Teacher Authority on the Eve of the Educational Reform

Abstract

We live in the world of rapid progress and industrial development which do not favour creating feeling of security and stability in people’s lives. The degradation of values which, until recently, have been present in social awareness and connected with such institutions as school, the Church, family and the state is commonly noticed. The image of a contemporary teacher, which until today has been perceived as the foundation of education and upbringing, has also been undermined. We ask ourselves what a teacher should be like to meet the demands of the contemporary times and how to establish the teacher authority again. On the one hand, students would like their teacher to be open, caring, kind, tolerant and fair. On the other hand, they want them to be knowledgeable and creative. For teachers competence, requirements and openness are the most important. Hence, students would like to have a perfect teacher who could also substitute for their par-ents. Such opinions indicate a slow crisis of a family and its failing function to bring up and take care of children. What is more, the upcoming educational reform requires teachers’ effort to meet the new educational challenges. Thus, both time and a new foundation are needed to rebuild the weakened teacher authority.