The teacher’s code of ethics and moral responsibility

Before the school opens in June we would usually ask school experts to address both old and new teachers. So this time we asked Peter Sing, a financial consultant, and Atty. Ulan Sarmiento, our school legal counsel and member of the board of trustee. Mr. Sing gave tips on setting aside savings instead of spending before saving, discouraging unnecessary use of credit cards and possibility of investments. Atty. Sarmiento reviewed the teacher’s code of ethics and emphasized the importance of preserving one’s integrity.

He started saying, “Often times we hear persons addressing certain individuals as “your honor” or referring to them as “honorable”. But do they really deserve the title or respect? As defined, the term “honorable” is an adjective showing great respect or self-respect. In the United States “honorable” is a courtesy title applied to persons of distinction in legal or civic life. It refers therefore to a person known of high moral integrity. Considering the definition, I have to admit that there is one person whose profession highly entitles him or her to be addressed “your honor” – the teacher.”

“Let me prove to you why. The Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers issued by the Board for Professional Teachers through Resolution No. 435 series of 1997 provides in the PREAMBLE that Teachers are duly licensed professionals who possess dignity and reputation with high moral values as well as technical and professional competence.”

The school inspector general

there comes a time when some teachers’ integrity is seriously questioned so that school lawyers are summoned to establish whether the child’s mentor is guilty or not.

In the ‘80s the former US Clark Air Force Defense Schools would invite Filipino school directors to their annual workshop, “Educators Working Together.” I benefited much attending the workshop where the lead speaker was the Asia Pacific US Defense Department School Inspector General. A lawyer, he would regularly visit the 17 Department of Defense (DOD) schools in the Pacific area to judge the various cases of teachers brought up by parents or school administrators. By then, our 15-year-old O.B. Montessori schools had less than a hundred teachers as compared to the current 400 faculty members/personnel in the four O.B. Montessori Schools.

The Inspector General kindly showed me the basic procedure or “due process” of notifying teachers of their errors. This consists of a maximum of three written notices. The first cites the wrongdoing of the teachers, the day and time this was observed, and how the student‘s right was violated. She is given a chance to respond in writing and a month’s time to correct the error. The second is given when the error persists with three penalty options: a warning of demotion, shift in the job or termination. If the misbehavior still persists, the third notice announces the demotion or termination of the teacher.

My administrative staff and I make sure that the rules and regulations and code of conduct of the school are printed in the O.B. Montessori Center employees’ handbook. The school is guided as well by the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers. We also have the pink manual for parents. In addition, we have the Environmental Care Office (ECO) manual detailing how to maintain the environment of the school, including the maintenance and order of the school buildings.

School contracts

Using the Montessori system, all teachers, whether they have recently finished college or already experienced, have to be re-trained before being employed at the O.B. Montessori schools. Even then, they must first pass a battery of tests to gauge their IQ, teaching aptitude and maturity.

Before being presented to the school president for final interview, the teachers have to sign a letter of intent that they are willing to undergo the Montessori Teacher Formation Course. This letter states that they must prove their efficiency for two to four weeks before undergoing an intense theoretical and practical training. It is part of a two-year Scholarship Agreement with the school: one year on-the-job-training on Montessori system of education and one more year of service contract. To ensure faithful compliance to this agreement, a scholarship bond will be deducted from their salary for one year. This scholarship bond will be given back to them upon fulfillment of this two-year contract.

Teachers must undergo a three-year probationary period, according to the law. This matches the gradual acquisition of Montessori competence as a Novice on the first year, a junior teacher on the second year, and a senior teacher on the third year, enabling the teacher to rise in the ranks and be compensated according to the merits. Usually, senior teachers have added responsibilities and higher positions. The starting pay of novice teacher inclusive of allowances is being finalized in time for the opening of the school year. Definitely, the compensation package will be more than what our public counterpart is receiving. Their children are also given Montessori scholarships.

A 10-month Teacher’s Contract is signed yearly. The annual renewal of contract, however, is dependent on their proven competence, efficiency and ethical conduct. After finishing three uninterrupted school years of satisfactory service, a teacher can be considered “permanent” or eligible, to be paid for a total of 13 months.

The professional teacher has a lifetime commitment

The school expects a teacher to be faithful in service. Oftentimes some teachers suddenly resign to seek “greener” pastures without sufficient notice to the school administration. To avoid this predicament, OBMC sends out Year-end Questionnaire about each teacher’s short term and long range plan, specifically for coming school year – their willingness to continue to teach or plan not to pursue their teaching in the school. The result of this survey will serve as the basis of the school in its recruitment program for the coming school year. An affirmative answer to the questionnaire includes a Letter of Request to Teach for the coming school year.

After a thorough deliberation, all teachers accepted to teach for the coming year shall be given a Letter of Acceptance wherein their commitment to teach for another school year is acknowledged officially.

Some conflicts between parents and teachers

A protective parent referred a case to her lawyer against Mrs. Maria Ramos (fictitious name), the teacher of her Grade III daughter. She alleged that on so many occasions, Mrs. Maria Ramos traumatized her daughter. This caused her daughter not to report for class for a long period of time, exceeding the 20 percent allowed by the Department of Education. Further investigations revealed that the child was emotionally affected by the death of her grandmother. She became so sensitive that strict guidance and instructions of her teachers would upset her.

The parent insisted that the school management terminate Mrs. Ramos. This was denied since the rights of the teacher must also be protected. If the parent is not happy with the school, they have the option to transfer their child to another school. She did so.

Concerning outings, Romy Romero, a high school teacher, organized a swimming party with the students outside the school premises without the knowledge and permission of school authorities. On the day that the group was to leave the school, the branch coordinator saw them and asked where they were going. When she learned that they are about to leave for a swimming party led by this teacher, the Branch Coordinator stopped them. Instead, she allowed them to “party” inside the school premises. The teacher was given disciplinary warning for his disregard of school policies.

A worse case happened when a PE and Scouting teacher extended a Makiling camping for another day in Nasugbu. The teacher was also reprimanded since all outings require the official approval of the school and permit slips signed by parents.

On tutoring and examinations

Official teacher-tutors usually get a share of the tutorial fee. In our case, that would be eighty percent. School supervision is absolutely needed because tutoring is only a remedial course and therefore should not last longer than a few months.

Ethics, however, is violated when tutoring is privately arranged. First, the parents leave their responsibilities to an outsider – the tutor. Since this is privately arranged, it is not monitored by the guidance personnel who can gauge if the child is already capable of studying by himself. Thus, it can happen that some tutors practically do the child’s homework, consequently crippling the student’s initiative for a lifetime.

Our lawyer was consulted when a head teacher, privy to the quarterly exam papers, gave these to the students she was tutoring. She was terminated. Today, she runs a school. On another occasion, a school janitor assisting at the mimeographing office was caught regularly selling copies of the exam papers to a high school student who was failing. He was incarcerated in the local jail.

Humble admission of a teacher

As a young teacher admitted, in Dr.Haim G. Ginott’s book “Teacher and Child , “ I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized.”

(On last week’s column about SOBBA: Since SOBBA is not yet available commercially you may get in touch with their office Schy-Tech Enterprise at #2018 Sampaguita St., Sta. Ana, Manila, tel. nos. 5629152 / 5622782 or The Theosophical Society office at #1 Ibana St., Cor. Florentino St., Quezon City.)