The Morals Of Education

Maria Lileth C. Abejuela

(This essay was submitted to one of my subjects in grad school. This essay talks about the morals
of education.)

How can the philosophies of education address the behavioral problems of students in the private
school? From the presumption of private school teachers, it is believed that the governance in
private school may affect the authority of the teacher in administering discipline in the class. It is
deemed by some college instructors that the students of the said institution, in some way, have
that feeling of superiority because they have the so-called control in terms of financial matters in
the school.
As we all know, the private schools are very much dependent with the number of students per
school year. Maintaining a good number of enrollees each school year gives financial security of
the school. Thus, the administration tends to pacify the demands of the students in return
including some extreme conditions.
Having said those assumptions, this essay will discuss the following: (a.) the probable reason of
the limitation of the teachers in implementing discipline, (b) the possible factors that affect the
behavior and character of the students, and (c.) the actual disciplines that are imposed in the
classroom by the author.
The Teachers Limitation in Imposing Classroom Discipline
You can hear teachers say that classroom discipline in the private school is breaking down. This
is because students in the said school have assumed superiority for some reasons as mentioned
earlier. Teachers are apprehensive in enforcing discipline and dealing with the violations done by
the students because the students may get back at them. One way of getting back at the teacher is
through evaluation. Students will vent out their sentiments towards their teacher. This is one
means of getting their message across to the Vice President of Academic Affairs or even to the
President of the university. The worst thing that the students could do is to file a position against
the teacher. The abovementioned scenario inside the class is distressing in the part of the teacher
especially if there is power play in the part of the students.
Despite the issues of classroom management due to the clash of authority in the class, the answer
still lays with the teacher. What instructional philosophies will a college instructor incorporate in

his or her classroom environment so that behavioral problems are eliminated and learning is
reinforced? With the varying needs and untoward behavior of the students, teachers are greatly
challenged. Furthermore, private school teachers implementation of discipline particularly
imposing consequence is limited only to what the school permits him or her to do. The classroom
management, teaching styles and strategies are bounded by the schools code of ethics and
conduct for teachers not to mention the unwritten law.
I personally believe that no specific approach is an absolute or ultimate cure to these classroom
issues. Teachers have to understand that instructional and classroom management style are
personal. It is tailored or modified to the nature of the learner. When the learners needs are being
addressed, then the classroom, which is the miniature form of society, also improves. This is
somehow relative to the aims of education. Fromm (1990, p.78) states that Education has two
goals which are mutually dependent: cultivation and development of the individual and the
improvement of the society.
In relation to the aforementioned statement, teachers have to bear in mind that in as much as the
ideals concerning the principles of education are true but they also need to be adaptable to the
needs and nature of the students in the classroom. In fact, you cannot use one approach to all the
classes. To cite an example, I am teaching Literature 1 to two different classes. One class is a
block section of BS Accountancy students (lets call it section A), while the other one is a free
section (the section B), which means that students are from different courses with different
cognitive levels. Both sections have behavioral problems not to mention the disparity of their
creative intelligence, which somehow is a concern too. However, how I deal with section A is not
the same with section B. This is because their natures are very different considering their
intellectual capacity, preferences, family background, course background, and even their
environment.
The Superiority Complex of the Students
The next concern that is being dealt in this essay is the superiority complex of the students.
Using the same examples, section As behavioral concern is coated with superiority because aside
from the fact that they know that their existence is important so that the school will survive and
thrive, they are also intellectually superior compared to the other class. Thus, they behave with
overbearingness. Section B on the other hand behaves superiorly because they feel that they have
immunity from failing grades. They, like section A, believe that the school needs them. As per
school policy, when they have more than the allowable number of failing marks, these students
will be dismissed from the school. Of course, there is this unwritten law that the school cannot
afford to dismiss students due to failing grades. Thus, the teachers are being propelled by the
school to help the students pass their subjects. To be able to do that, the school imposed a
counseling program for the faculty to reach out to students for tutoring and other supplemental

