and Other Professionals

Section 7 states: "Every teacher shall maintain harmonious and pleasant personal and official relations
with other professionals, with government officials and with the people individually or collectively." As a
professional teacher, you cannot afford not to be in pleasant relations with others especially those with whom
you work with like other professional teachers. It is always best to be in good terms with everyone else in the
community.
Desiderata gives this advice: "As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, ven the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story."

The Professional Teacher Does Not Use Position to Proselyte

Finally, Section 8, says: "A teacher possesses freedom to attend church and worship as appropriate, but
shall not use his position and influence to proselyte others." To be in a position means to have power or influence
for a purpose, i.e. for you to use that position to perform your job as a professional teacher. It is highly
unprofessional for a teacher like you to use your position of influence to proselyte. Besides freedom of religion
is guaranteed by the 1987 Philippine Constitution. "No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship,
without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed." (Article II, Section 6).

APPLICATION

1. Here is what one Dean of a College of Education told her freshmen teacher education students in her
Welcome Address on Orientation Day:
Believing that you don't learn everything in the classroom, the College of Education, which will be your
home for four years has prepared a menu of annual co-curricular activities for you. All of these' are meant
to help you become the true professional teacher that this College and University have envisioned you
to become...
a) What message do you get from the Dean's Welcome Address?

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 b) In the context of this Welcome Address, what does this statement... do more, learn more, and
have more... (Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 1967) What message do you get in relation
to your pre-service education?
2. A professional teacher creates a conducive learning environment to facilitate learning. Based on
experiences, illustrate with a drawing or comic strip what a conducive learning environment is. Display your
work in class. Conduct a gallery walk for everyone to see and comment/ask questions about the comic strips.
3. The Bible says: "You are the salt of the earth. Bus if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty
again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of
the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light
shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-
16)
Based on this Chapter on the teacher as a community leader, how do these biblical passages apply to the
professional teacher?
4. "I don't hear what you are saying because who you are speaks louder than what you say". How does this
quote apply to the professional teacher as a community leader? Discuss.
5. A teacher is fully convinced that her religion is the only true religion, the only way to salvation. As a result,
she proselytes. Can her good intention of salvation for all justify her proselyting? Why or Why not?
6. As a community leader, what will you do if you see something negative in the community culture? Example.
7. Your mayor has a teacher candidate for a teaching position. Your ranking is over. Your mayor's candidate
was not part of the ranking and is not a licensed teacher. As a professional teacher, what would you do?
8. Cite at least 3 specific ethical behaviors of a professional teacher based on Article III of the Code of Ethics
for Professional Teachers. Come up with a powerpoint presentation or a skit.

TAKEAWAYS

• Article III of the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers states that a professional teacher shall live
for and with the community.
• The community includes internal stakeholders (learners and their parents/guardians, teachers and the
school head) and external stakeholders (members of the community who have no children enrolled in
the school such as community non-government officials, church leaders, non-organizations and
government organizations).
• For the learners, you facilitate learning and the development of the youth. To do this, you have to create
a nurturing, positive learning environment.
• For the community, you are a leader. You take the initiative and leadership to actively participate in
community affairs and movements and in turn to involve the community in school activities for the
upliftment of both school and the community. This can readily happen if you are in a harmonious
relation with all people in the community.
• To keep parent and community involvement in school, they must. be updated with happenings in the
school- accomplishment. achievements, problems and projects.
• At all times, at all places and for all people, don’t misuse nor abuse that authority or power bestowed
on you as a professional teacher. For you to be credible as a community leader, you shall behave with
honor and dignity twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week, respect community culture and seek to
understand them or else lose your "flavor as a community leader.

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REFLECTION

1. The mother of this author was once a public-school teacher. When this author was in her preschool age her
mother taught in the remote barrios of the town and so where her mother was assigned the family went along.
This author vividly remembers how her mother was dearly loved by the community. She was teacher,
counselor and consultant to everyone who came. She was indeed a missionary. Her transfer to another
school was always an emotional one, a mother crying, too. To top it all, the one most touching etched in my
memory was one community leader had a big rooster. So many wanted to buy that rooster but refused to
sell it. On the eve of our departure, he butchered it for that last evening meal with them. This author will never
forget such act of generosity. In their poverty, these people can give all.
a) If given the opportunity, would you welcome teaching in the far-flung schools? Why or Why not?
b) If you say yes to the call to teach in a far-flung school what should be doing more in your pre-service
education?