Teachers in Trouble: An Exploration of the Normative Character of Teaching

Abstract

The teacher who has an affair with a student. The teacher who is a transvestite. The teacher who advocates personal beliefs. These are 'teachers in trouble.' Their behaviour, whether it occurs in the classroom or off the job, offends the community and brings down censure from the school board. At root, schools are cultural institutions and teaching, a cultural activity. Teachers are expected to shape students according to accepted community norms. They interpret and apply curricula - and can divert curricula from their intended purpose. Teachers are at the eye of the vortex in the struggle for control over education, buffeted by the forces of social change and conflicting public expectations. The authors of this book examine how teacher conduct is monitored and what types of misconduct can produce 'social dramas.' Boards of reference have been established to arbitrate disputes between school boards and teachers who are dismissed. Drawing on the decisions of these boards of reference across Canada, the authors identify normative issues and propose a classification scheme for contentious behaviours. Teachers in Trouble poses fundamental questions about the role of teachers in society. It is an invaluable guide for teachers and professional organizations, education administrators, and members of the community who are concerned about ethics in our schools.

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