Aside from the responsibilities of the school in the socialisation of children, some teachers spoke specifically about their role as teachers, summarised in Figure 3.7.
The need for teachers to be role models was the most popularly cited reason (26% of Greeks, 23% of Spanish, 15% of Swedish and 19% of UK teachers), such as, “ The role of the teacher is not solely to impart knowledge, but also to act as a role model for pupils .” Though most teachers emphasised the need to set positive 126 examples, some teachers highlighted that not everyone gets it right,
125 Swedish teacher’s reply in English
126 Rollen som lärare innebär inte att enbart stå för faktakunskaper, utan även att vara en förebild för elever
“ Because teachers spend a significant part of each day with the students and can act as a positive or negative example. ” 127
Figure 3.7. Frequency of responses in answering: What is the role of the teacher as an agent of socialisation?
There was also a difference between primary school teachers and secondary teachers: whereas primary teachers said things like “ Children do as adults do, not as adults say ,” secondary teachers 128 emphasised the agency of young people to either imitate or reject the models that teachers present them with: “ Teachers serve as role models or examples to avoid. ” Teachers also discussed how for 129 some children, the teacher and parent are taken to be one and the same, “ The teacher often becomes one with the parental model in children's eyes, which they trust and mimic. It’s unavoidable that they will influence their emotions and socialisation .” 130
127 Γιατί οι δάσκαλοι περνούν σημαντικό μέρος κάθε μέρας με τους μαθητές και μπορούν να αποτελέσουν θετικό ή αρνητικό παράδειγμα.
128 'Barn gör som vuxna gör, inte som vuxna säger.'
129 Οι εκπαιδευτικοί λειτουργούν ως πρότυπα προς μίμηση ή προς αποφυγή. 130 Ο δάσκαλος συχνά γίνεται ένα με το γονεϊκό πρότυπο στα μάτια των παιδιών, το οποίο εμπιστέυονται και μιμούνται. Έτσι αναπόφευκτα μπορεί να επηρεάσει τα συναισθήματα και την κοινωνικοποίησή τους.
The teacher’s role as a professional with its concomitant responsibilities, was another common response as to why teachers should be significant adults in charge of students’ socialisation, especially in Greece (21%), compared to Sweden (16%), the UK (14%) and Spain (13%). Common themes in all four countries were the social prestige of the teaching profession and education (or inversely, the difficulties of teaching due to lack of respect), the privileged position teachers have due to their education and training, and the need to follow the relevant educational policy, law and the curriculum. Answers from each of the countries regarding this theme follow.
Greece
Some of the Greek answers in the questionnaire highlighted not only the prestige of the teaching profession, as in, “ They
[teachers] are the first professionals the child meets, ” but the 131 responsibilities associated with accountability, “ Teachers are more accountable than even the most significant adults in the child's life, because they should be trained and educated to teach children how society functions .” Some teachers mourned the deteriorating 132 prestige of the profession, “ Despite the fact that the role of education has deteriorated tragically over the last 20 years, the teacher is still a role model for children. ” 133
In Greece, where the importance of the relationship between teacher and student was most likely to be mentioned, it was the influence of the teacher as an important adult in the child’s life that was regularly addressed, “ one of the adults that are closest to
131 Διότι είναι οι πρώτοι επαγγελματίες τους οποίους συναντά ένα παιδί... 132 Οι δάσκαλοι είναι περισσότερο υπεύθυνοι ακόμα και από τους πιο σημαντικούς ενήλικες στη ζωή του παιδιού, διότι θα έπρεπε να είναι καταρτισμένοι και εκπαιδευμένοι να μάθουν στα παιδιά τους τρόπους με τους οποίους λειτουργεί η κοινωνία. 133 Γιατί παρά το γεγονός ότι ο ρόλος του εκπαιδευτικού έχει υποβαθμιστεί τραγικά την τελευταία εικοσαετία, ο δάσκαλος αποτελεί ακόμα πρότυπο για τα παιδιά.
