There is an ongoing discussion about the declining quality of the teaching in the swedish school. This essay is a contribution to that discussion. It suggests that a certain kind of dialogue is necessary for the quality of the teaching to recover, and thereby also the quality of the students’ education.

The author turns firstly to philosophers of dialogue and finds in their works views appropriate to use when facing the situation of the swedish school. With the ideas of Martin Buber the author redefines the students as creatures of relationships. This view influences how knowledge is defined and it emphasises that dialogue is necessary for the students’ development of knowledge. The author then turns to rhetoricians to acquire knowledge of how to create dialogues in which relationships are important.

The author also investigates the teachers’ point of view and realises that they highly value relationships in the school. He also understands that they are very interested in rhetoric, although their understanding of rhetoric is limited to performance, namely to actio and pronuntiatio. Therefore, when turning to teachers with suggestions on how to create dialogues, consideration to this must be taken.

The author suggests that the dialogue appropriate in the swedish school, is an ongoing exchange of views and ideas. This dialogue is possible to create, only if the teachers’ and the students’ attitudes towards each other are composed of certain features such as honesty, trust, confidence, and interest.