In the last years the involvement of parents in their children’s education is increasing. This involvement increases the intensity of relationship between teachers and parents and can become either a source of fertile cooperation or a focal point of friction and tension. One of the factors affecting the quality of parents-teachers collaboration is the level of agreement regarding the role played by the teacher. Therefore, there is much interest in inquiring into the perception of the excellent teacher by the parents.

Many studies focused on depiction of the excellent teacher from students’, teachers’ and principals’ point of view. Little research was done on the parents’ position regarding teachers. This study examines the parents’ perception of the excellent teacher image in comparison to the perception of pre-service teachers. During their training, pre-service teachers acquire tools in order to fill the roles of teachers, but are rarely exposed to meeting parents. Awareness to the perception of parents may help them in preparation for meeting parents in the commencement of their professional life.

The sample comprised 112 participants, 61 pre-service teachers and 51 parents. The parents average age was 42 and average education 16.3 years. The data was collected through a dedicated questionnaire in the following stages: respondents were also asked to describe the good teacher by metaphors

The participants were asked to evaluate each quality and skill on a scale of 1 to 6. Respondents were also asked to describe the excellent teacher by metaphors.

In analysis of personal qualities two aspects of the excellent teacher’s personality stood out:

The results show that both groups view the emotional interpersonal aspect as more important than the instrumental aspect in the personality of the teacher. The pre-service teachers gave higher grades to both aspects.

 

In skills analysis three aspects were established:

It was found that the parents relate a higher importance to the facilitation of learning abilities over sensitivity and teaching skills, whereas the pre-service teachers did not distinguish between these three skills. In addition, the pre-service teachers gave higher grades to all three skills aspects.

 

In content analysis of metaphors, six categories were discerned, depicting different aspect of the excellent teacher perception by the participants. The table represents the six categories accompanied by metaphors as sampled from the participants.

 

category	metaphors
Model example	Shining star, guide to life, ideal, sun,
Leader	A leader, benchmark, pillar of fire, a great rabbi
Caregiver	Father, mother, psychologist, mother bird with its young, an overstuffed chair, a headrest, a gardener, water that nourishes
Friend	A good friend
Source of knowledge	An open book, a flowing river, an ocean, an encyclopedia, a scholar
Masters the art of teaching	An actor, an overall master, a mountain climber

 

In quantitative analysis of categories frequency it was established that metaphors describing the excellent teacher as a care giver are the most common and metaphors describing the teacher as a friend and as a master of teaching skills are the least common. This pattern was repeating in both groups.

The results of this study point out a general agreement between parents and pre-service teachers in regards to the sought qualities of the excellent teacher. These qualities combine the emotional aspect expressed as interpersonal teacher-child relatedness, and a didactic aspect expressed in classroom behavior. The emotional aspect is perceived as more important than the didactic one in both groups. The centrality of the interpersonal relatedness is reflected in the metaphors given by parents and pre-service teachers. The most common category included metaphors of caregiver, parents and gardener.  

This agreement is a source of potential successful cooperation between parents and teachers as the basic perception of the excellent teacher is not different between them.

 

The perception of the interpersonal emotional aspect of the excellent teacher is in agreement with previous findings that tested students’ perceptions. It should be noted that developing interpersonal skills and raising the awareness to personal qualities receive very limited attention in teachers training programs. In accordance with the results, it might prove beneficial to incorporate them in teachers training programs.

 

As to the qualifications expected from the excellent teacher, it was established that parents relate more importance to empowerment of the students’ learning abilities over the teaching skills of the teacher. This finding establishes the role of the teacher in the teaching-learning process as a mediator of knowledge to the student and assisting in the process of acquiring knowledge, rather than a provider of knowledge.

This study focused on the perception of parents of the excellent teacher. The goal was to broaden the knowledge in the matter of contact between teachers and parents. It is worthwhile to expand the study and to include in it a research regarding the parents critical perception of teachers.