Social guidelines and feeling of well-being of Russian teachers

The article is devoted to examination of the social status and psychical well-being of Russian teachers. The authors analyzed the changes over the period from the end of the 20th century to 2013 in connection with the process of radical reformation of the education system in Russia. They identified the factors determining teachers’ hopes for the future, characterized the structure of their general perception of life; they described the main factors characterizing the position of teachers in society, their attitude to teachers’ social purposes and public functions. The article provides assessment of teachers’ civil functions and compliance of modern teachers with their civil mission. It examines the incidence of positive and negative developments in the teachers’ milieu. It shows the dynamics of teachers’ cultural activities over the period from the early 1990s to 2013, including the changes in attending cultural events and reading preferences. There are considered the changes in teachers’ social and professional orientations in connection with the formation of market relations in the country.