Republic of the Philippines

Iloilo Science and Technology University

Miagao Campus
Miagao, Iloilo

ED2 The Teaching Profession

First Semester 2023

UNIT 9:
TEACHING, THE NOBLEST OF ALL PROFESSIONS

Learning Outcomes:
 Cite reasons why teaching is said to be the noblest of all professions
 Commit to the teaching profession, the noblest of all profession

“A teacher is never an ordinary person. Construction and destruction can be produced in

his lap.”
- Chanakya

INTRODUCTION
- Teaching has a lot of demands. That is why only a few answer to teach. Even for
those who respond to the call, sometimes their response is half-hearted because
they find themselves in a situation where there is no other choice. Or if finally, they
become professional teachers they introduce themselves as teacher “lang” (meaning
teacher only) or leave after three or four years of teaching. Only a few embrace it as
their mission while on earth. Yet, it has always been described as the noblest
profession.

ACTIVITY: Lets View and Discuss

View the moving story of Teddy and Ms. Thompson at YouTube title “Three Letters
from Teddy”.

ANALYSIS: Let’s Analyze

1. What do you like most in the story? Why?

2. Do you know of a student who is similarly situated as “Teddy?”
3. Did you ever have a “Ms. Thompson” in your life?
4. Any lesson learned?

ABSTRACTION/GENERALIZATION Let’s add to what you’ve learned

 The story of Teddy must have touched you a lot. I have seen it and presented it to the
audiences of teachers a number of times and it has only touched me. Let us remember that
they are a lot of “Teddy’s” in our classes. But there may be a few “Ms. Thompson’s” in the
classrooms. The likes of “Ms. Thompson’s” as a teacher is said to be an “endangered,
disappearing species”. Hopefully the story touched you so much that starting from now you
vowed to be liked “Ms. Thompson” to all your students in the future and so like of “Ms.
Thompson” multiplies.

Convinced of the nobility of the teaching profession, and Henry Adams also said, “A
teacher affects eternity; no one knows where his influence stops.”
John Steinback, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, claims
“Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human
mind and spirit.” While the artist works on canvass, the teacher works on human mind and
heart.
The greatest men and women in history were teachers – Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,
Confucius. Lao Tsu, Siddharta Gautama, Jesus Christ. Their teachings have transformed the
individual and collective lives of their followers and their words. Their teachings
reverberate up to the present.
An old anecdote about teachings and teacher may convince you more that you are
preparing for a profession which is the noblest of all professions. It is considered the
mother of all professions. Teacher have a special place in heaven. Agree or disagree? Read
“Their Special Place in Heaven” lifted from Teacher Teacher: A Tribute to Teachers
Everywhere published by the Technological Institute of the Philippines on the occasion of its
50th Foundation Anniversary. This is an old story told again and again, but let me share it
with you anyway.

Their Special Place in Heaven

By Cynthia Ferrer Gubler

At the gates of heaven, Saint Peter stood, resplendent, holding the keys to heaven.
Before him snaked a very long line of people eager to pass through the portals of
heaven.

Saint Peter asked the man at the head of the line

Saint Peter asked the man at the head of the line a simple question: “Why, dear sir,
should I let you enter heaven?” The man replied: “I am a doctor. In my lifetime, I
saved lives, cured the sick and gave them and their families a better quality of life.”

To which Saint Peter commented: “Remarkable. You may enter through the gates of
Paradise and enjoy your rightful place.”

Next in line was a woman dressed in a no-nonsense business suit. Saint Peter asked
her the same. “Why should I let you enter the heaven, dear woman?” And she replied:
“I’m an entrepreneur. I gave people decent jobs, paid them well enough to feed,
clothe, shelter and afford their families the niceties in life.”

“Ah,” said Saint Peter. “Indeed, that is remarkable as well. But, of course, you may
enter heaven.”

