ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the possibilities and the need to recognize the primacy of the moral in educational thought and practice. It examines aspects of teaching through teacher education and educational purposes, the character of the teacher and the teacher's freedom and authority. One of the recurring discussions, less so in recent years, is whether it is appropriate to describe the occupation of teaching as a profession, and clarity about that debate influences descriptions of models of teaching, for instance, whether the model implies teacher autonomy. However, if the professional aspiration is to be coherent, and with it the significance of moral thought, teacher education in general needs a much more rigorous examination of the moral and epistemological underpinnings of practice. The education of the scholar-professional consists primarily in an intellectual endeavor that will enlighten his or her teaching of a discipline within an academic curriculum in schools.