activities. I believe there is nothing wrong with that. It is one way of meeting the need of
troubled students, whether for humanitarian reason or other good reasons. (Philips, 2008)
However, I see one problem with that program. It, in a way, makes some students become lenient
in their class. That behavior is observed when they do not pay attention to lectures. The students
rather talk with their seatmates or do other things because they know they can make up with their
failings. Having pointed these things, this somehow reminds me of the philosophies of the Greek
moralist like Plato concerning moral character. But then again, teachers are still tied with the
school policies and programs. We teachers whether they like it or not have to extend to students
beyond classroom activities.
The superiority complex of the students may not be completely eradicated because of the kind of
governance in the school however it can be controlled if not downplayed. In the later part of this
essay, I will be discussing the discipline that I have been imposing in the class.
The Factors Affecting Moral Character
Behaviors of the learners are somehow an issue of moral character, or to better put it, an issue of
the heart. Learners of today have misaligned virtues. There are maybe varying factors that
contribute to that. One factor that is considered to affect the learners behavior in the class is the
existence of technology. Education has been greatly challenged today due to the proliferation of
technology. The rapid growth of technology has touched every aspect of our lives including
morality. Thus, technology has a certain effects in the behavior of the students in the classroom
particularly their study habits and their desire to learn.
In addition, technology does not only affect the affective development of the learners today but
also the cognitive development. These effects are being observed generally among the students
in the campus where I am currently teaching. For instance, whenever you pass the student center
and the A-walk, you will see students opening their laptops, and coming from afar you will see
that they seem to be very busy, but looks can be very deceiving. Why? When you peek in their
laptops, you will find out that they are not busy doing their assignments but they are busy
updating their social network sites like facebook, twitter, tumbler, and etc. Aside from social
networking sites, most men are hooked in playing online video games. Engaging in these
activities can be very addicting. Thus, it affects the study habits of the students. You can see that
students have short-term memory and lack of zeal to study.
Technology is part of the social change and is inevitable. Modernity has brought a lot of change
and progress in our society. In fact, technology changes at a lightning speed. However, Education
may view technology as both a blessing and a curse. For Progressive educators, they welcome
change and make use of it to progress learning because these educators believe that students
learn in real life activities, and that nothing is fixed and final concerning educational aims. Jet

Bustamante, in her handout, mentioned that the school functions as vehicle of new ideas
[including new methods of teaching] and instrument of success. (Anonymous)
Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that technology can also be a curse because it also has a
negative effect in the lives of the learners. Social networking and video games disturb the pattern
of studying. As seen in the lifestyle of the students in the school, they prefer to update social
network statuses or play games online rather than working on their assignments, research papers,
and studying their lessons.
On the other hand, there are many solutions that will address the downside of technology. To
counterbalance its negative effect, there must be a reform in the curriculum to maximize the use
of technology and employ it for the good of the learner including the policy of the school
concerning the access to online gaming and social networking. The school must preserve the
advantage of technology by putting it to good use. The Department of the Information
Technology System of the school should ban the open access to the following sites. It will not
hurt the school and the learner to practice a little of authoritarianism wherein the school takes
control in this specific area alone. This is with the aim to foster meaningful learning anyway. If
the school will fully embrace the Laissez-Faire system, which is non-interference in the affairs
of the students (Eiseman, p. 153); and let the students do what they want in the school premises
and make use of the internet with gusto and no limitation, then students will be lured in video
games and social networks. Eventually, they will totally neglect their studies. And as a result, the
school will produce mediocre graduates.
Another factor that is considered to have an effect in the attitude of the students is the
environment at home. Our schools Guidance Office has presented a statistics of our students
family background. As seen from the data, there are a large number of students coming from a
family where parents are both working abroad, or one parent is working abroad. This scenario
has behavioral and psychological effects in the students. Behaviors at home are somehow
extended in school and other social groups. With this information, the teachers in our school
have an additional burden aside from teaching the students to learn and become well-rounded
professionals. Teachers are at the same time challenged to process the multilayered angst that
students carried from their individual homes. I have seen students in my Literature 1 class broke
down after sharing their insights from a literary piece. I have read reaction papers containing
their sentiments towards their parents and other family members.
As a result to that environment at home, you cannot expect your students to have solid moral
concepts because they lack parental guidance. Anyone can obviously expect a misguided
individual with perhaps a twisted idea of morality. Wilson et al (1967, p.129) has a similar
concept when he explains: A child needs to accept a certain code of behavior, parental
commands, traditional rules etc. When parents are absentees, children know no authorities in

