CORE VALUES IN EDUCATION
The author is Teacher
ARNULFO B. DELA CRUZ
“Tutuparin ko ang aking tungkulin bilang mamamayang MakaDiyos, MakaTao, MakaKalikasan at MakaBansa.”
Thus, do we ever understand at what cost will it take us to become all of these? As a teacher there are varied ways on how to incorporate the four important core values of being a bona fide Filipino in the lives of our students. A teacher speaks wisdom, a teacher instills values, and a teacher acts as second parents inside the classroom whereas giving the chance to be the epitome of a role model to them.
As the maxim goes by Billy Graham, ‘the greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith’, thus saying that the most wondrous and marvelous thing you could ever do as a teacher is to hone and mold your students to be a better individual of this world.
Being a MakaDiyos, we Filipinos believe in the supernatural power of God who created the heaven and earth, the one who bring forth life to mankind. Integrate the power of faith by teaching our students to value the morality of each other towards their actions, words and thoughts. Start the day in class with a short and meaningful prayer and try to introduce them the bible by sharing a bible verse every day before the real lessons start.
Being a MakaTao, sometimes require a lot of effort. There is a saying in Tagalog that says, madaling maging tao pero mahirap magpakatao. To be a teacher of more than a dozen of students is not a pushover. It demands a lot of patience, perseverance and sheer optimism. Filipinos are excellent in portraying a good model of people with values, virtues and integrity. Being a MakaTao would simply means by respecting each other’s rights and opinions regardless of the existing differences in between. Filipinos are naturally kind, gentle, generous, hospitable, hardworking, obedient and polite which made a great impact to the world. Embody the clichéd and mundane ‘po’and ‘opo’of every Filipinos as a sign of respect to people older or in a higher position towards them.
Being a MakaKalikasan- Teachers are already good advocates in protecting our nature. Clean and green movement had reached even the campus grounds creating different clubs and student organizations such as YES-O; encouraging students to engage themselves towards the advocacy of protecting and saving our kalikasan.
Being a MakaBansa- In ordinary days, nationalism can also be seen and observed through simply abiding and respecting the laws that exist. The propaganda of our government nowadays saying that change is coming. But we cannot expect to have a fast pace changing country if we do not know how to reinforce discipline in our lives. Teachers should educate their students no matter how young they are that they should know how to be a follower of our own rules and laws. The real change should start in ourselves. These are just some of the ways of how Filipinos show our patriotic love and compassion for the Philippines in which we will honor and serve for the rest of their lives.
— oOo—
III at Sto. Rosario High School, Minalin, Pampanga