Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.

6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City

Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
Objectives

1. explain the nature of man & its dignity;

2. explain the concept of freedom of man and of its human action;
3. differentiate human acts & acts of man explain the morality of human
acts; and
4. determine the moral determinants of human acts.

 Morality refers to the quality of human acts by which we call them

right or wrong, good or evil.

Nature of Man & its Dignity to “will” something, one has “to know”
beforehand. Man cannot choose or act unless he knows which is a “better”
good. When a person chooses to act according to what he knows is right –
He acts freely. Only man is capable of acting free – HUMAN ACTS But the
intellect does not always determine the will.

When is MAN FREE in his actions? When is an act freely done? Under the
control of the WILL - It is the power tending toward, choosing, adhering to &
taking pleasure in a GOOD KNOWN BY THE INTELLECT - voluntary. We do
things because we want to, we own the decision or the action. We face the
consequence of our actions/decisions – we face it with full responsibility
Intellect Will Soul Body Thinking/ knowing the TRUTH Choosing the GOOD
Nature of Freedom Proceeds from the intellect and will Based on reason
which the will followed when man makes decisions, he is free. Man is
accountable for what he is doing because he is conscious of what he is
doing, why he is doing it & how he is doing it. Leo Lopez DECISION Results
in ACTION CONSEQUENCES Faced with Sense of responsibility

“You shall know the truth…” Intellect Will TRUTH GOOD= =BEING LAW
FREEDOM “...and the truth shall make you free.” Leo Lopez.

Human Acts versus Act of Man Human acts Actions done consciously and
freely by the agent/or by man ESSENTIAL QUALITIES/ Constituent Elements
of Human Acts 1. Knowledge of the act 2. Freedom 3. Voluntariness Man
takes into responsibility of these actions.

Human Acts versus Act of Man Acts of Man Actions beyond one’s
consciousness; not dependent on the intellect & the will ESSENTIAL
QUALITIES of Acts of Man – Done without knowledge – Without consent –
Involuntary Ex: unconscious, involuntary, semi-deliberate, spontaneous
actions Acts of man can become human acts when he employs his intellect &
will in performing the act.

ACTS not morally accountable Acts of persons asleep or under hypnosis.

Reflex actions where the will has no time to intervene. Acts of performed
under serious physical violence e.g. a hostage obliged to do an evil action.
Since the will is constrained, then it is not a moral act which could be
evaluated.

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
What is Morality? From the Greek word MORES - behavior refers to the
sense of rightness or wrongness of an act. Quality of the human act that is
either good or bad, right or wrong based on some norms that are either
inherent in the act or are observed due to some individual or social
conventional acceptance --- Manlangit

A moral act depends on whether or not there is consent by the will. HUMAN
ACTS They include, thought, speech, action.

What is the basis of Morality? Morality is based in part upon the fundamental
conviction that there is an objective moral law which can be known by the
intellect – NATURAL MORAL LAW. Some actions are intrinsically evil – not
justifiable regardless of the circumstance.

Seek food including the highest good which is God, preserve himself in
existence, to preserve the species, live in community with other men, to use
his intellect & will – to know the truth & make his own decisions.

Which action is subjected to morality? All Human act are subjected to

morality. Human acts are different from animal act because man by nature
acts towards an end. His life has a purpose. Human Acts? Acts of Man?

Morality and Human Acts Human acts are those that are freely chosen in
consequence of a judgment of conscience. They are either good or evil. Their
morality depends on: the object chosen, the intention and the
circumstances.

Moral Determinants of Human Acts

HUMAN ACTS are neutral in themselves but they acquire morality when we
speak of object of the act, circumstance, intention.

OBJECT OF THE ACT - Substance/nature of the action - Good which the will
deliberately directs itself - OBJECT specifies the “act of the will” - Nature of
what was done to its distinct species - “What was performed by the moral
agent?” - “An object if the act is good when it is in conformity with reason or
when it fulfills or fits the demand of reason. Otherwise, the object of the act
is evil.

2. INTENTION/END IN VIEW - Motive of the agent – factor which the agent

acts; either be morally good or evil - Purpose for which a human agent
performs the act - Concerned with the goal of the activity - It aims at the
good anticipated from the action undertaken - “What specifically does the
agent want to accomplish?” Good intention doesn’t make an intrinsically
disordered act right the end does not justify the means.