children and affects their thoughts, opinions and behaviour daily ,” 134 particularly what this influence entails (or rather, that the personal values of a teacher cannot help but be transmitted to students). As one Greek teacher put it, “ The teaching process often makes you express your personal view on subjects ,” and another that “ The 135 teachers bring a model of life, personify choices, express their values .” 136
Spain
In Spain the term ‘model’ and ‘role model’ was not as
commonly used as in the other countries, but rather the term ‘point of reference’- for example, teachers are socialising agents “ because children imitate actions, not words. And adults are the ultimate point of reference. ” If, as one Spanish teacher wrote, “ I believe that this responsibility is inextricably linked to the task of the teacher: not only to teach a subject, but to educate people to live, ” the question 137 really becomes: How do you become a point of reference for living? Such expectations of being good role models are likely linked to the importance and prestige which teachers are held in Spanish culture, for example, as one teacher describes herself, “ We are public
authorities that make up the most important institution in everyone's lives .” 138
But other teachers disagreed that they also need to be
perceived as an authority in the classroom, with some teachers citing
134 Γιατί είναι ένας από τους κοντινότερους ενήλικες στα παιδιά και τα επηρεάζει με τις σκέψεις του, τις απόψεις του και την συμπεριφορά του καθημερινά. 135 ...η διαδικασία της διδασκαλίας σε αναγκάζει πολλές φορές να εκφέρεις την προσωπική σου άποψη για κάποια θέματα κτλ. 136 Οι δάσκαλοι φέρουν ένα πρότυπο ζωής, προσωποποιούν επιλογές, εκφράζουν αξίες
137 Creo que esta responsabilidad está indisolublemente unida a la tarea del profesor: no sólo enseñas una asignatura, educas a personas para vivir. 138 Porque somos autoridades públicas que formamos parte de una de las instituciones más importantes en la vida de cualquier persona.
the Summerhill School model where students are given equal rights to teachers to co-create learning environments. In Spain many of the teachers - especially in primary school - saw the teacher-student relationship as a given because of the amount of time they spend with their students, “ By responsibility, for love of them, for sharing a lot of time with them, we have generated affective bonds .” 139
Sweden
In Sweden, the professional responsibilities of teachers were more commonly discussed as it then pertained to relevant policies and laws - be it the curriculum (called LGR11) or the School Act: “ We have a clear mandate under the School Act and curriculum to
students to develop both social abilities, knowledge and skills .” The 140 need for common values was also discussed: “ It would not be
possible (or, at the very least, not as effective) to educate unless we, as teachers, have stable values. ” How the teacher-student 141
relationship affects the learning process was also commonly
mentioned by the Swedish teachers, for example, “ In order that the learner should be able to learn something they need an emotional bond between themselves and the teacher, so that the learner is attached to the teacher. The social is hugely important in life ... I would almost say that emotional and social knowledge is the most important knowledge of life .” 142
139 Por responsabilidad, por amor a ellos, por compartir mucho tiempo con ellos hemos generado vínculos afectivos..
140 Vi har ett tydligt uppdrag enligt skollag och läroplan att elever ska utveckla både social förmåga, kunskaper och färdigheter.
141 Det skulle ju inte gå att (eller åtminstone inte lika bra) att bedriva undervisning då om inte vi står på en stadig värdegrund för vårt arbete.
142 För att eleven ska kunna lära sig något behövs ett emotionellt band mellan elev och
lärare, alltså att eleven har knutit an till läraren. Det sociala är enormt viktigt i livet... Skulle nästan säga att det emotionella och den sociala kunskapen är den viktigaste kunskapen i livet.
United Kingdom
The UK responses commonly talked about a ‘duty of care’ and the teacher’s moral responsibilities: “ As the responsible adult through a child's life they are the fire that captures the imagination and are charged with the responsibility of lighting it carefully. " The phrase ‘fail our children’ was also commonly used: “ As educators we have the children's best interests at heart. Without strong social, moral, emotional and spiritual development, we will fail our children ." Though specific laws were not mentioned relative to SEE, the
curriculum was: “ This is a central part of our curriculum and evidence shows significant improvements can be made following
interventions .” In terms of their duty of care as role models the UK teachers were very specific, including “ We are constantly modelling how to behave, interact, respond to situations and how to deal with conflict. ” This was also the case for emotions, specifically, that it is “ okay to share. ” Some teachers questioned whether SEE should even exist as a subject, as it was ultimately dependant on role modeling behaviour.
