LESSON 3: THE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE AND MORALITY AND YOU

Prepared by: In-In Roble Guinarez BSED MAPEH III

FOUNDATIONAL MORAL PRINCIPLE

- The word principle came from the Latin word "princeps" which means " a source or beginning".
- A principle is that on which something is based, founded, originated or 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.
- Contained in the Natural Law.
- May be acceptable to believers and non-believers alike to refer to its natural law.

NATURAL LAW
- "It is the law written in the hearts of men." (Romans 2:15) ·
- For theist, it is "man's 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
evil. An imprint on us of the divine light.." (Panizo, 1964) ·
- It is the law that says: "Do good and avoid evil."

"DO VERSIONS GOOD AND AVOID EVIL."

" Do not do to others what you do not like others to do to you."- (Kung Fu Tsu)
" Do to others what you want them to do to you." – (Golden Rule of Christianity)
" Act in such a way that your maxim can be the maxim for all." – (Immanuel Kant)

MORALITY
- REFERS TO 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. -PANIZO 1964

RELIGION'S PERSPECTIVE and CHRISTIAN'S PERSPECTIVE

Golden Rule:
" Love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength ". and
"Love your neighbor as you love yourself".
Buddhists' Perspective
The Buddhists state this through the (8) eight-fold path. For them, they do good when they:
1. Strives to know the truth.
2. Resolve the resist evil.
3. Say nothing to hurt others.
4. Respect life, morality and property.
5. Engage in a job that does not injure others.
6. Strive to free their mind of evil.
7. Control their feelings and thoughts.
8. Practice proper form of concentrations.

Islamic Perspective
· The Islamic Quran "forbids lying, stealing, adultery and murder."
· It also teaches " honor for parents, kindness to slaves, protection for the orphaned and the widowed
and charity to the poor."
· It condemns mistrust, impatience and cruelty.
· It teaches the virtues of faith in God, patience, kindness, honesty, industry, honor courage and
generosity.

Muslims' Perspective
The Five Pillars of Islam
1.Prayer
2.Self-Purification by Fasting
3.Fasting
4.Almsgiving
5.Pilgrimage to Mecca for those who can afford

TEACHER, AS A PERSON OF GOOD MORAL CHARACTER

According to the preamble of our Code of Ethics as professional teachers...
" Teachers and duly licensed professionals who possess dignity and reputation with high moral
values as well as technical and professional competence. In the practice of their profession, they
strictly adhere to observe and practice the set of ethical and moral principles, standard values."
FOUR (4) WAYS OF DESCRIBING GOOD MORAL CHARACTER
-COSGRAVE, WILLIAM, REV.ED.2004,78-79

1. Being fully human you have realized substantially your potential as human person.
2. Being a loving person you are caring in an unselfish and mature manner with yourself, other
people and God.
3. Being a virtuous person you have acquired good habits and attitudes and you practice them
consistently in your daily life.
4. Being morally mature person you have reached a level of development emotionally, socially,
mentally, spiritually, appropriate to you development stage.

Our act is moral when it is in accordance with our human nature. Our act is immoral when it is
contrary to our human nature. Our intellect and free will make us different from and above the beast.

As a teacher, you are expected to be a person of good moral character. These are:
1. Human
2. Loving
3. Virtuous
4. Mature

LESSON 4: VALUES FORMATION AND YOU

Prepared by: Gaderil I. Roche BSED MATH IV
Introduction
To be moral is to be human. Living by the right values humanizes. The question that you may raise at
this point is:

- Is there such a thing as right, unchanging and universal value? - Is a right value for me also right
value for you?

Introduction
- Are values that we Filipinos, consider as right also considered by the Japanese, the Americans or
the Spaniards as right values? - Or values dependent on time, place and culture?
There are two varied answers to the question, depending on the camp where you belong.
IDEALIST - There are unchanging and universal values. The values of love, care and concern for our
fellowmen are values for all people regardless of time and space. They remain unchanged amidst
changing times. These are called Transcendent values.

