Teacher in the face of educational change – from service to resistance

Abstract

The changes in Polish education so far have focused on the following slogans: democracy,socialization, subjectivity, social change. The role and problems of teachers were pushed into the background. As a result, teachers have become one of the most financially marginalized professional groups. In the struggle for their rights, they first resorted to group dispute and then to strikes. Negotiations with the government on remunerations were not successful. After 21 days, the strike was suspended. This was the largest, the longest protest of teachers to date, the scope of which went beyond wage problems. What were the expectations of teachers with respect to educational authorities, what problems did they report, which environments supported striking teachers, what was the role of parents, what opinions did the teachers struggle with? These questions were answered by teachers in the ZNP Głos Nauczycielski magazine. They are the basis for the analysis of a new phenomenon, recognized to little extent in Polish pedagogy, related to teachers’ resistance to authorities.