3. CIRCUMSTANCE - Refers to the events, occasions or conditions that make

the act concrete - Modify acts either by increasing or diminishing of the
moral goodness or evilness of an act/ responsibility of the agent - Lighten or

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
aggravate the weight of moral accountability of the performer * The
circumstance do not change the specific nature of the human act.

What makes a morally act good or bad? 1. Goodness of object, end or

intention & circumstance all together as well as consequence 2. Evil end or
intention corrupts the action even if the object is good 3. Avoid concrete acts
that are always wrong to choose – object of the act 4. The acts which in & of
themselves independent of circumstance & intention are always gravely illicit
by reason of their object. Error: to judge only the intention & circumstance.

JUDGING THE MORALITY OF HUMAN ACTS The moral object can either be
good (e.g. praying) bad (e.g. stealing) indifferent (e.g. eating) The intention
can be either good or bad.

Human Act as Freely Chosen

Human Acts are not merely physical events that come & go, like the falling
of rain or the turning of the leaves, nor do they as Karol Wojtyla emphasized
in THE ACTING PERSON, “happen” to a person.

They are, rather, the outward expression if a person’s choices for at the core
of a human act is free, self-determining choice, an act of the will, which as
such is something spiritual that abides within the person, giving him his
identity as a moral being.

Although many human acts have physical, observable components, they are
morally significant because they embody and carry out free human choices.
We are free to choose what we are to do and, by so choosing, to make
ourselves the kind of person we are.

But we are not free to make what we choose to do to be good or evil, right
or wrong. We know this from our own sad experience, for at time we have
freely chosen to do things that we knew, at the very moment we choose to
do them, were morally wrong. We can, in short, choose badly or well.

 “Do good and avoid evil” (Fundamental Moral Principle)

The Foundational Principles of Morality and You.

Meaning of Foundational Moral Principle. The word principle came from the
Latin word, “princeps” which means “a source or beginning.” A principle is,
that on which something is based, founded, originated or initiated. A
foundational moral principle is, therefore, the universal norm upon which all
other principles on the rightness or wrongness of an action are based. It is
the source of morality.

Where is this foundational moral principle? It is contained in the natural law.

Many moralists, authors, and philosophers may have referred to this
foundation moral principle in different terms. May be acceptable to believers
and non- believers alike to refer to it as natural law.

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers

What is the natural law?  “It is the law written in the hearts of men.”
(Romans 2:15)  For theists, it is “man’s share in the Eternal Law of God…”
(Panizo, 1964)  St. Thomas defines it as “the light of natural reason,
whereby we discern what is good and what is evil… an imprint on us of the
divine light…”  It is the law that says: “Do good and avoid evil.” This is the
Foundational Moral Principle

All men and women, regardless of race and belief, have a sense of this
foundational moral principle. It is ingrained in man’s nature. “It is built into
the design of human nature, and woven into the fabric of the normal human
mind.” Our act is moral when it is in accordance with our human nature. Our
act is immoral when it is contrary to our human nature. Our intellect and
free will, make us different from and above the beast. We are inclined to do
what we recognize is good, and avoid that which we recognize is evil.

“Writings, customs, and monuments of the past, present generations point

out to this conclusion: that all people on earth, no matter how savage and
illiterate, have recognized a supreme law of divine origin commanding good
and forbidding evil.”

The natural law that says “do good and avoid evil” comes in different
versions.Kung Fu Tsu Do not do to others what you do not like others to do
to you.” Do to others what you want them to do to you.” - Golden Rule of
Christianity Act in such a way that your maxim can be the maxim for all.” -
Immanuel Kant.

RELIGIOUS VIEWS ON MORALITY. Christians, Buddhists, Islamic Korans and

Muslims Christians Buddhists Islam Muslims

Christian’s Perspective: “Do to others what you want them to do to you.”

