Reconciling Care and Control: Authority in Classroom Relationships

Abstract

One of the central ethical tensions that novice teachers face is how to care for their students while establishing and maintaining control. The author portrays one student teacher's intentions to care and control, analyzes the student teacher's caring actions, and proposes that teacher educators and prospective teachers have a responsibility to under stand the tensions and connections of caring and controlling. He describes some con straints on student teachers' power to care, examines how legitimate authority is estab lished, and concludes with a commentary about the ethical responsibilities of teacher educators.