their lives. Hence, you cannot expect them to behave according to the standards of the society.
You can conclude that there is a moral crisis that is going on among these students.
The Imposed Discipline
Dealing with learners with the age 18 and above, there is less that a teacher can do when it comes
to changing their nature. According to Dr. Elbanbuena, the nature of a child has fully developed
at the age of 18. This means that there is nothing that you can do with the individuals character
and personality. Ms. Visaya has presented in her report about Aims and Human Nature that
Human nature is only modifiable because it has the capacity to learn but it cannot increase its
inherent modifiability. This may prove that education can not alter personality. Change only
dwells in the learner who has the freedom to choose, which also lies between duty and fault.
Having those realities in mind, the teacher then can only do so much and it is up for the students
to respond. However, this should not compromise the curriculum, teaching strategies and
classroom management styles of the teacher. If discipline is not imposed, the negative behavior
of one student will infect the whole class. Brubacher (Modern Philosophies of Education, 3rd Ed)
resonates that Punishment [Discipline for that matter] is administered to protect the class by
making an example of the offender. It may sound like a sacrificial lamb to others but somehow as
a teacher, you need to set an example. But this authority concerning administering consequence
must not go beyond what the school (or the law) permits. The saying that goes It was better for
a child to go right in chains than wrong in freedom (Brubacher, 1939); is not true always
considering that society evolves through time. Students nowadays repel dictatorship and they
explicitly show rebellion to the teacher by passing position paper to the school administration.
In order to enforce discipline and maintain law and order in the classroom, rules have to be set
during the first day of school. My students and I have a mutual agreement of these rules. Take
note that the rules set in my class is in accordance to the policy of the school. The reason for this
is that the students have to own these rules as well. They need to understand the purpose of these
rules aside from the fact that they also consent and take part of creating these rules. This idea is
somehow relative to the philosophy of education on Moral Education ascertained by Wilson and
Durkheim (1961): The child must come to feel himself what there is in a rule which determines
that he should abide by it willingly. In other words he must sense the moral authority in the rule,
which renders it worthy of respect (p154).
Also, these rules created in the class by my students do not only implement the policy of the
school concerning classroom attendance, class participation, grading system, and the likes but it
also fosters moral values like respect, integrity, honesty, love for the country and environment,
and other Filipino virtues.

So, what are the corresponding consequences when students break these rules? The students
agree on specific consequences based also in their student handbook. For example, the students
are only allowed to miss class for ten absences for MWF classes or 7 absences for TTh classes,
beyond that, they know that they will be dropped from their subject due to absences. They also
agree to be sent out from the class when they do not pay attention after 3 warnings. When it
comes to using cellphones and other gadgets while inside the class, they consent that their
phones or mp3 or other gadgets will be confiscated from them. When the consequence is being
implemented, the students will no longer retaliate because they are fully aware of the end result
of their mischief.
To wrap up this essay, here are the final analyses of the following points. First, on the position of
limited implementation of Discipline and Punishment as a classroom management, the teacher
whether s/he has a complete authority in exercising his/ her role as the educator, still s/he has the
liberty or sovereignty to innovate his/ her teaching strategies that will suit the need and nature of
the learner. We teachers have to bear in mind that we have a paramount role in achieving the
goals of education in the lives of the learners. Classroom discipline is just a part and parcel of the
total learning process. It is not the end of learning and not even the entire means to an end. The
philosophies of education will guide us through in fulfilling this noble task. Every teacher has a
guiding (a personal one) philosophy so that s/he will be able to obtain his/ her goal in imparting
knowledge as well as influencing the character or virtues of the learners. Let us not forget that
Intelligence is a quality of learned behavior (Brubacher, 1939).
Second, concerning the superiority of the students including the issues on moral character is
reduced to the nature of the learner. Regardless of grounds or what causes the students to be
superior or to be morally and ethically challenged, it still boils down to the human nature. The
students or learners behave in such a manner because they choose to. Individuality may be
shaped by genetics, environment and experiences, but the students respond to situation because
they made a choice to respond they way they would opt to. If they behave accordingly or
misbehave inside the classroom, then that is because the value of subject matter or learning as far
as that is concerned is not fairly regarded as important in their own reality.
To illustrate the last statement above, some of my students do not pay attention to my lesson in
literature because to them in reality they will not benefit literature like how they would benefit
major subjects in Accountancy. This mindset is supported by the Value theory. Brubacher
explained in Chapter 8 that the value of education is somehow to satisfy wants or fulfill [the]
needs of the students. Thus, it explains the behavior of the students.
Lastly, in reference to implementing discipline, we should know better. Corporal punishment and
other cruel and unusual retributions including threatening the students are the thing in the past.
Sure, we can reasonably flunk them in our class based on their behavior and performance, but
then at the end of the day the challenge still greatly lays with us, the teachers. Instead of

becoming a tyrant in the classroom, we can be sympathetic counselors (Brubacher, p.209) to our
students. In this manner, we may possibly win their heart. Sometimes, to win a hardened and
wounded soul is not to implement an iron hand but rather to treat them with kindness and
sympathy especially if they lack nurturing in their own home.
Besides that, I too have the same opinion with John S. Brubacher (1939) when he mentioned in
his book about the second method of discipline (as bases of classroom discipline) which is to
make discipline coincidence to interesting instruction (p.203-211). Classes will not be
interrupted by the misbehavior of the student/s when classroom instruction including teaching
strategies and techniques are interesting. Students will certainly pay attention and even
participate during class discussion and activities when the teachers method of teaching is
exciting and stimulating. This is how far the philosophy of education can address behavioral
problems of the students regardless whether they are in private or public schools.