Abstract
According to the research literature, the teacher is perceived as a cultural agent of society, an agent of knowledge and values. Jewish society also charged teachers with the obligation for the growth and success of their students, as part of an ethical-religious, national, and supra-generational endeavor. Studies in Israel and around the world show that the status of teachers as perceived by the general public in Israel is extremely low and that their image is at a low. During the Covid-19 crisis, several processes occurred that might have affected the status of various professions and occupations, including teaching. This study seeks to examine the portrayal of teachers with regard to their personal, ethical, and pedagogic profile, in comparison to other cultures and faiths: in rabbinical literature, ancient Greece, Christianity, and Islam. The study examines the status of the optimal teacher in comparison to contemporary reality, showing that in modern society teachers are losing their status—in a process leading from the lofty to the common. The research findings indicate that in rabbinical literature, as in other faiths and cultures, teachers are perceived as ideal role models, as far as their theoretical professionalism, moral virtues, and life style. This is a profession with lofty, particular, universal, and historical meaning. The study indicates that in the past teachers were perceived by society as lofty, knowledgeable, and role models, but over the years this image was gradually eroded until the profession was transformed into a common one, with a fairly low ranking on the hierarchy of professions. The low wages contributed to this image, leading to a reality where those acquiring a career in teaching are of the second and third ranks as far as their personality and intellect. The research findings stress the transformation of the teaching profession from the lofty status to the low status. In light of the demands set by this profession in the present complex, technological, and global world, the status of the teacher as perceived by teachers and by society may rise yet again, deservedly, to become one of the socially prestigious and exalted professions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Al-Ghazali. (2001). Reviving the information of religion. Dar al-Fakr.
Averbuch, M. (2008). Jewish education in the time of the Mishna and Talmud. Reuven Mass [Hebrew].
Al Naqib. (2009). Abd Al-Rahman Al Naqib, "Ibn Sina on Education". Available at https://muslimheritage.com/ibn-sina-on-education/#ftnref40
Avicenna (Ibn Sina). (2007). Politics. Badayat.
Awad, Y., Zuabi, H. & Halil, M. (2010). The image of the good teacher in Arab culture. Ma’or u-Ma’aseh, 13, 71–94 [Hebrew].
Bank of Israel Annual Report. (2020). https://www.boi.org.il/en/NewsAndPublications/RegularPublications/Pages/DochBankIsrael2020.aspx
Ben Artzi, S. (2019). The status of the good teacher. Kav Lehinuch, 732. https://kavinfo.co.il/%D7%9C%D7%93%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%95-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%98%D7%95%D7%91/ [Hebrew]
Ben Peretz, M. (2009). Position paper on the topic: The teacher’s status: New directions. Haifa University [Hebrew].
Blass, N. (2009). Literature review and case description on improving the attractiveness of the teaching profession. The Initiative for Applied Research in Education [Hebrew].
Blass, N., & Romanov, D. (2013). Series of policy papers on the uniformity of teachers’ pay and their relative status versus other employees. Taub Center [Hebrew].
Brandes, Y. (2019). In his way. Herzog College [Hebrew].
Clarke, L. (2016). Teacher status and professional learning: The place model. Critical Publishing.
de Montaigne, M. E. (1580). Essays, book 1, chap. 25 “On the Education of Children”. http://essays.quotidiana.org/montaigne/education_of_children/
Elior, R. (2012). Who were the first teachers? Who did they learn from and what did they teach? http://mikrarevivim.blogspot.com/2012/10/blog-post_10.html [Hebrew].
Encyclopedia Britannica. Scholasticism. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scholasticism
Gilat, I., & Wengrowicz, N. (2018). The status of teachers in Israeli society today. Dapim, 68, 11–27.
Green, T. (1998). The Activities of teaching. Educators Intl Pr Inc.
Hansen, A. (2009). Researching ‘teachers in the news’: The portrayal of teachers in the British national and regional press. Education 3–13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years of Education, 37(4), 335–347.
Hargreaves, L., & Flutter, J. (2019). The status of teachers. In Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.288
Harpaz, Y. (2000). A good teacher: Between logics and ideologies. Ma’of u-Ma’ase: Journal of Theory and Research in Education, 13, 1–17 [Hebrew].
Hoyle, E. (2001). Teaching: Prestige, status and esteem. Educational Management & Administration, 29(2), 139–152.
Ibn Khaldun, A. (1965). Al-Muqaddimah. Mossad Bialik [Hebrew].
