Guidance and character

Media

Part of The Philippine Educator

Title: Guidance and character
Language: English
Year: 1947
Rights
Fulltext: ;·~:~ ~~- ·· "···GuiDANcE? '. ·ANi> · ·ciiARXcTER~ :~- ~- .c,, . / "·· By CECILIO PUTONG Asst. Director of Education . ., ' · School systems in the United States - that have set up guidance programs re;;.cognize several kinds of guidance. Tr4£' ;most important of these are: (1) edu'·•,.cational guidance, (2) vocational guid-ance, and (3) personal guidance. Educational guidance aims to assist the student in his choice of schools and cur' ricula. Vocational guidance furnishes r. the student with "iiuormation, advice, ;: -and experience which will assist the in· . llividual in choosing an oc'cupation, pre. paring for it, entering it, and progres_sing in it." Personal guidance con· cerna itself with the personal problems \ that individuals meet in their efforts to adjust themselves to their social envi. ronment. ·~~. This article will attempt to treat of ' the third. It will try to discuss . the relation between guidance and charac-ter. · Guidance is as old as humanity itself. When, long before the dawn of history, rnan showed his child how to hunt animals for food, how to protect himself against his enemies, or how to make garments and build shelter in order to keep the body warm and protect it from the fury of the elements, man was engnged in guidance work. To guide means to show the way, to direct, to lead. Guidance implies the presence of ~?De party who does not know which way to take in order to reach his destination and another party who not only knows the way but is also familiar with its dangers such as deep ravines, treacherous streams, and the like. In our day and age the guidance of chilclrcn begins in the home. It is here that the child's ideas regarding his socinl relationships are first formed. It is here that his first concept.> of right and wrong are fashioned. In the cours • of his dealings with his brothers and sisters and his parents he gain.> his first notions of politenes and cooperative living. Because of the mother's constant associatioa with the child, she is his first teacher and guide. When he is just learning to walk, she takes him by the hand and steadies his faltering steps. Then she encourages him to walk all by himself, at first for a few feet but graj-ually increasing the distance as he aevelops in strength and confide~ce. Later on she shows him how to act and what to say in the ·numerous situations which he meets at home, such as greeting his parents and other members of the family in the morning, bidding them good night before going to bed, asking for a piece of candy, and a host of others. As the sphere of his social contacts broadens and extends into the neighborhood, the mother again gives him the necessary guidance. Patiently, day in and day out, stJe explains to him why it is a good policy to be considerate of the right~ and feelings of other child!'en and to practice the Golden Rule. Of course, the father has his share of the work of guiding the child, but since he is out of the home much of the time his contribution is often correspondingly less. The prominence which the Constitution of the Philippines has given to the matter of molding the character of the youth has served to emphasize the importance of guidance or counseling. As everybody knows, our Constitution has made the develonment of character the principal objective of education. This mea~s that all else is se~ondary. One is reminded of a quotation from an artirle which once appeared in the World's Work: 6 "Teaci1 the fundamentals m eauration: interpret life in terms of life· combine .books and things, work and I, GUIDANCE AND CHARACTER study . ·Teach honor, duty, courage, faith, hope, love of home and country, reverence for God. Teach selfdenial and self-reliance, love of work. joy in service, satisfaction and strength from difficulties overcome. Teach reading, writing and arithmetic, of course, but not as fundamentals. Teach geography, but only that to world knowledge may be· added world sympathy and understanding and fellowship. 1 In view of the clear and categorical statement of purpose on the part of the Filipino people in respect to the schools, as embodied in our Constitution, our teachera will need to consider more seriously the guidance ~spect of school wol'k. The statement that the teacher takes the place of the parent is not a figure of speech. It is a plain statement of a simple fact. The teacher is in ·· reality a second parent because she continuea the guidance work begun at home. She shows the child the proper behavior in his daily associations with his teachers and with the other children in school. Using the materials in reading, literature, history and the other subjects of the curriculum, she inculcates in him the ideals and attitudes which in life serve as the mainsprings of conduct. In this way guidance practically becomes synonymous with teaching_ For most pupil::; the guidance ordinarily given by teachers in the course of teaching '"ill be sufficient. It is presumed that the parents will continue guiding and counseling the children at home so that the efforts of the teachers and the parents will reinforce each other. However, there may be a very small number who cannot adjust themselves satisfactorily to the regimen of the school. These are ·the problem pupils who, in spite of all the trouble and the mischief they cause, cannot be 1 Quoted in Agnes Boysen, First 'l'hing First, p. 34, Chicago: Associated Authors, 1938 . ignored or neglected. The teacher nee~ ~ to look into each child's personal h~- ' •. tory, his aversions and his preferences, - : his weaknesses as well as his speCial ;5 talents, his intelligence, and his home~~. environment in an effort to find out the ~ causes that have led •to his inability to"'. become adjusted to his school environ- :* ment. Complete data should be secu:::-edf on all of these items. Without his know.";'· t' ing it, he should be carefully observed t in his behavior and reactions toward ; otl).er children. Every case of misbehav- 1 ior should be recorded and studied for ~· the lig·nt that it can give on the child's' character and personality. Anecdotal ':. records should be kept and examined. The data thus secured are then care{.:. fully ·analyzed in a sincere effort to get at the root of the difficulty. Like the ;:· physician, the teacher will regard th~>.,.' child's outward behavior as symptoms; .,_ Her main concern is to determine the •.:. cause in the light of the information .r sne has been able to gather. She for- ~· ·mulates probable hypotheses and after .. · a proces::; of ehmination guided by her ':,' knowledge of psychological principles, . decides on the most probable cause. :" The teacher proceeds in this work with broad sympathy and understand- ~· ing . She knows that the situations that cau::;e a child to misbehave are not sim- ~ pie and unitary, In most cases com_plex 1 factors operate in the total situation. Sometimes the child is torn between op: posing loyalties. For example, the - teacher tells a child that he should ::;Jeep with windows wide open. At home his mother wants all windows to be closed because night air is harmful. What is the child to do? Tbe teacher ... makes it a requirement that children come to school on time, but sometimes a child has to be ·::;ent on an errand which causes him to be late. The child is told in school that gambling js. bad but outside he sees many people indulging in various questionable forms of recreation. Then there are tempta.... ...... _....-_,._ ,.... .......,~.,.,_,.,... .._.,..,_..,.......T"\~ ,.. ........ ..,.,.. TT~'l"'"''"f"''C"ATTT:" 1""'\T'l'T"Tr"'AT Qf\ T"' ~- - 1 .. - PHILil'.PINE EDUCATOR tions from friends and Jllaymates. What would they say if he does not JOin them? What would 'his parents do if he gives in to them? The teac~er considers all possible ~gles ~e fore deciding on the proper remed~al measures to be adopted. · In the elementary schools problem cases have to be handled by the ordinary ;lassroom teachers since no extra teachers are available for assignment as counselorS. Some elementary school principals have interested themselves in conducting case studies of problem children and have done well. fn the smaller secondary schools it may be· possible to so arrange the program as to have one teacher ·do part-time work in counseling . In, some schools home rooms have been organized for purposes of guidance . To each home room a sponsor is assigned. The ·.sponsor tal<es particular interest in the · personal problems of all members of her home room. During the school-year 1939-1940 fulltime or practically full-time (counselors were assigned to every one of the four high schools in Manila. They were called deaps of boys and deans of girls, and their work was to advise students who came to them voluntarily for help in ~olving personal difficulties. They also handled problem cases referred to them by the classroom teachers. They interviewed the students to hear their stories and to secure pertinent information from them. They visited homes of students in order to interview the parents and to enlist· their cooperation. The counselors kept co.mplete records 'Jf each case. They did their work with such enthusiasm that they succeeded in minimizing disciplinary cases in the schools and in bringing about better understanding between teachers and students. I I \ A possible objection to the assignment of special counselors lies in the possi' bility that the other teachers might feel /, relieved of any responsibility for gtving advice to their students regarding their personal problems. It would, indeed, be unfortunate if they would take the attitude of wishing to "pass the buck" to the student counselor. This, however, is a matter for the principal to fo.restall. Classroom teachers should be made to understand that the task of character building belongs to the whole school and not to one teacher exclusively . If special counselors are assigned. it i,s for the purpose of making it pos· sible for every case of a more or less serious nature to be studied intensively. The gathering of rel~vant data about each case requires much time which the ordinary teacher with a full teaching load can hardly spare. With this understanding the assignment of · teachers a!' full-time or part-time counselors can be justified. It now remains for us to consider very briefly what qualities would fit one for personal guidance work, whether ontr be a regular classroom teacher, a principal, a home-room sponsor, or a full-time counselor. It goes without saying that this kind of activity needs a person of understanding who can win the confidence of the pupih so that they will voluntarily and without hesitation go to her for advice whenever they meet adjustment problems they cannot solve . It needs a person who knows children and their characteristics, who is endowed with much patience and a good measure of common sense, and who can gain the love and respect of the children . Finally, we need ·one whose example of correct living and upright conduct will exert a wholesome influence upc;n the lives of the children who have been entrusted to her. I J I. ..... / -. ' . The Teacher's Creed on Guidance I believe in learning. I believe that the young_ should strive to p.erpetuate in themselves the accumulated learning of the race. But over and above learning is the dignity and character of man. I believe in wisdom. I believe that man is man because he can think and have wisdom. But I know too thra.t over and above the wisdom of the head is the wisdom of the heart. I believe that to influence a student for good, I must teach him not only to think right but to feel right. To make him good, I must make him not only understand goodness but love and practi~ goodness. And to make him practice goodn.es_ s, I must make him see t;tat goodness is good. I believe in the essential goodness of the human heart. I believe that the student who is" undisciplined is merey misunderstood. I shall strive, therefore, to understand my students, to befriend them, to win their confidence and trust, so I may be fit to guide them toward the good and useful life. I believe in the subject I teach, but I b"t"lieve too that over and above my subject i..;; my student. I must know him as a boy so I can make him a better man. I must understand her as a girl so I can make her fit to mother the future race. Little, very little, is this little subject of mine compared with the big subject that is Man, his Personaliy and his Eternal Soul. -].C. LAYA FIREARMS * Will help you secure your license. * Pamphlet mailed free. AMERICAN GOODS CO. 178 David, Manila FOR MODERN OPTICAL NEEDS-SEE KEEPSAKE OPTICAL--80 Escolta 0 I > •.· ,.