The character of the schoolteacher was at the center of reformist attention, and has been at the center of much social-historical research as well. The transformation of the craft of school mastery into the profession of teaching was basic to reform efforts. And the changing character of the schoolteacher illustrates well the contradictory nature of the whole process of reform. A case was being made for the importance of the teachers' position even as their classroom autonomy was being severely restricted; the cost of winning greater respect for teachers was their divorce from the community they served.

— Schooling in Western Europe by Mary Jo Maynes (Page 62)