Cultivating the Educator Spirit of Normal University Students: Values, Dilemmas, and Pathways

The cultivation of the educator spirit among normal university students provides dual guidance in theory and practice for higher education institutions to train future teachers with noble educational sentiments and professional qualities. This study elaborates on the essential connotation of the educator spirit from six perspectives: guiding philosophy, spiritual cultivation, internal requirements, essential requirements, the soul of teacher ethics, and sources of motivation. On this basis, it explains the three major dilemmas in cultivating the educator spirit among normal university students: the cognitive dilemma regarding the understanding of the value of the educator spirit and educational identity, the integration dilemma caused by the disconnection between educational curriculum design and the penetration of the educator spirit, and the alienation dilemma arising from improper connection between educational practice and the educator spirit. Therefore, it is proposed to incorporate the educator spirit into the evaluation system for normal university students, by deepening the understanding of values, optimizing curriculum design, strengthening practice orientation, and comprehensively motivating and evaluating normal university students’ recognition and practice of the educator spirit, in order to promote the inheritance and innovation of the educator spirit.