“Love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength” and
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” This golden rule is made more
explicit through the Ten Commandment and the Eight Beatitudes. These are
summed up in the two great commandments:

Buddhists’ Perspective “Hatred does not cease by hatred; hatred ceases only
by love.” The Buddhists state this through the eight-fold path. For them,
they do good when they: Strive to know the truth Resolve to resist evil Say
nothing to hurt others Respect life, morality and property Engage in a job
that does not injure others Strive to free their mind of evil Control their
feelings and thoughts Practice proper forms of concentrations World Book
Encyclopedia, 1988

Islamic Perspective based on the Islamic Quran the Islamic Quran “forbids
lying, stealing, adultery and murder.” It also teaches “honor for parents,
kindness to slaves, protection for the orphaned and the widowed and charity
to the poor. It teaches the virtues of faith in God, patience, kindness,

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
honesty, industry, honor, courage and generosity. It condemns mistrust,
impatience and cruelty. World Book Encyclopedia, 1988

Muslims’ Perspective the Five Pillars of Islam Muslims abide by the Five
Pillars of Islam Prayer Self-Purification by Fasting Almsgiving Pilgrimage to
Mecca for those who can afford.

Teacher, as a person of good moral character. According to the preamble of

our Code of Ethics as professional teachers… “Teachers are duly licensed
professionals who possess dignity and reputation with high moral values as
well as technical and professional competence. In the practice of their
profession, they strictly adhere to, observe and practice this set of ethical
and moral principles, standard values.”

4 Ways of Describing Good Moral Character

As described by one Christian author:

1. Being fully human – you have realized substantially your potential as

human person.
2. Being a loving person – you are caring in an unselfish and mature manner
with yourself, other people and God.
3. Being a virtuous person – you have acquired good habits and attitudes
and you practice them consistently in your daily life.
4. Being a morally mature person – you have reached a level of
development emotionally, socially, mentally, spiritually appropriate to your
developmental stage. -Cosgrave, William, rev. ed. 2004.

 “Do not do unto others what you do not like others do to you” (Kung-
fu-tzu)

“Even on your worst day on the job, you are still some children’s hope.” “A
teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

“The quantity of human acts by which we call them right or wrong, good or
evil.”

Panizo, 1964: “Your human action is right when it conforms with the norm,
rule, or law of morality. Otherwise it is said to be wrong.”
Juan’s action is wrong because it is contrary to the norm. “STEALING IS
WRONG”

Man’s action, habit or character is good when it is not lacking of what is

natural to man, when it is in accordance with man’s nature.

He is a man and, unlike the beast he has intellect and free will. Intellect –
thinking, judging and reasoning. Free will – ability to choose.

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
Therefore we may perceive that Man has four beginnings: He who lacks the
feeling of commiseration is not a man. He who lacks feeling of shame and
dislike is not a man. He who lacks feeling of modesty and yielding is not a
man. He who lacks a sense of right and wrong is not a man.

Principle – “Princeps” a beginning or a source. - If we speak of light, the

principle is the sun because the sun is the body from which the light of this
world originate.

“THIS IS THE FOUNDAMENTAL OR FOUNDTIONAL MORAL PRINCIPLE”

What is a natural law? – It is the law “written in the hearts of men.”

(Romans 2:15) - “For theists, it is a man’ share in the Eternal Law of God.” -
“Do good and avoid evil” (Panizo, 1964) - “The light of natural reason,
whereby we discern what is good and what is evil… an imprint onus of the
divine light…” (St. Thomas)

Natural Law – “Do good and avoid evil.” Kung-fu-tsu – “Do not do unto
others what you do not like others do to you.” Golden rule – “Do to others
what you like others do to you.” Immanuel Kant’s – “Act such a way that
your maxim can be the maxim for all.

Ten Commandments and the Eight Beatitudes are summed up to – “Love

God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength” and “Love
you neighbor as yourself.”

Buddhists do good when they: 1. Strive to know the truth. 2. Resolve to

resist evil. 3. Say nothing to hurt others. 4. Respect life, morality, and
property 5. Engage in a job that does not injure others. 6. Strive to free
their mind of evil. 7. Control their feelings and thoughts. 8. Practice proper
forms of concentration.

Buddha – “Hatred does not cease by hatred; hatred ceases only by love.”
Islamic Koran – “Forbid lying, stealing, adultery and murder.” – “Honor
parents, kindness to slaves, protection for the orphaned and the widowed
and charity to the poor. It teaches the virtues of faith in God, patience,
kindness, honesty, industry, honor, courage, and generosity. It condemns
mistrust, impatience and cruelty.”

