Are we preparing our teachers for community leadership?

Media

Part of The Philippine Educator

Title: Are we preparing our teachers for community leadership?
Language: English
Year: 1947
Rights
Fulltext: .. • ... • • ~ y ~ :1-~E ~~ , ~R~P~R!~Ci~ QljR .:~f:~ .g{\ftiJ1~~ _- I:O_.R·-~~~_Ol\1~P \~--N-~~~!~_~/t , ~ . . . . ~ • • h ~ -~~~\{ , ; ~ ··.·- LEADERSHIP? "\~;.,.. ' " ~~t by JESUS I. MARTINEZ ·,.'.•· •• • ~ •• ~'' _ '€'· · • · Bureau of Education ,P ..> · • "· .... . .> ··"' ·. ·~ . ;" ~ , ' -- ·''"* ;;.-. ·}r Tradition and the;l_>~sic nature:: of.. -~~- ,. and economically. as possjble ·re~tirdl_e~ •. < .; teacher:S calling have?. consecrated tile ~:·of whether it had pertinence toj )jfe 1n · · conceP.t that the teacher is -essentially :. fast changing world was conceiv_ e<J :to'. :~ a leader,. and guide of the yeuth. Whether be the . teacher's, highest d_ uty" arv! fi bli- . ,:{, as the living · repository of the lore of g~tion. Th~ pre-~ervice,1a~d.·t~~ m:;.~~r, : ... ~';:_.' , 4-is . tribe in ancient -times or as the (llO- · vtce educatiOn of the t~ache-i'. - r'!f!ect~d ., -:r ;:.· :'f,'t- dt;rn ·.tiniversity scholar· and -sage, he has th P emphasis · upon subJect mat~er at;~d . : ~ ~ I{ (!n, ,fegarded as the founta.in-source of upon th e IT)ethods of J.7~~hing .'§~o~!.\nc!k\!"..,.' r. o.lll" .';rite _ lle _ ctual guidance and-leadership. The jects in the most economical -and effie-, t ~·\ · to '!..,. • T'h ' . . . 1 ' li I . ..., ·41.• : ~·; · ;.gap.;qwhich widened between . life and ttve m~nn e r. us ~h· norma · S £ · o6 s >_11 • -~· • ·,. 9}mal 'education did not diminish this ' the prqfessional staple' food ?f ~~- ~o'!-!iJ- -~· ~ But be teacher consisted mainly o!l principles'"'. _. ' pigh 'l'egard for the teacher's role. ~ ~ . · h h 1 d · · b of teach.i.ng, readi~g ,me tho ; )~n _;iUa.'r'e _·~~~· -~~ J.. ~:._ sc oo an Its conc ~rns ecame , :r .... .. - . ... d d' d f )'f h ·methods, arithmetic J meth~ as, ·ssi.eri.c~ -.~·,~· '~-~ .¢DOre an more !VOrce rom I e, t P methods, spelling methJ'ds, Writing ~~tli·:·· '1j:\.;"' t:<•: ::~phere of 'the teacher's influence and • _, · . .. :::. ' consequently of his leadership gradually ods, drahwing mhetdhod_ s h,_ music methh'odd~ . ~· geograp y met o s, tstory met o s... • · shrunk. The notion developed that he When already in the service, the t~ach- -• ' lead only within the cloistered premises er was urged and sometimes com.pelled of the formal classroom and that peovl"' by superiors to read professio;;al b9 oks outside the school had no need to look especially those that would help him furup to him .for leadership in those con- ther improve his methods of teaching, cerns of life that had nothing or little Not how to make children live efficientto do with the formal education of chil- ly and happily but how to make them dren. His duties were circumscribed by learn subjects effectively-this was the the irnmedia~e demands of classroom teacher's main concern. There was, in teaching. The school became his· Kin g- fact, little or no training which enabled dom in which he wielded the scepter of him to view in correct perspective the undisputed leadership. Content with his relation of the s_!:hool to the community. prerogatives and powers, he cared not Was it any wonder that the school and for outside concerns and, by force of the activities therein were out of touch habit, developed a mentality insulated with life and had no appreciable effects against the cares and. problems of the upon community life and its improveworld outside the school. ment? ... ·• A number of factors helped to preserve But .the .'gap between the school and the old-time teacher's isolation.