Jef Verhoeven

Public perceptions of teachers’ status in Flanders

In recent years, the perception in Flanders has been that teachers enjoy little or no esteem from the average citizen. On the basis of a representative sample of 982 Flemings between the ages of 18 and 71 years old, this article investigates whether or not this feeling is really present and what factors contribute to it. The following questions are dealt with in turn: what esteem does the public have for teachers, and how highly does it place their occupational status? The results of this survey show that the teacher enjoys a positive image among most Flemings and can count on a high degree of esteem. The general public realizes that teaching is a demanding occupation that has changed drastically in recent decades. In comparison with the 1970s, there is no drop in status for teachers, although the profession suffers from status inconsistency. The observation that personal experiences have a clear influence on esteem for teaching places a certain degree of responsibility on the teachers themselves. Indeed, they have this esteem largely in their own hands, and can improve it. Satisfaction with education, the well‐being of the pupils, the assumption of the role of child‐raiser, and the involvement and interest of parents—these are all aspects that the teacher can realize by the way in which he or she deals with pupils and their parents. Armed with the results of this study, they can also contribute to destroying the myth that society has no esteem for teachers.