I. INTRODUCTION

According to British Dictionary definition of Anthropology, it is the study of human,

their origins, physical characteristics, institutions, religious beliefs, social relationships and other

analogous terms.

Any person who wanted to advance his knowledge on anthropology may conduct a

systematic, rigorous investigation of a situation or problem in order to generate new knowledge

or validate existing knowledge.

As a student of Advantage Anthropology, we are tasked to know the deeper meaning of

teaching profession thru conducting an interview with three (3) teachers in Antipolo City,

particularly Victory Elijah Christian College – a non-stock, non-profit educational institution

offering Kindergarten thru Grade 10 learners. I have interviewed three teachers, licensed to

teach by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), Board of Teacher and are teaching for

more than 5 years. In my narration I called them Teacher 1, Teacher 2, and Teacher 3

respectively.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study seeks to explore life inside the profession of teachers in Antipolo City,

particularly Victory Elijah Christian College – a non-stock, non-profit educational institution

offering Kindergarten thru Grade 10 learners.

Specifically, this study may delve into specific questions such as:

1. How may life be described in the teaching profession?2. How is life in the teaching profession?3. How do teachers communicate with one another?4. What are the conflicts experienced by teachers with the profession nd how are they

managed?5. What language sustains the teaching profession as a community?6. What are the dominant cultural values of teacher?7. What are enduring norms of teachers?8. What are the significant symbols in the teaching profession?9. How does the teaching profession manage the conflict between its explicit

ideals/worldviews and implicit reality/ethos?

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II. LIFE IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Teachers are in a unique position to have a direct impact on their students. Teachers can

see their work in action, see the changes they affect, and in so doing they witness firsthand their

goals coming to fruition. Teachers have direct interactions with the people they’re helping, and

whatever their goals may be, this allows them to see these goals realized. Most teachers are not

teaching for money and recognition BUT to make a difference – to learn, inspire and realize the

value of education, that is to help people and affect positive change.

When Teacher 1 was asked on how may life be described in the teaching profession, she

answered that, the teachers’ life is to Educate. She considers herself a great teacher on reason

that she love to educate students thru imparting information to her students and working with

them to ensure total understand not only on concept and theories but practical application as

well. As a teacher, she is engaged in motivating and inspiring her students to learn; that she

always teach her students with passion and she chooses to impart lesson that will last a lifetime

that will make her students excel.

Teacher 2 answers in a different perspective. She describes life in the teaching profession

is to inspire students in all aspects of their lives- to be a role model, as someone who inspires and

encourages students to strive for greatness thru experiences and commitment. She said, that as

students strive for greatness they realized full potential to become the best they can be. She

further declares that she always inspires uninterested pupils to become engrossed in learning thru

motivation and helping the student to participate and focus for examples in reading, language

learning, making science fun, and turn history lesson into exciting stories. She said that, she

wanted to leave to her students an indelible mark that lasts a lifetime, because she see and

behold- important decision made in life were inspired by teacher like me.

Teacher 3 answers a different concept. She said that life in the teaching profession may

be described as to change – to affect change. As a teacher she wanted to meet the demand of

great teacher by improving the quality of education for everyone and only her students. She is

willing to work in high needs school, where there is low teacher retention and impoverished

communities desperate for committed, talented teacher like herself. She enrolled herself in a

master’s degree program just to advance and increase her knowledge and be eligible for

promotion with her intention to becoming a School Principal or School Administrator.

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According to teacher 3, her goal is to “make a difference” – she wanted to change the lives of her

students and to change the face of education of our country – our beloved Philippines.

III. TEACHERS COMMUNICATION WITH ONE ANOTHER

Effective teacher to teacher communication is vitally essential to success as a teacher.

Education is an extremely difficult concept for those outside the field to understand. Having

peers that who can collaborate with and lean on during tough times is essential. Finding self in

isolation and/or always having a conflict with peers, then there is a reasonable chance to make

some changes for the good of everyone.

According to teacher 1, the reason she communicates with colleagues is to build positive

relationship within the member of the teaching force. As a sign of respect to her co-teachers, she

will always avoid discussing anything against them; and will ignore unhealthy conversational,

confrontational or combative issues. She is open to new ideas and objective reprimand from her

superiors.