Transcendent values because they are beyond changing times, beyond space and people. They
remain to be value even if no one values them. They are accepted as value everywhere

RELATIVIST - Claim that there are no universal and unchanging values. The values that our
forefathers believed in are not necessarily the right values for the present. What the British consider
as values are not necessarily considered values by Filipinos.

Values formation is based on the premise that there are transcendent values. Most Filipinos, if not
all, believe in a transcendent being whom we call by the different names Bathala, Apo Dios,
Kabunian, Allah, and the like.

Values are taught and caught

"Are values caught or taught" If they are not taught because they are merely caught, then there is no
point in proceeding to write and discuss your values formation as a teacher here!

Values are taught and caught

Values are also caught. We may not be able to here our father's advise "do not smoke" because what
he does (he himself smoke) speaks louder than he says.

Values have cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions

Cognitive domain understanding and concepts of values that we want to acquire.

Values have cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions

Affective domain "it is not enough to know honesty or why one should be honest. One has to feel
something towards honesty, be moved towards as preferable to dishonesty."(Aquino, 1990)

Values have cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions

Behavioral domain Living by the value is the true acid test if we really value a value of honesty.
Value formation includes formation in the cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects
* Grow in knowledge and wisdom
* Open and attentive to the value lesson in ethics
* Join community immersion
These will broaden your horizon, increase your tolerance level and sensitize you to life values.

WISDOM
Value formation as a training of intellect and will
Your intellect discerns a value and presents it to the will as a right or wrong value. Your will wills to
act on the right value and wills to avoid wrong value as presented by your intellect.

As describe by St. Thomas Aquinas

" The intellect proposes and the will disposes"

It is clear that "nothing is willed unless it is first known ... ... formal and adequate object of the will is
good as apprehended by the intellect" (William Kelly, 1965)

Your intellect must be enlightened by what is true. It is, therefore, developing your intellect in
its three functions:
1. formation of ideas
2. judgement
3. reasoning

Virtuous v.s. vicious life and there affect on the will

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's hierarchy of values

Max Scheler outlined a hierarchy of values. Our hierarchy is shown in our preferences and decisions.
For instance, you may prefer to absent from class because you want to attend the annual barrio fiesta
where you the "star" because of your ability to sing and dance. Another one may prefer just the
opposite by missing the fiesta (anyway, s/he can have the fiestas after studies) and attend class.
Aquino (1990) present's hierarchy of values arranged from lowest to the highest as show
below:

PLEASURE the pleasant against the unpleasant - the agreeable against the disagreeable.
* sensual feelings
* experiences of pleasure and pain

VITAL 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

· Christians will say, "live by bread alone" but also by "the word that comes from the mouth of God"
(Luke 4:4).......
· "life is more than food and the body more than clothing." (Luke 12:23)
· Man is am embodied spirit and so we also need to be concerned with matters of spirit like
appreciation of what is right and what is beautiful.

· Based on Scheler's hierarchy of values, the highest values are those that directly 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 Scheler's hierarchy of values, give greater preference to the higher values.
· San Lorenzo Ruiz
- the first Filipino saint, spurned offers of liberty and life for his faith of God.
- "he affirmed the absolute superiority of the Holy."

· Albert Schweitzer
-the much-honored physician, missionary, and musician who because of his deep reverence for life
spent many years extending humanitarian assistance by treating thousands and thousands of sick
-He also built his hospital and leper colony for the less unfortunate in Africa.

· Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

- Indian who chose to leave a more comfortable life in the convent in order to devote her life bathing,
consoling, and picking up the dying outcasts in the streets of Calcutta out of genuine love and
compassion.

· Mahatma Ghandi
-the great political and spiritual leader of India, who passionately fought discrimination with his
principles of truth, nonviolence, and courage.

· Helen Keller -who despite her being blind, traveled to developing and war-ravaged countries to
improve the conditions of the blind like her for them to live meaningful life.

