Philosophy

Philosophy & Practice of Teaching

I am a Christian, the “born-again” kind. My philosophy and practice of teaching is founded on my Christian faith and belief. Foremost among these is the belief that man and the world are creations of God. I believe that man is made up of body, soul and spirit and death is merely physical, a doorway into a spiritual world where soul & spirit continue to live. I believe that after death, man (soul & spirit) is destined for either heaven or hell, and one’s decision here and now determines one’s destiny hereafter.

Being convinced of these, could one teach the temporal and ignore the eternal? As such, I devote my first two meetings to discussing the metaphysical, the nature of reality and Aristotle’s summum bonum. Then I pose the proverbial 64-dollar question, “Believing all these (the above), what should a man do?” A lively discussion would invariably ensue. "Shouldn’t one exert all effort to insure that one goes to heaven and not to hell? Shouldn’t one seek with all his strength the “key” that will open heaven?" Then I point them the way to the “key.” Whether they go that way or they go their own way is wholly their decision. After this final word, all further discussions on the topic are by consultation outside the classroom.

I believe that what distinguish UP graduates, apart from critical consciousness, are high moral and ethical values. I believe a UP graduate should stand on high moral ground, whether in politics, business and finance, practice of profession or education.

My philosophy of education is founded on the fear of God. The oft quoted phrase is so appropriate, “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.”

But then again, it’s all a matter of faith. In my case, I believe I have made the right decision. I refuse to gamble ETERNITY on the chance that there’s nothing beyond death. At UP we are good at analyzing “what if” scenarios. It should not be difficult to arrive at a logical conclusion and optimal decision.

New Posts

Ads

Freelance award-winning Filipino 3D animator and graphics artist