Ethical confidence in education

Teachers need grounded ethical confidence: an intellectual virtue analogous to courage. I distinguish this from SCAA's notion of teacher confidence, b ased on the 'authority of consensus'. Such a notion is challenged by Wittge nstein's later philosophy. I argue that confidence in authority is deferent ial rather than intellectual, which is not what we want for teachers. As co urage (according to Aristotle) is a mean between vices, grounded ethical co nfidence is a mean between tendencies to excessive and insufficient doubt ( forms of 'not knowing one's way about' philosophically.) It is the virtue o f thinking well ethically, and knowing that one thinks well.