TEACHING VALUES

MA. SOCORRO AGNES Q. DAGDAG

What do we value in life? What do we value in our context – in our personal lives, family, workplace?

Values describe our individual and collective motivations and what is important to us. They can be positive or potentially limiting. Examples of positive values are honesty, integrity, creativity, responsibility. Examples of values that are potentially limiting are fame, power, status. We have these values. Our learners have these values. We have to guide them in developing the positive values which are already in them. This is the call for all of us, not just for Values Education teachers but for teachers of all grade levels and other learning areas. We should always remember that we don’t just teach subjects or learning areas but we teach students and learners. Therefore, we have to provide our learners the holistic development which they deserve. We have to develop their 4 H’s – their heads, hearts, hands, and health. More importantly, we have to develop the learners’hearts – their persons, hearts, core, values, and spirits.

What is the best way to teach values? Exemplify values. Teachers and other school personnel specially the school leaders should exemplify and live these values to teach values to learners. To teach goodness, we have to exemplify goodness. To teach honesty, we have to be honest. Indeed, values are not taught but are caught.

Our learners of the 21st century do not just need the development of their competencies and digital knowledge but their values as well. This is what they really need being exposed to media and internet. They need to be guided and this is the reason why there are parents and teachers. We, teachers, in partnership with parents, should include in our mandate not just the teaching of concepts and competencies but the teaching of values. This is what we should prioritize as teachers. We should value the teaching and exemplifying of values. This is our purpose as teachers. This is our share in Christ’s mission – to develop our leaners to become good citizens not just of the country but of heaven as well.

What do we value as Teachers? Let us value our teaching of values to our learners by exemplifying and living these values in our lives. This is the best way to teach values.

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The author is a Teacher III at San Matias National High School, Sto, Tomas, Pampanga