BY: JACKIE LYN V. LOZADA
“A highly developed values system is like a compass. It serves as a guide to point you in the right direction when you are lost“.
Source: Idowu Koyenikan, Wealth for All: Living a Life of Success at the edge of Your Ability
Filipinos have unique traits and characteristics that clearly define who we are as a people. We have good qualities that we are commonly known for that surely attract foreign countries, visitors, and other races to our motherland, especially us Filipinos who dwell in it. I admit that we are not perfect; we have flaws, mistakes, and negative characteristics. However, as Filipinos, we have distinct qualities and some of the best traits in the world that we can be proud of. We are Filipinos by nature. We have different respectable values and characteristics that are innate in every one of us. It is our pride that we must treasure as long as we live.
The Filipino values system arises from our culture or way of life, our distinctive way of becoming human in this particular place and time. It is the norms, ethical practices, etiquette, cultural and personal values that are common and shared by Filipinos in their society. Filipino values system is molded in place where love, faith and hope exist. It is very important for us as people, especially for me as a pre-service teacher, because it will help me to become a better individual and become a better version of myself. It will give me clear goals and serve as my guiding torch that lights up the journey I will take. Filipino values are important to me because they empower my personal moral standards and shape my behavior to become a just and rational individual. Learning and applying these values will guide me as a pre-service teacher in how I should behave and act in various situations that I may encounter. A person with good values has a more structured way of living. That’s why having it as a future teacher will give me more opportunities to grow, strengthen my knowledge, and equip me with compassion, peace, and justice to teach my future students to be active, competent, and excellent students, not just in terms of academics, but most especially in their moral values.
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader”.
dolly parton
Imagine yourself living in this world wherein most people hate you because you are immoral? I can’t imagine myself teaching in front of my students as well as serving as a bad influence on them by doing bad things. I believe that “action speaks louder than words”. That’s why it is important for me as a pre-service teacher to serve as a role model for my fellow Filipino citizens, especially to my students, on how to live righteously, morally, and Godly in this present world. Thus, let us appreciate the fact that these values should be applied to our society to have a good potential in terms of working for our human uplifting and to our national betterment. We must learn to strengthen and enrich our Filipino value system by preserving it as our own wealth. Good values are our treasure. They are something as precious as diamonds and jewels that no one can steal from us. It is the only legacy that we can leave to our students.
Having good value helps me to create the future I want to experience. It helps me find my worth and the purpose of my existence in this world. The Filipino value system reminds me of my true essence as a human. It made me appreciate that there is a God who created us, and He, as a holy and righteous being, wants us to be like Him by obeying His goodwill. Good values are important to us because they act as a boundary line, limiting what we do in order to avoid harm. We are the ship sailing in big waves and stormy seas, and these values serve as our rudder, guiding and disciplining us along the right path or direction that we have chosen. As a person, I learned that great accomplishments stem from our contentment, peace, and happiness, as well as how others treat us equally with respect and love as a result of our good deeds or good works.
“At the end of the day, the position is just a position, a title is just a title, and those things come and go. It’s really your essence and your values that are important”.
QUEEN RANIA OF JORDAN
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