In the UK sample, the necessary conditions to have a positive teacher-student relationship were more likely to be discussed - particularly, the need for students to have respect for teachers. The role of the teacher as a person that can help support the student was also mentioned, “ Teachers know the children really well and are able to develop a supportive relationship with them .” Like for Greece, the great influence that teachers have in students’ lives was regularly mentioned as well. Of particular importance in the UK responses was the theme of whether teachers should be responsible for making up for the shortcomings of home life with 15% of teachers citing this as one of their roles, compared to only 4% in Spain, 3% in Greece and 3% in Sweden. These UK teachers described their role as having to compensate for a lack of socialisation at home: “ If they [students] are not nurtured well at home and given social experiences then school
needs to support children in being able to interact with people and understand and read body language and social situations .”
It was very common, however, for UK teachers to focus on the students’ parents as the problem, be it due to their lack of social skills, “ Some children's parents do a poor job- maybe because they don't have very good emotional intelligence themselves, ” due to parents not providing an initial secure attachment with their child, “ They [teachers] may for some children be that child's first
experience of a safe, secure attachment with an adult, ” or due to parents being poor role models, “ We can't assume these skills are being taught elsewhere. For some children we are the only role models of appropriate social skills. ”
Summary of teachers’ responses
A summary of teachers’ responses from the questionnaire as to the responsibility for students’ socialisation is presented below in Table 3.4.
Table 3.4. Responsibility for socialisation. Summary of teacher responses from the questionnaire.
Theme Sub-theme Teacher responses Schools and teachers Time spent/ lived in schools
“Children spend a lot of their time in school” “They [students] live together for many hours a day with their teacher” 143
Socialising facilitates learning
“It underpins the children's ability to learn”
“Success in academics is reliant on a happy, relaxed and calm child with a self-esteem which supports their emotional wellbeing and journey through life” “There is no learning without emotional, personal and social development. Otherwise, it is
indoctrination” 144
“Because learning means change not only at the cognitive level” 145
“Education means nothing if they don't know how to behave” 146 Help transition to school environ- ment
“Many of the children's social challenges are at school” 147
"Because school, or pre-school, is a particular social setting and children will need guidance, support and help in order to manage the move into that setting" “Seeing them every day in a relatively stable environment we can perhaps spot any signs of concern”
“They can encourage them to take risks in a safe environment”
Teach values
“We can show them the 'smorgasbord' of different values and then we can guide/give them tools to make good choices” 148
Shape personality
“Because teachers shape the formative features of the personality of students as well as their
behaviours” 149
Socialise emotion
“Teachers help pupils to understand what are acceptable emotional responses”
“You have to educate the emotional intelligence” 150
143 Porque conviven durante muchas horas al día con su profesor
144 No hay aprendizaje sin desarrollo emocional, personal y social. Lo contrario es
adoctrinamiento
145 Γιατί η γνώση σημαίνει αλλαγή όχι μόνο στο γνωστικό επίπεδο 146 Swedish teacher’s reply in English
147 Där måste kloka vuxna finnas till hjälp och guidning 148 Swedish teacher’s reply in English
149 Γιατί οι δάσκαλοι διαμορφώνουν και διαπλάθουν χαρακτηριστικά της προσωπικότητας
των μαθητών καθώς και τις συμπεριφορές τους
Table 3.4. Responsibility for socialisation. Summary of teacher responses from the questionnaire (contd.)
Theme Sub-theme Teacher responses
Schools and teachers (contd.) Live in a micro- society
“In order to build a democratic society the school is the place that can treat every student equal regardless of their background” 151
“Teaching the value of rules, respect for diversity, tolerance, belief systems. Rewarding positive behaviour and discouraging inappropriate or anti-social behaviour”
“The school is structured as a small country with its communities, regulations, hierarchies ... This introduces you to society”152
Develop- ment and wellbeing
"If we do not work with them we are missing opportunities to foster their emotional wellbeing" “These skills [SEE] are increasingly understood as more essential for the correct development of people” 153
Opportun- ities not available at home
“The school environment and the fact that there are many pupils in each class means that socialising can be approached in a way that is not possible in the home environment”
“Sometime children have different boundaries and expectations at home. At school children learn the socially accepted norms”
“I think teachers more ideal than their parents, because their motive is entirely selfless” 154
Manage relation- ships between students
“Inclusion of students in groups, the cultivation of cooperation” 155
“To build social skills is to allow a child to see their worth as an individual and the worth of others. It builds the foundations for being part of a cohesive, positive group.”
