Teacher's Oath

A Teacher's Oath is an oath taken in some countries by teachers.

Bahria College Islamabad - Oath Taking Ceremony 2009

In 1993, the German educator Hartmut von Hentig designed the Socratic Oath, which is supposed to be a set of professional guidelines for educators, teachers and paedagogues.

Today there are many different versions of the Teacher's Oath, for example the Comenius Oath in Finland,[1] Teachers' Oath Taking in Philippines,[2] Abdul Kalam Teachers Oath in India,[3] Teachers Pledge in Singapore[4] and Betimi i Mësuesit in Kosovo.[5]

Since 1863, nearly two-thirds of US states have adopted loyalty oaths for teachers.[6] The Massachusetts Teachers' Oath was a loyalty oath required to teach in Massachusetts from 1935 to 1967.

Socratic Oath

As teacher and educator I undertake,

  • to respect and to defend against anyone the uniqueness of each child;
  • to stand by for his and her physical and mental integrity;
  • to take aware of his and her emotions, to listen to him and her, to take him and her seriously;
  • to search for his consent for all I will do to this child, as I would do with an adult person;
  • to interpret the rules of his development in the most positive way and to support the child to accept these own rules;
  • to challenge and to promote his gifts and potentials;
  • to protect him, where he is weak, to support him, where it is needed, in overcoming fear and guilt, malice and falsehood, doubts and mistrust and snivelling self-help addiction;
  • not to break his desire, not even where it appears nonsensical, but to support him to take his will under the reign of his reason, to teach him so the mature use of mind and the art of negotiating understanding;
  • to prepare him to take over responsibility within and for the community;
  • to let him learn the world how it is without subjugation to the world how it is;
  • to make him feel what a good life might mean;
  • to give him a vision of a better world and the confidence that it might be achievable;
  • to teach truthfulness, not the truth because "it is with God alone".

So that I undertake,

  • to give example, as well as I can, how to deal with difficulties, challenges, opportunities of our world and with his own limited gifts and how to cope with his own always given guilt;
  • to ensure, according to my power, that the next generation will find a world worthwhile to live in, and where the inherited burdens and difficulties will not crush ideas, hopes and forces;
  • to justify publicly my beliefs and deeds, to expose myself to criticism, particularly of stakeholders and experts, and to suspend my judgements by continuous and conscientious review;
  • and to resist to all people and circumstances, interest of parts or service provision, if I believe they might hinder intentions expressed here.

~ Hartmut von Hentig - 1993[7] [8]

See also

References
  1. "Finland: Teachers pledge Comenius Oath at Educa fair". Education Trade Union Committee for Education. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  2. Navales, Arwen (19 October 2017). "2016 Oath Taking for Professional Teachers". www.teacherph.com. Teacherph. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  3. "Teacher's Day 2017: APJ Abdul Kalam's 10 Oaths For Teachers". www.ndtv.com. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  4. Pledge by Teachers is Singapore
  5. Mbahet ceremonia e diplomimit (betimit) të studentëve të Fakultetit të Edukimit, Universiteti i Prishtinës
  6. "TEACHERS' LOYALTY OATH". Encyclopedia.com. Dictionary of American History. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  7. Der Sokratische Eid auf der Homepage der Laborschule Bielefeld. (in German)
  8. What is the Socratic oath?, http://www.answers.com

Further reading
  • Oaths of loyalty for teachers American federation of teachers, 1935
  • Anthony J. Diekema:Academic Freedom and Christian Scholarship Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000, ISBN 9780802847560
  • Hentig, Hartmut von: Die Schule neu denken. München u. Wien (Hanser) 1993. S. 258-259) (in German)
  • Reutter, E. Edmund, Jr., and Robert R. Hamilton. The Law of Public Education. 2d ed. Mineola, N.Y.: Foundation Press, 1976.
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