The Role of the Teacher and How it is Defined by Law
The primary role of the teacher is to teach those students in their care. The role of the teacher today is broader and more complex than any time in history because of increasing legislation on a local, state and national level. Traditionally, the teacher was seen as a delegate or surrogate for the actual parents while students were in school. Teachers were responsible for performing a variety of functions, ranging from janitorial duties to monitoring health care. Their duties also included school administration and teaching students of different grade levels all courses offered. Older statutes and laws demonstrate the complexity of roles adopted by the teacher, but their daily actions were seldom imposed upon by education legislation. Teachers in the one-room schoolhouse era and the early 1900s were governed by common law which considered the doctrine of in loco parentis, meaning “in the place of a parent” (Mackay, 1992: xvi).
Because of the adoption of numerous statutes during the 20th century, the doctrine of in loco parentis has been made a moot aspect when determining the legal boundaries that shape the present day role of the teacher. In fact, as early as 1910 there were statutes that outlined laws concerning compulsory education and corporal punishment (Mackay, 1992: xvii). What these types of laws catalyzed was a growing division between the teacher and parent as the two main authorities defining the role of the teacher. Instead, teachers were beginning to move closer to being an agent of the state, a role that represents their primary one in modern times. Today’s education laws that define the role of teachers are complex, vast and continuously evolving. The different roles a teacher plays today normally include the following but can surely encompass an even greater number: agents of learning; in loco parentis; agent of the state; agent of social ...