The Teacher as a Model of Good Character

Since ancient times, teachers are recognized as exemplars of good character, attitude, and values.
They are keepers of values and traditions of different cultures around the world. Many people
consider them as prophets, spiritual leaders, and great mentors. For Christians, Jesus is the
perfect kind of teacher and leader to emulate. For the Chinese, the teachings and values of
Confucius are always put in a very high regard. The Prophet Mohammed is also the most
influentital teacher leader for the Muslims. The life and teachings of Buddha are also very
influential among the Buddhists. Plato and Aristotle are regarded as great teachers during their
time in Greece. These model teachers used their good nature and character to influence people.
They stand on their principles and beliefs, and they faithfully perform their duties at all times.
Currently, we still see many teachers exemplifying good values and character. In the
international scene, we see that many Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer Award Winners are teachers
in higher education. In the Philippines, some of the recipients of Ten Outstanding Young Men
(TOYM) and Ten Outstanding Women in Nation's Service (TOWNS) are also teachers. Every
year, we hear news about outstanding teachers from basic education to tertiary education levels.
There are also many teachers who are exemplars of good character who remained to be silently
doing their duties excellently. They neither received any award nor recognition but they excel in
their duties. They continuously influence the lives of many students who came to learn under
their care. They extend their time to teach and touch the lives of their learners. They are good
mentors and they are dedicated professionals who never thought of any award and recognition.
In many places, we also hear and read stories of successful individuals attributing their successes
in life due to the influence and nurturing character of great teachers. This simply shows that
amidst the ups and downs of teacher qualities, the society have never stopped producing great
teachers who continue to serve as models and molders for students across generations.
The Teacher as an Expert
Since ancient times, teachers are recognized as sources of wisdom and information in every
society. Aside from teaching, they serve as guides, counselors, judges, and spiritual leaders in the
society. Through the knowledge they share, they attract attention from many students and
individuals. They are given prominent positions in royal courts giving expert opinions and advise
to kings and other community leaders. They enjoy political influence in every community where
they belong in the history of mankind.
Though teachers no longer hold any political power today, still, there are many teachers who are
known experts in many fields and disciplines. Their ideas penetrate all aspects of life through the
wisdom, knowledge, values, and skills they shared to their students who became leaders and
citizens in all generations.
Teachers need to be experts in various fields in the academe to prepare students to respond to
myriad of challenges brought by the 21st century. Shulman (1987) tried to organize important
domains of knowledge that are important for teachers.
1. Knowledge in content-teachers should know the subject matter they teach.
2. Pedagogical content knowledge - it represents a perfect blending of content and pedagogy into
a framework for understanding how subjects, topics, and lessons are organized into instruction. It
simply means teachers should master the subject they are teaching and they know how to teach it
effectively.
3. Knowledge of the learners - teachers should understand the nature or characteristics of the
learners. They have an idea of the different learning styles, thinking styles, and educational needs
of their learners.
4. General pedagogical knowledge - teachers should understand the general theories and
principles of teaching. They should understand the general pedagogical principles that are
applicable to any classroom situation and in any teaching and learning context.
5. Knowledge of educational contexts - teachers should understand the educational context of the
learners and of the school. Educational context may focus on the cultural, economic, political,
and education context that shape and influence education.
6. Curriculum knowledge - teachers need to have knowledge and appreciation of the curriculum.
Curriculum models, innovations, curriculum designs, curriculum materials, assessment, and the
curriculum process.
7. Knowledge of educational ends, purposes, and values - teachers should understand the
principles, theories, and purposes of education. They should have deep appreciation of the
enduring values of education.
Teachers play an important role in the total educational system of any country. The expertise of
teachers in content and in pedagogy is contributory to their immense task of molding the mind
and character of every individual person who become their students. The knowledge they
instilled in the minds of their students will always be useful and relevant in everyday life.
As experts in different areas, teachers need to possess the 4 Cs.
Creativity - a cognitive ability to think outside the box, develops new ideas, possess outstanding
talent, and lead effectively. It is also a capacity to innovate,\
Critical Thinking - a cognitive ability and capacity to think critically in solving problems,
making decisions, and in processing ideas.
Commitment - a passion to make a difference in the lives of each learner.
Character - an exemplar of positive values.
Curriculum and Instruction
Curriculum is simply defined as the contents, standards, competencies, and topics that students
learn. It includes the school's philosophy, mission and vision, and goals, the subjects and
learning experiences, and the assessment and evaluation tools. On the other hand, instruction is
defined as the means for implementing the curriculum. It includes instructional strategies,
methods, approaches, and techniques.