With teacher 2 and 3, they said that one thing they will avoid is to startle, spreading

gossip and hearsay and being critical to their co-teacher.

All three teachers concluded that healthy conversation with co-teacher, and superior is

lasting and promotes well-being of the teaching profession.

IV. THE CONFLICTS EXPERIENCED BY TEACHERS WITHIN THE

PROFESSION AND HOW ARE THEY SOLVED

With teacher 1, she experienced a conflict with her disruptive and highly emotional

students. Her authority is always challenged by her students. A solution that she had in mind is

to adopt an open and proactive approach by being credible. She started credibility from the first

day of class and is continually throughout the quarter and school year. She said that she uses

organization, enthusiasm, solid knowledge of the content, and fairness to all just to help to build

and maintain credibility. But of course sometimes she fails. She said that by acknowledging her

failure and the situation, she still focuses on ensuring that her class get access to the required

information as soon as possible. Another thing is that she adopts a clear setup of expectations by

writing them in course outline and stating them in class. Still another that she said is thru

developing rapport. She said that once she develop rapport, her students work better. She calls

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students by name and is present a few minutes before and after class to answer her student’s

questions. She also gave time to chat to her students. Teacher 1 also solves conflict thru the use

of dynamic teaching style where she already prepares her lessons and gave the class a good

presentation and facilitation of skills as well as enthusiasm. Thru this style, her students keep

attentive and focused and help prevent distracting behavior such as lateness, talking and

sleeping. She uses interactive teaching methods to help prevent distracting behavior of students

especially on her class lecture.

For Teacher 2, she experienced a conflict with her co-teacher by avoiding her and

subconsciously finding fault with everything her co-teacher say or do. Thank God, she was able

to solve the conflict. According to her, she was able to handle the conflict the latest. She wrote

a letter if they can talk after class time, and they were able to talked-out and asked nicely about

the conflict.

Teacher 3 said, that the conflict she experienced is a big issue, it was according to her

principal policies and practices, they discussed on the staff meeting. She said that she tried to

solve the conflict by observing utmost professionalism and a joint problem solving. She first

avoid personal criticism of the school administration. She said that she was able to consider the

issue and see the problem from the other person’s perspective. She then, was able to attentively

and reflect upon what her school principal was driving on. She said that, at the end of the day,

she was able to determine degree of compromise that she is willing to live with. With a positive

attitude she choose to work on a good relationship with her superiors by evaluating whether or

not her expectations are realistic, reasonable, achievable and can identify possible alternative and

workable solutions.

V. THE LANGUAGE AND HOW IT SUSTAIN THE TEACHING PROFESSION AS

A COMMUNITY

Teachers need access to a wide range of information to function well in the classroom.

Few teachers know little about their student cultural and linguistic background, or understand the

challenges inherent in learning to speak and read standard language.

Teacher 1, 2, and 3 provided related answers to this question. They said that as teachers,

they need to know more about language- consider themselves a Teacher- Communicator – thru

communicating clearly with their students, an essential ingredient in effective teaching. They

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said that for them to communicate successfully, they must know how to structure their own

language output for maximum clarity and have strategies for understanding what students are

saying, since understanding student talk is key to analysis of what students know, how they

understand, and what teaching moves would be useful. In a society that is creating increasingly

diverse classrooms, teachers are more and more likely to encounter students with whom they do

not share a first language or dialect and a native culture. They understand that good knowledge

on linguistics can help them see that the discourse patterns they value are aspects of their own

cultures and backgrounds; they are neither universal nor inherently more valid than other

possible patterns. They concluded that without such an understanding, they themselves as

assumers that there is something wrong with their students whose ways of using language are not

what they expect.

VI. THE DOMINANT CULTURAL VALUES OF TEACHERS

Dominant culture values can be characterized by a high consistency of cultural traits and

customs, modern societies are often a conglomeration of different, often competing, cultures and

subcultures. In such a situation of diversity, a dominant culture is one that is able, through

economic or political power, to impose its values, language, and ways of behaving on a

subordinate culture or cultures. This may be achieved through legal or political suppression of

other sets of values and patterns of behavior, or by monopolizing the media of communication.