· Dr. Jose Rizal

-our national hero
And all other heroes of our nation who gave up their lives for the freedom that we now enjoy.

VALUES CLARIFICATION
The term value is reserved for those "individual beliefs, attitudes and activities"… that satisfy the
following criteria:
1. freely chosen 5. publicly affirmed
2. chosen from among alternatives 6. incorporated into actual behavior
3. chosen after due reflection 7. acted upon repeatedly in one's life
4. prized and cherished
TEACHING AS YOUR VOCATION, MISSION AND PROFESSION

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD "VOCATION"

Vocation comes from the Latin word "vocare" which means to call. Believers in the Supreme being
will look at this voiceless call to have a vertical dimension. For nonbelievers, the call is also
experienced but this may

· Abraham
-the first one called by God, you become the father of the a great nation, the nation of God's.

· Moses
-who was called while in Egypt to lead God's chosen people out of Egypt in order to free them from
slavery.

· Mary
-become the mother of the savior, Jesus Christ. · Muhammad
- the last of the prophets to be called by Allah, to spread the teachings of Allah.

· Buddha
-also heard the call to abandon his royal life in order to seek the answer to the problem of suffering.

TEACHING AS YOUR VOCATION

From the eyes of those who believe, it was God who called you here for you to teach.
Mary said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word."

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD "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 ".
Teaching as your mission
Teaching is your mission means it is the task entrusted to you in this world. 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
education. 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 is
in the field where you are prepared for teaching.

What exactly is the mission to teach?

It is merely to teach the child the fundamental skills or basic r's of reading, `riting, `rithmetic and right
conduct?
Is it to help the child master the basic skills so s/he 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 tests?
Is it to "midwife" the birth of ideas latent in the minds of students?
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 to remove hampering influences" as Bertrand Russell put it?

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.

Dear Teacher:
I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should witness: - Gas chambers
built by learned engineers. - Children poisoned by educated physicians. - Infants killed by trained
nurses. - Woman and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates. So I am
suspicious of education. My request is: Help your students become human. Your efforts must never
produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, and Eichmann's. Reading, writing, arithmetic are
important only if they serve to make our children more human.
Teaching: 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 are 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 is success plus faithfulness, it's 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

The Elements of a Profession

Teaching like engineering, nursing, accounting and the like is a profession. A teacher, like an
engineer, a nurse and an accountant, is a professional.

What are the distinguishing marks of a professional teacher?

Former Chairperson of the Professional Regulation Commission, Hon. Hermogenes P. Pobre in his
pithy address in a national convention of educators remarked:
"The term professional is one of the most exalted in the English language, denoting as it does, long
and arduous years of preparation, a striving for excellence, a dedication to the public interest, and
commitment to moral and ethical values".
Teaching as your profession Why does a profession require "long and arduous years of preparation"
and a "striving for excellence"?
Because the end goal of a profession is service and as we have heard many times "we cannot give
what we do not have". We can give more if we have more.

His Holiness Pope Paul VI affirmed this thought when he said:

 "Do more, have more in order to be more!" For us to be able to give more, continuing
professional education is a must. For us teachers, continuing professional education is explicit
in our professionalization law and our Code of Professional Ethics.

 If you take teaching as your profession, this means that you must be willing to go through a
long period of preparation and a continuing professional development. You must strive for
excellence, commit yourself to moral, ethical and religious values and dedicate yourself to
public service.

 The "pwede na" mentality vs. excellence 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 expressed in other ways like "talagang ganyan `yan", "wala na tayong magawa", - all
indicators of defeatism and resignation to mediocrity. If we stick to this complacent mentality,
excellence eludes us.

 The mortality rate in the Licensure Examination for Teachers for the past ten years is a glaring
evidence that excellence is very much wanting of our teacher graduates. 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.

Teaching and a life of meaning

Want to give your life a meaning?

What to live a purpose- driven life?

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 with.
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.