From the Introduction by the Scientific Editor of the Volume

In the literature on pedeutology, among the analyzed issues related to teachers, we find considerations regarding the professional functions of teachers, their education, the understanding of the teacher's professional role, and the dilemmas associated with its fulfillment. We examine the difficulties of a teacher's work, as well as questions of professionalism and professional identity within this category of individuals. Consequently, we often attempt to answer questions such as: What is the modern teacher like? What should they be like? How should their education be structured to meet the demands of the surrounding reality? What is the scope and level of teachers' performance in their professional roles? Are they properly prepared to fulfill these roles? What are the difficulties and dilemmas of this profession? To what extent is the modern teacher a professional? These questions arise from concern for the level of education within society, the fate of educational transformations shaping individual biographies, and the possibilities for self-realization in a constantly changing world. These questions also served as inspiration for the authors of the texts included in this publication, to whom I extend my sincere thanks for contributing to the discussion on the complexity of the teaching profession and its competencies. Their contributions are part of a broader debate on the professional work of teachers. From the review by Prof. Dr. Hab. Irena Adamek

Pluralistic and changing societies will require teachers to understand the occurrence of clashes between different, divergent definitions of concepts related to education, and consequently to develop the ability to redefine them, as well as to understand newly assigned behaviors and actions. And here arises the issue of their competence […]. This is an important topic, as the Polish educator said, "such as the upbringing of the youth, such will the Commonwealth be," and this upbringing largely depends on the quality of the educators encountered in school education. Therefore, it is good that research in this area has been undertaken. The presented […] multi-author monograph contains texts that address this area of discourse […]. From the foreword by Prof. Dr. Hab. Kazimierz Denek

To Be a Teacher: The Competencies of the Modern Teacher is a work primarily aimed at educators and students of pedagogy. It may also appeal to young people studying related disciplines, because, as the essence of pedagogy suggests, it is open to philosophy, sociology, anthropology, educational economics, psychology, theology, and medicine [...]. Therefore, it is expected that this book will make its way onto the reading lists of most humanities and social science programs. It offers the reader the opportunity to engage with the issues contained in its title without unnecessary embellishments, but rather thoroughly, clearly, and in accordance with the current state of knowledge on teacher competencies. In conclusion, it should be noted that reading this publication allows for a dialogue with its content, provokes cognitive unease, and encourages reflection. It is an invitation to active and thoughtful reading. I suggest taking up this invitation, as the book is worth focus and contemplation.