W poszukiwaniu chrześcijańskiego fundamentu etyki zawodowej nauczycieli

Abstract

The fact that there are only a few Church pronouncements on the ethics of the teaching profession is a challenge to look for a Christian foundation for it somewhere else. The author proposes an indirect route, by invoking the Christian vision of school and education, discerning the social dimension of the teacher's mission and interpreting the teacher's profession as a way of Christian vocation after the model of Christ the Teacher. In the light of the Vatican II documents, post-conciliar social teaching and a special document issued by the Congregation of Catholic Education, the author stresses the educational functions of the school. At the same time he presents an integrate dvision of education that recognizes the autonomy of the pupil and his participation the education process and recognizes the fundamental rights of parents in education. All that leads to a number of practical ethical precepts. One natural element of integral formation is to prepare the pupil for participation in the life of society. The preparation crucially depends on one's conception of social life. In the author's opinion the social dimension of the educator's mission is determined by the Christian vision of social commmunication through faith and love and by the Christian conception of work. Being a teacher and an educator is more than just a proffesion; it is vocation, which to a Christian means,being called by God. The model Christ the Teacher makes it possible to see the essence of the calling in more specific terms.