 “Act in such a way that your rule can be principle of all (Immanuel
Kant)

The categorical imperative is the central philosophical concept in the

deontological moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant.

Introduced in Kant's 1785 Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, it may

be defined as a way of evaluating motivations for action.

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
According to Kant, sentient beings occupy a special place in creation, and
morality can be summed up in an imperative, or ultimate commandment of
reason, from which all duties and obligations derive. He defines an
imperative as any proposition declaring a certain action (or inaction) to be
necessary.

Hypothetical imperatives apply to someone who wishes to attain certain

ends. For example, "I must drink something to quench my thirst" or "I must
study to pass this exam." A categorical imperative, on the other hand,
denotes an absolute, unconditional requirement that must be obeyed in all
circumstances and is justified as an end in itself. It is best known in its first
formulation:

Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will
that it should become a universal law.

Kant expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the popular moral philosophy of

his day, believing that it could never surpass the level of hypothetical
imperatives: a utilitarian says that murder is wrong because it does not
maximize good for those involved, but this is irrelevant to people who are
concerned only with maximizing the positive outcome for themselves.
Consequently, Kant argued, hypothetical moral systems cannot persuade
moral action or be regarded as bases for moral judgments against others,
because the imperatives on which they are based rely too heavily on
subjective considerations. He presented a deontological moral system, based
on the demands of the categorical imperative, as an alternative.

Kantian ethics refers to a deontological ethical theory developed by German

philosopher Immanuel Kant that is based on the notion that: "It is
impossible to think of anything at all in the world, or indeed even beyond it,
that could be considered good without limitation except a good will." The
theory was developed as a result of Enlightenment rationalism, stating that
an action can only be good if its maxim—the principle behind it—is duty to
the moral law, and arises from a sense of duty in the actor.

Central to Kant's construction of the moral law is the categorical imperative,

which acts on all people, regardless of their interests or desires. Kant
formulated the categorical imperative in various ways. His principle of
universalizability requires that, for an action to be permissible, it must be
possible to apply it to all people without a contradiction occurring. Kant's
formulation of humanity, the second section of the categorical imperative,
states that as an end in itself, humans are required never to treat others
merely as a means to an end, but always as ends in themselves. The
formulation of autonomy concludes that rational agents are bound to the
moral law by their own will, while Kant's concept of the Kingdom of Ends
requires that people act as if the principles of their actions establish a law for
a hypothetical kingdom. Kant also distinguished between perfect and
imperfect duties. Kant used the example of lying as an application of his
ethics: because there is a perfect duty to tell the truth, we must never lie,

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
even if it seems that lying would bring about better consequences than
telling the truth. Likewise, a perfect duty (e.g. the duty not to lie) always
holds true; an imperfect duty (e.g., the duty to give to charity) can be made
flexible and applied in particular time and place.

Those influenced by Kantian ethics include social philosopher Jürgen

Habermas, political philosopher John Rawls, and psychoanalyst Jacques
Lacan. German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel criticized Kant for not providing
specific enough detail in his moral theory to affect decision-making and for
denying human nature. The Catholic Church has criticized Kant's ethics as
contradictory, and regards Christian ethics as more compatible with virtue
ethics. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, arguing that ethics should
attempt to describe how people behave, criticized Kant for being
prescriptive. Marcia Baron has defended the theory by arguing that duty
does not diminish other motivations.

The claim that all humans are due dignity and respect as autonomous agents
necessitates that medical professionals should be happy for their treatments
to be performed on anyone, and that patients must never be treated merely
as useful for society. Kant's approach to sexual ethics emerged from his view
that humans should never be used merely as a means to an end, leading
him to regard sexual activity as degrading, and to condemn certain specific
sexual practices—for example, extramarital sex. Accordingly, feminist
philosophers have used Kantian ethics to condemn practices such as
prostitution and pornography, which treat women as means. Kant also
believed that, because animals do not possess rationality, we cannot have
duties to them except indirect duties not to develop immoral dispositions
through cruelty towards them.

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
Leaning Task 2
Name: _____________________________ Course and Year: ___________
Email Address: ___________________ Contact Number: _______________
Date of Submission: _____________________ Schedule: ______________
Essay.

