The teacher in the changing social and educational reality

Objectives The aim of the article is to analyze the functioning of the teacher in the contemporary social and educational reality. Material and methods Literature analysis method Results The authors pointed to the theories of analysis of the social structure, the social role of the teacher, professional identity, competence, and attitude to educational policy. The authors also highlighted selected reasons for teachers' insecurity in creating their professional role. Conclusions Modern education faces both problems related to its location within the changing social structure, as well as in defining the social role of the teacher, his sense of professional identity, competence or attitude to educational policy. Hence, the call for continuous research covering the functioning of the educational environment especially in terms of: - proper management of educational changes; - analysis of the social effects of changes in the educational system; - forecasting the desired directions of education in connection with the needs of the labor market; - diagnosing the sources of teacher job insecurity; - optimization of activities in the creation of the education system by analyzing the reported needs of teachers, students, their parents and other stakeholders.