~ There life is narrowing once more. The conwas the traditional curriculum of com- cept that education is life is fast catchpartmentalized subject matter the trans- ing up with the .older theories. T~ mission of which to the young ·consH- school is losing much of its cloiste~~il tuted the ultimate goal of education. To characteristics as more and more .deimpart the racial heritage as effectively mands are made upon it. The te\~~r , FOR MODERN OP'nCAL NEEDS-SEE KEEPSAKE OPTICAL_..:_80 Escolta 17 ·. ~- ·. ' 1 -. ~ · ,18 PH!LlPPINE EDUCATOR cannot but therefore re'\'ise his ideas an~ ideals of duty and service. For hin·• leadership is now not merely over the children under his care. '),'he sphere of his obligations has expanded beyond the premises of his school. As the ac, - .. tivities of the school merge with thof-;e of .life outside. people naturally expect the teacher to take a more active pa.:\ in cooperative g roup life 'and in time or at times to take the helm of leadership in community activities. Wh ether he 1ikes this turn of events or not, the new responsibilities which it imposes upon him are inescapable. He has to a--ssume them with ali the grace he can muster and do his best to be worthy of the new public trust. He can;{ not shirk these responsibilities without surrendering the respect which the youth in his school have long had for him. H e cannot willfully · evade the new duties without being recreant to the high~ s t ideals of his calling. community resources for improving both the community and the school. The tea"ther must of necessity have adequate training in public r~ations. In addition, he should be taught the fechniques of organization for cooperative undertakings, like working in committees, participation or leadership . in group discussions and activities, e\c. He should be taught how to get along with or manage adults, how to work in harmony with parent groups and to deal with PTA's, how to secure the interest and the cooperation of community groups for certain desirable social or ed~ca ~ tiona! ends, etc. Finally, he should be imbued with greater confidence in himself and his purposes and with greater aggressiveness in the pursuit of ideal!' and aims. Our t'eachers and prospectiveteachers have been trained to obey more fully than to lead. We have \thus pro·' . However, is he adequately prepared to assume leadership in community acti"~Nties? Has he been trained for such new duties? What kind of trainil}g do these new spheres of leadership demand ? My personal opinion is that normal school curricula in this country · both past and present have not given the teacher the necessary preparation for these new tasks. In the first place, since the teacher will be thus in contact with all leYels of society in the community, he will need greater cultural breadth and a wider range of interests than were necessary when his work was confined to the classroom. To hold his own with the intellectual elite, he must possess their intelectual interests. T~ get along with the less favored groups, he must be acquainted with their needs and demonstrat e a genuine interest in their problems and \\"elfare. He should, therefore, acquire a high degree of so5=ial sensitiveness, which comes to one only through a thorough understanding and appreciation of the problems of group life and through the ability to ut'ilize duced a highly · disciplined corps of . teach ers, a fact in which we can take justifiable pride. But a program of systematic obedience is hardly one which can be expected to develop leaders. What we should also systematically strive to inculcate and develop in our teachers is initiative, self-direction, and independence of mind. I Yentured the• per onal opimon that teacher education in our · country has not gi\"(~n considerable attention to a program of training .calculated to develop the traits which I haYe enumerated as necessary for community leadership. \Vheth er I am right or not in this appraisal, 1 leave to your better judgments to determine. But I submit that these are the irreducible minimum requireenl s for comunily leadership; and if teachers are to assume these responsib;lities with. dignity and confidence, our teacher education program must stress · th ese aspects of the teacher's training:. They cannot be left to chance or indifference ; they mnst be consciously, systematically, and intelligently sought and striven after as desirable phases of a <! modern program of teacher education. ' . . .t ..