A TEACHER...AN EDUCATOR

"If we work upon marble, it will perish; if on brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and imbue them with principles, with the just fear of God and the love of fellowmen, we engrave on those tablets something that will brighten to all eternity."

Every educator must also be a teacher and every teacher must also be an educator. Let me shed some light regarding this topic. Actually, this was one of the absorbing and informative subject taken up in Philosophy of education. When we speak of the word teacher, we confer to someone who has excellent know-how thus she has the skill to convey information. By an educator, we confer to someone who takes care of the development of the character of the individual. He is the one who actualizes the possibilities and capabilities of the child as well as leads him/her towards the right way of life. Education embraces not only the ingestion of information but also the development of character. Therefore, a teacher has to be an educator and an educator has to be a teacher.

There are certain requisites so that the teacher-educator can live up to the sincere sense of the role she has to delineate. First and foremost is the vocation. an inclination or a wanting to be such must be perceivable. A vocation is a special call from God therefore to really have oneself all out to carry on such vocation requires special grace as well. The spirit as well as the flesh must really be responsive. Thus the wanting for such magnanimous responsibility to teach must also be associated with the purposefulness of character to carry on such vocation.

The presence of love is imperative. Anything done out of love and for love's sake is a remarkable achievement. Such love is rooted in the love of God. Thus the teacher sees God in her pupils. Love is sacrifice. The teacher-educator will be self-giving and consecrated. She is someone who is not for material richness but much more for spiritual value. With this love goes the concern which is typified by the need to know the educands so as to utilize to their needs, to make teaching as well as learning more competent.

Lastly, we have authority. let me first clarify the term authority. By authority, it does not mean to control or insist on from others but rather it confers to service and for the teacher-educator that would mean to facilitate her students to grow. We have certain attributes to acquire in order to attain authority. They are five:
1) physical,
2) psych-social,
3) intellectual,
4) pedagogical, and
5) moral.
For the physical aspect, it involves a generally good physical appearance. This does not impose one to be extra-beautiful but simply to have a pleasing personality. The voice regards a lot too. A teacher-educator with either monotone or high-pitch voice abate eagerness among learners thus well-modulated voice (which can be developed) is important. There must be abilities in movement. For the psych-social qualities, ability relating to others a well as being receptive has to be taken into account. In order to guide our students to maturity, the teacher-educator must be the first to be matured. Intellectual aspects implicates the acquirement of the comprehensibility of ideas as well as expression so the communication arts have to be developed. Pleasant and objective judgment must prevail in her. Ingenuity which comes from a vivid imagination must be enhanced. The teaching competencies or what is known as the didactic qualities of a teacher-educator are all under the pedagogical aspect. Lastly, we have the moral aspect. The teacher educator must also serve as a model. She has to be a living exemplification of someone who employs frugality, valor, providence, and integrity. Veracity and simplicity must be her notable rules.

That is the teacher-educator. For the young aspiring teacher-educators, let us not be afraid of the requirements, shall I say, imposed upon us but rather to look at them as a challenges and guides so that one day we can be real teacher-educators. Success and gratuities do not come first. So little by little let us develop ourselves. For well-determined persons with lofty hopes and dreams, nothing is inconceivable. If we really desire to be benevolent teachers as well as educators, then let us start now, let us not delay and run through any minute. This maybe a tall order for us yet that quotation from Plato rings on my ears "THE ROOTS OF EDUCATION ARE BITTER YET THE FRUIT IS SWEET."