Kahana, M., Kister, M., Noam, V. & Rosenthal, D. (Eds.) (2018). Introduction to rabbinic literature. Yad Ben-Zvi [Hebrew].
Kramer, A., & Kramer, K. Z. (2020). The potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on occupational status, work from home, and occupational mobility. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103442
Levy-Feldman, I. (2010). Who are you, the “desirable” teacher? Hachinuch Usvivo, 32, 87–104. https://www.smkb.ac.il/media/ppmis3qv/087-104.pdf [Hebrew].
Levy-Feldman, I. (2020). From teacher to mentor: The good teacher for the twenty-first century. Gilui Daat, 16, 43–69. https://daat.ac.il/mishpat-ivri/skirot/167-2.htm [Hebrew],
Levy-Feldman, I. & Nevo, N. (2013). Perception of the accomplished teacher among teacher educators in ‘‘research oriented’’ and ‘‘teaching oriented’’ institutes in Israel. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 39(3), 153–160. file:///C:/Users/Amir/Downloads/1-s20-S0191491X13000242-main12.pdf
Mashiach, A. & Davidovich, N. (2021, May–August). Between tradition and modernity: On Judaism and an old-new pedagogy. Laplage em Revista (International), 7, n. Extra B, 111–124. https://laplageemrevista.editorialaar.com/index.php/lpg1/article/view/1116
Mashiach, A. (2012a). Beit Hillel and Beit Shamay–Anthropocentric and theocentric attitude in Halakha and Agadah. Oreshet, 3, 101–110.
Mashiach, A. (2012b). The Jewish ethos and opportunism in the times of the great revolts in the 1st and 2nd centuries AC. Mar’eh., 7, 23–49.
Mashiach, A. (2020). The failure of the major revolts and its impact on Jewish identity. Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 19(56), 96–109. file:///C:/Users/amir%20mashiach/Downloads/1254–2514–1-SM.pdf
OECD. (2019). TALIS 2018 results (Volume I): Teachers and school leaders as lifelong learners, TALIS. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/1d0bc92a-en
Oplatka, I. (2012). Overload in the teacher’s work: Interpretation, causes, effects, and plan of action. Research report submitted to the Teachers’ Union in Israel. Tel Aviv University [Hebrew].
Reichel, N., & Arnon, S. (2009). A multicultural view of the good teacher in Israel. Teachers and Teaching, 15(1), 59–85.
Rivlin, A. (1985). Equal to all of them—The pedagogy of the sages. Sifriat Poalim [Hebrew].
Rony, R., & Donitsa-Schmidt, S. (2021). COVID-19: Education policy, autonomy, and alternative teacher education in Israel. Perspectives in Education, 39(1), 372–389.
Schleicher, A. (2018). World class: How to build a 21st-century school system. World Class. OECD. ISBN: 9789264299979. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264300002-en
Schoedinger, A. B. (Ed.). (1996). Readings in medieval philosophy. Oxford University Press.
Shner, M. (2020). The teacher, the student, and the school in a global cultural reality. http://www.levladaat.org/content/545 [Hebrew].
Sofer, O. (2013). The status of the desirable teacher. Hed Hachinuch, 87(4), 54–59 [Hebrew].
Stromquist, N. P. (2018). The global status of teachers and the teaching profession. Education International.
Taubenblat, S. R. (2011). The event of Rabbi Perida—Study of an agadeta, Sha’anan, 16, 101–112. https://www.shaanan.ac.il/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/8.pdf [Hebrew].
Weissblai, A. (2013). The education system in Israel-major issues discussed by the Education Committee. The Knesset-Research and Information Center.
Willis, A., Thiele, C., Dwyer, R., Grainger, P., & Simon, S. (2021). The pressing need to raise the status of the teaching profession: The launch story of the teachers of Australia social media campaign. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46(2), 16–28.
Zered, E. (2019). The teachers in Israel’s educational system. Knesset Research and Information Center [Hebrew].
Ziv, A. (1996). Personality and sense of humor. Papyrus [Hebrew].
Ziv, A. (2001). Psychological aspects of education. Yachdav [Hebrew]
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mashiach, A., Davidovitch, N. (2023). The Teacher's Image and Status: A Comparative View Between Past and Present. In: Zajda, J., Hallam, P., Whitehouse, J. (eds) Globalisation, Values Education and Teaching Democracy . Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research, vol 35. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15896-4_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15896-4_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-15895-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-15896-4
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)