The compatibility of the concept of friendship to the role of an educator in the Classroom

Abstract

This work addresses whether the concept of friendship is  compatible to the educator's role in the classroom. Teachers' code of conduct advocates for professional relationship with learners, arguing that personal relationship may lead to favoritism,  discrimination, and compromise of ethics. This work on the contrary suggests that friendship could be forged between educators and learners as grounded in mutual respect while prioritizing the interests and concerns of the learner. Friendship bridges the distance  between educator and learner and brings the educator into the world of the learner, making both a community. The work recognizes such factors as class size and the age of the learners may affect the quality of this personal relationship. Using analytic and historical methods and procedures and logic as a tool of argument, the work examines the concept and characteristics of friendship, its relevance in education, and possible challenges to this type of relationship.

Keywords: Friendship, Educator, Learner and Education