The Duality in the Perception of Optimal Parenting and Teaching among ?Parent-Teachers?

The study examined the duality in the perceptions of qualities that are necessary for optimal teaching and parenting. The research questions explored what qualities were perceived as necessary for optimal teachers and optimal parents, and the degree of congruence between them. In addition, it focused on the influence of parental and teaching experience on the perception of these qualities. The research population consisted of 61 respondents, all of whom are teachers and student-teachers who are also parents. The findings of the study attest to a duality in the perceptions of optimal teaching and parenting which is reflected in the overlapping of the qualities perceived as necessary for the two roles. The variables of parenting experience and teaching experience were perceived as unrelated to the quality of "humanistic approach", "professionalism" (for teachers) and assertiveness (for parents). The fact that the two roles were perceived as separate entities (i.e. one can be successful in one role and fail in the other) by most subjects when asked about their daily practices calls for an active incorporation of this topic into teacher education, as it attests to the confusion student-teachers and teachers experience. It is recommended that the discussion of the two aspects of duality between the two roles (overlapping and conflict) be incorporated in teacher training programs as part of the emphasis on the personal and professional growth of teachers into the teaching profession.