Teacher 1and 2 answers the question by saying that, as a teacher they need to honor their

student experience. When they are asked by their class about issues of personal and social

identity, they provide safe space where their students are seen, valued, cared for, and respected.

They said, that it is important that thier students have opportunities to learn from one another’s

varied experienced and perspective. To create this learning, every teacher like themselves needs

to skillfully draw on their students experiences to enrich the curriculum and show that as

teachers they value their learner’s lives and identities in a variety of ways.

According to Teacher 3, she would share stories that will invite her learners to share

personal or life stories. She believes that as she share true to life stories, her students

respectfully and thoughtfully connects and acquire great power. Well of course, she added that

her stories are chosen carefully, brief, and told at a level that invites appropriate student sharing.

She said that she encourages a walking tour with her students to highlight neighborhood places

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that they find meaningful in relation to relevant social issues. She uses the educational tour as an

exciting and learning experience of the class.

VII. THE ENDURING NORMS OF TEACHERS

Norms of teachers are anchored on: respect, responsibility and rigor. They guide

scholarly behavior of the teacher and are the basis for compliments given to them by members of

the community on the basis of their demonstration of norms of respect, responsibility and rigor.

Teachers 1, 2, 3 provided related answers. They said than when they set norms in their

class they keep in mind that it is important to hear all voices. They believe that it is a good idea

to give students time to think and write about how they wish to be treated and what norms they

would like to see put in place. They always encourage their entire classroom on brain storming.

In conclusion, both teachers agree on creating an inclusive classroom environment through

which all student voices are heard and honored.

VIII. THE SIGNIFICANT SYMBOLS IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Symbolism allows a teacher to communicate beyond the limits of language. A teacher

uses symbolism all the time. Words themselves are mere symbols for something else. A symbol

is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself. National, religious, and

cultural symbols have standard interpretations as well as a personal significance for each

individual. The personal significance, however, varies. In teaching profession, teachers who

educate children deserve more honor than parents who merely gave birth; for bare life is

furnished by the one, the other ensures a good life.

According to teacher 1, she considers symbols in teaching profession as unique and

wonderful such as logo, motto statement and word. For her, such symbols can establish unity in

her own endeavor.

As to teacher 2, she believes that the symbol of teaching profession is “Education” per se.

She said that thru education, knowledge is transmitted and brings desirable changes in the

behavior of her students. On her views, education is the only field that touches every spheres of

life.

Teacher 3 believes that another symbols of the teaching profession is “the Teacher”. As

she performs her duty of teaching, provides guidance and facilitates opportunities to learn to the

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horizon of ultimate knowledge, she is contributing to that symbol. As said that as a teacher she

is duty bound to impart and take care of global as well as context relevant knowledge. Her

existence is expected in the world for performing her role of educating students. She contributes

to that pivot role in education that is inevitable to denote, unique, with prestigious identity and

toward an international level.

IX. MANAGING CONFLICT IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION BETWEEN THE

PROFESSION WORLDVIEWS AND IMPLICIT REALITY/ETHOS

Worldviews are those systems or structures within which our values, beliefs, and

assumptions lie. They influence how we see ourselves and others (identities) and how we make

meaning of our lives and relationships.

Teacher 1, 2, 3 provide similar thought and answers the questions on what they

experienced and learned as teacher. They said that in resolving conflict it is a necessity that

some kind of change must be adopted. They further said that it is essential to understand the

operation of worldviews or when people are asked to change their identity or things they find

meaningful, they will resist, sometimes even when the alternative is death. Their understanding

on worldviews keep their lives coherent, giving them a sense of meaning, purpose, and

connection. They believe that conflict resolution processes help people look into each other's

worldviews without trying to change them. The three (3) teachers considers that in developing

approaches to uncover shared values, an important area for future development in conflict

analysis and resolution are being undertaken and cared upon.

SYNTHESIS AND CONCLUSION

The continued professionalization of teaching is a long-standing. Professionalism is a

complex and elusive concept; it is dynamic and fluid. As professionals, we are governed by our

professional relationships with other members of the culture, school administrators, students and

the general public by rules of conduct. The professional teacher is the essential element in the

delivery of instruction to students, regardless of the mode of instruction. The educational

interests of students are best served by professional teachers who practice under conditions that

enable them to exercise professional judgment.

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