Although they proceed from a variety of different perspectives, the social-historical analyses of the evolution of teaching to lead to some important generalizations. Throughout Western Europe, the period of school reform transformed the teacher from a member of the community in which he or she taught, as a part of it, into a figure of authority and moral superiority separate from it. The reforms also at first masculinized the occupation as the part-time, casual, and unlicensed teachers, often women, were excluded or harassed, and the new normal schools recruited predominately males. The reformed teacher was everywhere in a peculiarly contradictory position. Underpaid in comparison to local notables, and more highly regulated by religious and lay superiors, he was nonetheless supposed to display independence and authority in dealings with the people of the community. Drawn from "the people," the teacher was no longer one of them. It is hardly surprising that teachers were, during this period, a discontented lot. In the political character of the teachers it trained, as in so many other respects, the contradictory nature of the reform revealed itself.

— Schooling in Western Europe by Mary Jo Maynes (Page 71 - 72)