As mentioned earlier in this book, teachers need to know the curriculum and how to implement
it. They are considered curriculum leaders who are engaged in planning, designing, developing,
implementing, and evaluating curriculum. The role of teachers in curriculum and instruction is so
vital that the success of any curriculum or the effectiveness of any instruction can be attributed to
the quality of teachers who will implement it. Great institutions of learning around the world
were developed because of great teachers working in them. In the same manner that outstanding
curriculum and instruction are recognized here and abroad because of the quality, creativity, and
commitment of teachers who are working on it.
26The following are the standards that teachers should know and do in or roles as curriculum and
instructional leaders in their own schools:
Knowledge of various curriculum models and programs that are developmentally appropriate for
the learners. Teachers need to know different curriculum and programs that are relevant and
responsive to the needs, developmental tasks and interests of their learners. They need to know
how to plan and implement these curriculum models and programs and adapt them to their
school context.
With the implementation of the K-12 Curriculum in the Philippines, it is important for teachers
to understand how to plan and implement a learner-centered and a standards-based curriculum.
They also need to know how to implement all the curricular innovations that are part of the K-12
program such as the senior high school curriculum tracts, the Mother Tongue-based Multilingual
Education, the new Kindergarten curriculum, and other forms of innovations in the content of the
curriculum. Teachers also need to understand the design of the current K-12 Curriculum to
implement it effectively. Some examples of these are standards-based curriculum framework,
spiral curriculum design, curriculum integration, and multi-cultural curriculum.
Knowledge of the different learning areas and subjects. As implementers of curriculum, teachers
need to develop high level of content knowledge of the subjects and learning areas that they are
assigned to teach. They need to demonstrate a high level of mastery of the contents of the
subjects they teach. They need to commit themselves to continuous professional development to
update the level of their content knowledge. For example, for a science teacher to be effective, he
or she should know the content and processes of the science subject. For Kindergarten, all
teachers should understand the content of each learning area prescribed in the official
curriculum. Teachers should not stop reading and learning. There are also times when they need
to unlearn and re-learn many things that they knew in the past. The habit of lifelong learning
must be developed among teachers.
Pedagogical knowledge. Pedagogy is simply defined as the science and art of teaching young
learners. It includes large repertoire of teaching methods. instructional strategies, teaching
approaches, and teaching techniques. Teachers are instructional leaders. They plan for the
implementation of a curriculum. It is therefore important that they know how to teach different
subjects. Possessing a high level of pedagogical knowledge can bring the spark of the magic of
learning inside the classroom. Teachers should know different instructional planni. that consider
the unique characteristics and needs of young children from various cultures and socio-economic
background. It is important for them to select teaching methods, learning activities, and
instructional materials or
ing activities, and instructional materials or resources appropriate to learners and aligned to the
objectives of the lesson.
With the implementation of the K-12 Curriculum, teachers need to know how to utilize the
desired pedagogical approaches for the implementation of the new curriculum. Some of these
pedagogical approaches are the constructivist teaching
c ICT integration, integrative teaching and learning, learner-centered strategies, and standards-
based teaching and learning approaches.
Utilization of technology for teaching and learning Technology is shaping many things in the
society even people's values. In the field of education, technology is making all information
accessible for the teachers and the leamers. Technology an important tool for teaching and
learning. It is important that teachers should be Technologically literate and can integrate
technology in their teaching and learning
Development of instructional materials. A lot of people share common sentiment that all
teachers, especially those who are in local communities, should be creative and be problem-
solvers. They should know how to improvise or develop local materials for instruction since
many schools do not have enough facilities and instructional materials.
Effective classroom management. Teachers should know how to manage their classrooms. This
means that they should be able to understand learners' behavior and how to manage it. Classroom
management is now one of the major concerns of public and private school teachers. It is
important for the teachers to plan how to handle learner's behavior and characteristics. Classroom
rules should be established and a system for rewarding positive behavior should be developed
and implemented. Since teachers are not supposed to use corporal punishment in disciplining
learners, an efficient way of handling learners unwanted behavior inside the class should be
developed It is also important for teachers to develop "caring attitude in dealing with the learners
especially with young children. Hence, it is imperative that teachers should possess a loving
attitude to all types of learners. There is a need to for teachers to develop positive attitudes in
handling young children. They do not just teach the content, but they help young children
develop positive self-esteem and sell concept.
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