Header image: The death of Socrates (Jacques-Louis David, 1787)
Teacher’s Oath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teacher’s_Oath
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. In 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic effected some dramatic changes in the world and in the education system, the German educator Klaus Zierer published a renewal of the Socratic Oath, which is based on the research of the educator John Hattie and has not only a theoretical approach but also an empirical base.
As a teacher, I commit myself to directing all my feelings, thoughts, and actions in my profession towards the well-being of the children entrusted to my care.
To the children, I commit myself
- to challenge and encourage each child according to his or her potential and level of development,
- not to leave any child behind or write them off, no matter what the reasons are,
- to take the failure of the children entrusted to me over and over again as an occasion for new ways of teaching,
- to see mistakes as an opportunity, not a flaw,
- to set challenges in the educational process so that under- and overstraining do not occur,
- to seek, pick up, and awaken motivations,
- to enter into dialogue again and again, to give and receive feedback, to ask questions, and to listen,
- to assign subjects a serving function in the educational process,
- to address and stimulate all areas of the personality,
- to inspire confidence in the world and in oneself and to make it visible on a daily basis,
- to understand and shape the classroom and the school as a welcoming place,
- to provide an atmosphere and relationship that is respectful, free of fear, and educationally effective, and
- to stand up for the physical, mental, and spiritual integrity of the children entrusted to me.
To the parents, I commit myself
- to communicate on an equal footing and to establish an educational partnership,
- to understand the educational process of the children as a common task,
- not only to be prepared to talk to them on a regular basis but also to actively seek contact with them, and
- to take their assessments of the children’s educational success and progress seriously and to combine them with their own views.
To my colleagues, I commit myself
- to share my experiences in education and teaching and to use them as a basis for collegial professionalization,
- to share and reflect together on the mistakes made every day,
- to reflect back on successful moments in school and give mutual recognition, and
- to allow everyone to have their own individual perspective on school and teaching while working towards a shared vision.
To the educational public, I commit myself
- to accept the education mission and to implement it at all times,
- not only to impart knowledge and skills but to focus on and promote all areas of the personality,
- to subordinate all subjects to the well-being of the child and thus to the educational mission,
- to be loyal, but not blindly so, to official requirements,
- to implement everything that is in the best interests of the child and to reject everything that is contrary to the best interests of the child,
- to critically question and, if necessary, publicly accuse and reject any interests and demands on schools and teaching that are not primarily in the best interests of the child, and
- to give a voice in public discourse to children and their right to education.
To society, I commit myself
- to see respect for the dignity of the human being as the basis and goal of school and teaching,
- to teach the principles of our democracy and to defend them in school and in the classroom,
- to see school as a place for the reproduction and innovation of social values,
- to use my pedagogical freedom to place current issues at the centre of the school day, and
- to be not only reactive but also proactive towards the further development of our society.
To myself, I commit
- to justify my actions at all times, to discuss them critically and constructively, and to reflect on them conscientiously,
- to regularly develop my professional, pedagogical, and didactic competencies,
- to regularly reflect on my professional attitudes, and
- to always perform my function as a role model to the best of my knowledge and belief.
I confirm what has been said by my willingness to be measured at all times against the standards that emanate from this commitment.
I confirm what has been said by my willingness to be measured at all times against the standards that emanate from this commitment.