Outside the school stands a statue of Confucius, the "paragon of all teachers." But in today's rapidly changing times, the model of the traditional teacher is gradually fading away. The question of whence new models for teaching will emerge deserves greater public attention. (Chuang Kung-ju)

In the 1970s, being a teacher, one charged with bringing up the talent of the next generation, meant belonging to a respected, enviable profession. In those days, many young female students were willing to give up a place in the prestigious Taipei First Girls' High School for a spot at one of the women's teachers' colleges. In the 1980s and 1990s, being a teacher meant guaranteed stability of employment, popularly known as having an "iron rice bowl." Those unable to find a good job after graduating from university likewise considered it a good career move to then take some education credits and get certified to teach. In recent years, however, the situation has changed. Many are finding that there is not necessarily a job waiting for them once they graduate from teachers' colleges, which has led to throngs of nomadic job seekers. Current teachers have had to face wave after wave of changes due to education reforms, and wonder if they will ever be able to make it to retirement as they had planned. It is becoming harder and harder to be a teacher!

Strangely enough, given the increasing challenges teachers face, one finds that while society as a whole is sympathetic to teachers' plight, it also harbors misgivings about teachers on a number of issues. Many feel that the "original sin" of Taiwan's 200,000 teachers is that they are exempt from income tax. All over the media, one sees parents suing teachers, and teachers and students facing off in court. With the status of teachers weakening, such events only add insult to injury.

In this unstable era, many teachers feel so uncertain of how to proceed that they simply seek to protect themselves. Others, of a more critical disposition, have jumped into the fray as reformers seeking new frontiers. Most teachers, however, simply stagger on, groping for a way out of a difficult situation.

British social philosopher Herbert Spencer, whose ideas have been highly influential in education circles over the last 100 years, said that the purpose of education is to prepare for life. If this is so, how can teachers, charged with shaping the "masters of the future," define their own roles to meet that future?

Teachers' Day approaches. It is a day that brings much reflection for one teacher at Taipei City's Chiehshou Junior High, who wishes to remain anonymous. In the past, students and parents showed their gratitude to teachers with cards and presents. She looks back with nostalgia at the deep bonds forged in those days, knowing that in this day and age none of her students would remember the occasion if not reminded of it.

Moreover, what has been different about Teachers' Day is that in two of the most recent years it has been chosen by teachers as a day to demonstrate and to protest. In 2001, 100,000 teachers-an unprecedented number in Taiwan-took to the streets, shocking society with calls for "unity and dignity" in a protest that had been sparked by a proposal to tax teachers. They sought to protect themselves in a concrete way through unionizing. Last year, on September 28 (Teachers' Day), close to 10,000 frontline teachers demonstrated with calls for "addressing the chaos of the decade-long education reform," "restoring joy and hope to children," and "fulfilling presidential campaign promises regarding education."