3540. What Kind of Professional Are You? On Authority and Power

There is a remarkable difference, if you’re a teacher, like me, or a boss, between auctoritas and potestas. 

Let’s go with the second one. I mean, the teacher for example can be like a cop or a sergeant or so and exert some kind of power on the basis of shouting at his students. I have nothing against the police and the army – all my admiration goes to those professions. 

But what I mean is that a teacher can try to master his students on the basis of shouting and avoiding any disruption among his students. 

However, can that teacher really educate his students? 

Much better is whether that teacher has some authority. 

The difference is pretty big. Authority is on the basis of really educating those kids or those adults the teacher teaches. Authority is moral. It is built upon some nice mastering of the subject he teaches plus the respect his students devote to that teacher because he loves them and also behaves honorably. 

He has gained that authority amongst his students over time. 

He does love his students, with benevolence love, which means he seeks what is good for his students. He has some people before him and he devotes that benevolence love to those persons. 

For that teacher each and every student is a person he has to treat diligently. He devotes all his career to educate those persons. He does so in accordance with their parents and with human dignity. 

He goes to school to instruct in a specific subject but also to educate those people. 

Of course also that teacher seeks to manage the class. Well, you know, should I say “manage”? He… has a profound respect to his students. 

As well remember that if we want to have an educating faculty of teachers at the school, the order of reference should be: parents, then teachers, then students. Parents have the right and duty of educating their children. Thus if you’re a teacher I advise you to have this mental framework. 

Authority also depends upon trying to carry out an honorable and upright life, both at school and at home. 

For this post I took some ideas from CARDONA, Carlos (2005) Ética del quehacer educativo. Madrid: Rialp. Have a nice week.