The article investigates the ethical and pedagogical dimensions of education, specifically using the process of teaching Latin in medical schools as a case study. This outlines the core principles of pedagogical ethics and the professional code of conduct for university teachers. The results of a survey given to first-year students at the Department of Foreign Languages of Yaroslavl State Medical University (YSMU) regarding the teacher’s role in education are analyzed. The issue of what students look for in the personality of an ideal university teacher is being discussed. The study of Latin must be used to equip students with proper terminological skills, widen their intellectual horizons, and raise their general cultural literacy. The author stresses the essential mission of a modern teacher, noting that teaching skills and moral guidance cannot be separated.