Moral culture as the foundation of teacher pedagogical excellence

Abstract

This article examines the moral culture of teachers as a key aspect of pedagogical theory and practice, an indicator of professional excellence and personality. It analyzes the works of renowned scholars in pedagogy, cultural studies, and philosophy, including V.A. Sukhomlinsky, V.S. Bibler, L.I. Ruvinsky, and others. It substantiates the proposition that without a high level of development of moral and ethical qualities, such as acceptance of “significant others,” respect for the student’s personality, a sense of duty, responsibility, and fairness, educational goals cannot be achieved. The paper analyzes the concept of “moral culture” according to the Bibler’s concept as a form of communication between people and generations, self-determination, and the invention of “the world for the first time” in the context of a teacher’s pedagogical activity. The paper explores the functions of morality: regulatory, socializing, communicative, imperative, and others. It concludes that the implementation of students’ spiritual and moral education faces numerous obstacles: the negative influence of the media, with its acts of aggression, violence, and cruelty, informal structures, the internet, and parental and social indifference. Therefore, the authors emphasize the need to pay special attention to the moral culture of teachers as a societal imperative, as teachers’ civic position, life priorities, moral convictions, moral norms, and spiritual values have a colossal impact on the younger generation.