A young man in uniform stepped up and faced Saint Peter and to the same question,
he responded: “I am a policeman. In my lifetime, I came to the succor of the citizenry,
protected it against criminals who plagued the streets down on earth.”

Saint Peter was impressed, gave the young man a pass to enter through the gates of
heaven.

Soon, it was the turn of dignified elderly man, who did not wait for Saint Peter to pose
him the question, and offered his reason: “I am a lawmaker. I crafted laws and
policies for the benefit of all the stakeholders of society, prescribing their rights and
violations, thereof.”

Impressed with the lawmaker’s credentials, Saint Peter let him through, without any
hesitation.

Fast on the heels of the lawmaker, a young woman, austerely dressed, came up front.
“Tell me, young lady, why should I let you in?” Saint Peter asked. She replied, “I am a
lawyer, Saint Peter. To the best of my abilities, I defended the rights of victims and, at
times, the rights of accused, just as vigorously.”

“Commendable!” roared Saint Peter in delight.

Saint Peter now faced a middle-aged man with rimmed glasses. The man had heard
the question that St. Peter had posed those ahead of him, and he had a ready
answer: “I am a scientist, dear Saint Peter. I helped unlock the secrets of life and the
secrets of the fields: research, technology, communications, medicine, transportation,
galactic travel among others. And in doing to, I assure you, I never lost my awe and
wonder of the Creator of such majesty and grandeur as the universe.”

Saint Peter could not contain his delight and permitted the man to enter heaven.

In stark contrast to the scientist who left, a tall, dignified man in a well-cut Italian suit
and handmade silk tie stepped up in front of the line. My dear man, Saint Peter said,
feeling more loquacious. “You must agree that I did well letting the scientist into
heaven. Pray, tell me, why I should let you through the gates of heaven: And to this
the man replied: I am diplomat. With all my God-given skills very hard to eradicate
the scourge of war that has visited people time and time again and devastated scores
and scores of generations to the human race.”
 “But of course, a peacemaker,” Saint Peter murmured appreciatively. “Do take your
place in heaven as promised to peacemakers.”

This line of questioning continued down the line of souls who stood before Saint
Peter, eager to disclose to him their rights to enter heaven: farmer, architect,
fisherman, engineer; bus driver, household help, actor comedian; banker, parent,
computer analyst, financier; politician, chief executive officer, country president, chef.

Finally, the last person in the line stood before Saint Peter. It had been a long day,
and he was pleased that he did not have to turn anyone away. He looked at the
simple woman before him and asked the same question for the last time that day.
“My dear lady, thank you so much for waiting so patiently for your turn. Now, tell me,
why should I let you into heaven?”

And the elderly woman responded, without rancor or recriminations at being heard
last: “Dear Saint Peter…This is why you should let me through the gates into heaven.
Those people who entered a head of me…they become who they were…because of
me.”

In a mixture of pride and humility, she continued: “I am their teacher.

Saint Peter silently nodded, breaking into smile. His job for the day had ended. He
locked the gates of heaven, only after the teacher stepped in for her just deserved
reward.

Indeed, a teacher is powerful. You are in a very noble profession where you help
others become what they want to be. You are in profession where you can touch lives and
affect eternity. In the United States of America, the global financial institution ING
conducted a survey in 2010 in conjunction with the National Teacher of the Year Award. A
significant finding was: eighty-eight percent (88%) of one thousand (1000) – Americans age
18 and older who were surveyed-identified at least one teacher who had a significant
positive impact on their life. (Saenz, 2012)
A teacher has the power to touch lives and make a difference in peoples’ lives. “The
influence of a good teacher can never be erased,” says one quotable quote. Just remember
the moving story of Teddy and Ms. Thompson. May you be a “Ms. Thompson” to all your
students in the future. If you do that, you prove the world that teaching, indeed, is a noble
profession.

Congratulations, you chose the noblest of all profession. May you find fulfillment in
your profession!

TO COMMIT OR NOT TO COMMIT?