Teacher always, teacher everywhere

The story of Kolmanovsky, who was fired following his participation in Friday’s gay action at the State Duma, gives reason to moralize.

No, not about the moral character of the school director, what Arkhangelsky did at Echo of Moscow, but about who the teacher is.

About a hundred years ago, albeit negatively, Rozanov accurately noticed that society expects a teacher to constantly and unchangeably follow, no, not a profession, not a craft, but a title. A teacher is not from eight to two or until five (depending on who you are), a teacher is constantly, at any time of the day or night. A teacher, just like a priest, a policeman or a military man, does not cease to be such simply by leaving the school building. He is a teacher everywhere and always. Yes, he may have ideals, beliefs, a personal life, finally, but alas, it is so arranged that all this can become the property of only a narrow circle of loved ones. For the rest - “be silent, hide and hide”, be a model and an eternal example, do not confuse your sheep with the public ones.

A teacher must be the living embodiment of normativity - this is what society expects, no matter what it says and no matter how ostentatiously it flirts with the thesis “a teacher is also a person.” Therefore, any of his actions or deeds must be permeated with this norm. And of course, he must think about others, about those whom he teaches, with whom he works, whom he represents.

Cultured, intelligent, well-mannered, law-abiding, you can’t count everything that has been labeled as a teacher over the centuries. But this is how it is, this is how it is established, and upon deep reflection you come to the conclusion that it should not be otherwise. Such is the heavy cross.

Education is conservative, it should be so by its nature. It must be healthy, correct and safe. The idea of ​​education as an environment absolutely sterile with respect to social contradictions is, of course, absurd, but this does not mean that these contradictions should be introduced into it and cultivated in it. Immature minds and fragile souls should absorb only the indisputable, valuable for everyone. And this universally significant value and indisputability, innocence should also be characteristic of the teacher.

The teacher must remain above the fray; he forges the future of society not on the streets, but in the classroom, in the school auditorium.

The only justification for his street activities can only be that he is not given the opportunity to do so. That's where he remains as a teacher.

Kolmanovsky seems to have forgotten about this, or maybe he simply didn’t know. There was no one to explain it to before. And now it’s too late for the director.

Application on the table. There is no other alternative.