Introduction

The National Teachers’ Month (NTM), held from September 5 to October 5, is a movement led by Metrobank Foundation, Inc., the Department of Education (DepEd), and various multi-sectoral groups which recognize Filipino teachers and educators and their contribution in shaping the country’s future through the “My Teacher, My Hero” campaign. The overall idea of the NTM celebrations is to engage the nation in joining the celebrations by bringing out the Teacher’s Day festivities from schools and into the public sphere.

Since 2011, the NTM movement has gained momentum beginning with the Presidential Proclamation 242 which formally declared “the period from September 5 to October 5 of every year as National Teachers’ Month”. In 2016, the movement reached a milestone with the enactment of the Republic Act 10743, official designating “October 5 of every year as National Teacher’s Day’,” – the culminating event of the NTM celebrations.

NTM intensifies its campaign to foster a culture of appreciation among the country’s heroes and heroines in the classrooms by engaging the public as well as various sectors to recognize the Filipino teachers’ service and contribution to national development.

NTM aims to engage the public in appreciating the contributions of Filipino teachers and the nobility of the teaching profession.

An ideal teacher of mine💝

Ideality of a teacher

The ideality of a teacher has to be determined by some solid and dependable tests. Therefore a teacher to be called ideal must acquire and cultivate.

Firstly, good education begins with sound academic instruction for which the teachers are required to be both scholarly and dutiful. To make his instruction interesting, the teacher must labour to make his lecture easy and lucid,so that students in general may follow him. He must also enforce the rules of study and neither neglect his duities nor tolerate any negligence on the part of the student.

Secondly, to help the formation of character, a teacher must combine the role of a friend and a philosopher whom the students emulate and that of a strict disciplinarian. They will have a free access into his personal association in the college, at home,in the library or at the playground.

Conclusion

It is a debatable point whether ideal teachers are entirely born or can be made in part. If scholarship alone would constitute the ideality of teachership, they could well be made because there are scholars outside the periphery of teaching. But qualities of the heart,such as intense interest in the career of students, love for their welfare and the attitude of treating students as sons and daughters, are never to be acquired by those who drift into the profession out of necessity or compulsion. Unless these inherent virtues are there, sheer intellect, laboured diligence or practised sterness of character cannot make a teacher ideal. Hence, it would be safe to say that ideal teachers - teachers like Dr.Arnold, Derozio,Here and Laski are born,not made.