“It is an environment where they coexist with more people of the same age and adults” 156
“To create challenging situations or take advantage of those that happen in the classroom to teach them to relate to their peers and to adults” 157
151 Swedish teacher’s reply in English
152 La escuela está estructurada como un pequeño país con sus comunidades, normativas,
jerarquías... esto ta va introduciendo el sociedad.
153 Estas habilidades que cada vez se entienden como más esenciales para el desarrollo
correcto de las personas.
154 Τους θεωρώ ιδανικότερους και από τους γονείς, διότι το κίνητρό τους είναι απόλυτα
ανιδιοτελές.
155 Ένταξη των μαθητών σε ομάδες, καλλιέργεια συνεργασίας...
156Un entorno en el que conviven con más personas del mismo segmento de edad y con
adultos.
157 Porque está en la mano de los docentes crear situaciones conflictivas o aprovechar las
Table 3.4. Responsibility for socialisation. Summary of teacher responses from the questionnaire (contd.)
Theme Sub-theme Teacher responses
Family Parents are
responsible “Teachers should not be substitutes for parents”
158
Lack of training / support
“We should be responsible for this skill but many of us lack training for it…” 159
“The family has the key role in the proper emotional and social maturation of human beings. There are no substantial structures so that the school can actively help a student with a non-existent or problematic family environment” 160
“There's a lack of preparation and only knowledge that's to be imparted is thought about” 161
“We are not trained to teach them social/emotional issues so it is sometimes difficult to know what is correct”
SEE beyond teaching remit
“We are educators of subjects but we are not prepared to educate them socially. It is difficult to pose other types of activities outside our field” 162
School as secondary to family
“The school is the second socializing agency, after the family” 163
Social skills not
teachable
“Socialising is part of the education, which is achieved outside of the classroom at lunchtime, break time, during extra-curricular activities and weekend activity programmes. It is not something that is 'taught' during contact time in lessons"
Commu- nity / All adults People are influenced by their surround- ings
“Every person is affected and influenced by those around him. Much more so a child than an adult” 164 “More or less profoundly, all people influence each other” 165
158 Lärare kan inte vara elevernas föräldrar.
159 Vi borde vara ansvariga för den här färdigheten men många av oss saknar utbildning för
det...
160 Η οικογένεια έχει το βασικό ρόλο στη σωστή συναισθηματική και κοινωνική ωρίμανση των
ανθρώπων. Επίσης δεν υπάρχουν ουσιαστικές δομές ώστε το σχολείο να μπορεί έμπρακτα να βοηθήσει έναν μαθητή με ανύπαρκτο ή προβληματικό οικογενειακό περιβάλλον.
161 Falta preparación y sólo se piensa en los conocimientos que hay que impartir 162 Somos educadores de asignaturas pero no estamos preparados para educarles
socialmente. Es difícil plantear otro tipo de actividades fuera de nuestra materia.
163 La escuela es el segundo ente socializador, después de la familia.
164 Κάθε άτομο επηρεάζει κ επηρεάζεται από τους γύρω του. Πολύ περισσότερο ένα παιδί
από έναν ενήλικα.
Table 3.4. Responsibility for socialisation. Summary of teacher responses from the questionnaire (contd.)
Theme Sub-theme Teacher responses
Commu- nity / All adults (contd.) Education is not specific to the school environment
“We are all part of education, and of course
socialisation: from parents to teachers through to the street vendor, bartender, etc.” 166
“Because the child's education occurs throughout the day. It does not end when you leave school. It does not end even when arriving at the school. Occurs globally and continuously” 167
“The more people children are exposed to the more varied their experiences of belief, opinion and emotional behaviour. This is a basis for a child to use critical thinking to develop their own opinions, life outlooks and behaviours”
Responsibil- ity needs to be shared
“It's not about passing the buck, but rather that we all have to be involved if we want this to work” 168
“Every child is everyone's child” 169
“Adults have a responsibility towards the young” “We function as one community and all are included”
166 Todos formamos parte de la educación, y por supuesto de la socialización: desde los
padres a los maestros pasando por el vendedor de la esquina, el camarero del bar, etc.
167 Porque la educación del niño se produce a lo largo de todo el día. No termina al salir del
colegio. No termina tampoco al llegar al colegio. Se produce global y continuamente.
168 No se trata de tirar balones fuera sino que todos estamos implicados si queremos que
esto funcione.