1. Define the following:

1.1 morality
-refers to the quality of human acts by which we call them right or
wrong good or evil.
1.2 freedom
-is the power or right, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance
or restraint, and the absence of a despotic government.
1.3 free will
-the ability to choose between different possible courses of action
unimpeded.
1.4 dignity
-the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.
- a composed or serious manner or style.
1.5 principle
-is a proposition or value that is a guide for behaviour or evaluation.
1.6 human principle
-dignity, fairness, integrity, honesty, service, encouragement, respect.
1.7 moral principle
-principle of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a
social group.
1.8 human acts
-are those that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgement of
conscience.
-are neutral in themselves but they acquire morality when we speak of
object of act circumstance, intention.
2. Differentiate human acts from acts of man. Explain comprehensively and
give examples.
-human acts is more in judgement of conscience involved, where he knows
and understand the act being performed.
3. What are the determinants of moral acts? Explain.
*object of act- it is what you’ve done and how you’ve performed. It has its
own reasoned and it was direct to oneself. It could be evil of your done it
wrong.

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
*intention- it has a motive and purpose which you perform. It should have
its goal you have to accomplished what you’ve plan to do towards the
activity or else it could be evil.
*circumstance- refers to the events, occasion or conditions. You have to be
responsible in doing, so every action has its counterpart.

4. Discuss the different views on morality according to the following

perspectives:

4.1 Christianity
-Christians have rules or golden rules to be follow which is included in
the 10 commandments states “love your neighbors”. It has to do with
morality of a person, this rule could let you do good things to other and tell
you to go with evil things.
4.2 Islam
-In Islam they focus on the virtues of your faith, patience, kindness,
honor, courage, generosity to one other.
4.3 Buddhism
-It focuses or hatred. For them hatred only by love.
They tend to endurance those hatred not to hurt other feelings. They were
taught to practice proper forms of concentrations.
5. What are the ways of describing good moral character?
*This are the 4 ways of describing good moral;
>being fully human
>being a loving person
>being virtuous person
>being a morally mature person
6. How did the Code of Ethics for Teachers describe the word “Teachers”?
What are being emphasized in the description / definition?
- The code of ethics described the word “teacher” through how a teacher
possess dignity, reputation and with high moral values. They practice and
observed it clearly through out the years; those are ethical, moral principles,
standard values.
7. How did Immanuel Kant explain in his philosophy the concept of morality?
-Immanuel Kant explain the concept of morality by knowing the rightness or
wrongness of actions, it does not depend on their consequence but on
whether they fulfill our duty. Kant believe that there was a supreme principle
of morality and he referred to it as “the categorical imperative, it determines
what our ,oral duties are.

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 Consolatrix College of Toledo City, Inc.
6038 Magsaysay Hills, Poblacion, Toledo City
Augustinian Recollect Sisters – Philippines
EDTC 4 The Teaching Profession
LESSON 2
Moral Principles of Teachers
References
Education Policy Reform in Action. (2004). A Review of Progress Since PESS and PCER. Human Development Sector
Reports. East Asia and the Pacific Region.
Henderson, James G. and Rosemary Gornik (2007). Transformative Curriculum Leadership. New Jersey: Pearson,
Merril Prentice Hall.
_____ Repositioning Industrial Education. National Congress on Reorienting Industrial Education: Perspectives for
Policy Formulation.) December 2-4, 2003. Lipa City Batangas
Philippine Human Development Report (2000). Published by the Human Development. Network (HDN) and the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Republic Act No. 10157. An Act Institutionalizing the Kindergarten Education into the Basic Education System and
Appropriating Funds Therefor. January 20, 2012
Walker, D.F. (2003). Fundamentals of Curriculum: Passion and Professionalism (2nd ed.) Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence
Eribaum Associates.
DepEd Order No. 25, S. 2002. Implementation of the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum. June 17, 2002. Dept. of
Education. DepEd Complex, Pasig City.
Department Order No. 76, S. 2010. Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the 2010 Secondary Education
Curriculum (SEC, June 4, 2010).
Department Order No. 37, S. 2011. Policies and Guidelines on the Implementation of the Universal Kindergarten
Education for SY 2011-2012 May 4, 2011.
Department Order No. 21, S. 2012. Policies and Guidelines on the Implementation of the Universal Kindergarten
Education Program. March 20, 2012.
DepEd Order on NESC http.//curriculumleadershipedublogs.org

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