2 The situation you find yourself in
Around the world and across the UK, teachers have a responsibility within policy for all the students within their class (Rix, 2020; Messiou et al, 2022). They are being asked to do this at a time of constantly shifting populations and in settings that are becoming increasingly diverse. In England in 2021 for example, over 20% of pupils were on free school meals, over 30% were from a minority ethnic background and over 19% had a language other than English as their first language (ONS, 2021). Similarly, Ireland have a well-established traveller community and have seen a huge growth in immigration with considerable evidence of problematic relationships between students from different groupings (Ní Dhuinn & Keane, 2021). This complexity is global too, so for example, in the Czech Republic concern over the inclusion of the Roma minority led to the government standardising the role of a social pedagogue role within the system (Lorenzova, 2018).
Alongside this increasing complexity (and perhaps as a response) there has been a continual growth in numbers of children identified with Special Educational Needs across the British Isles and in most other countries. This has not necessarily resulted in increased inclusion, however; for example, only 64.77% of pupils with a formal decision of Special Educational Needs are in EU mainstream classes for more than 80% of the week (EASNIE, 2020), while in Mexico and Chile over 70% of disabled children are being educated in special schools (Marchesi, 2019). Given this range of diverse needs and student characteristics and the constraining nature of the education systems that they must fit into, it is perhaps not surprising that across nations children are marginalised from schooling for a raft of reasons beyond their control, such as gender, location, disability, wealth and ethnicity (UNESCO, 2022).
Schools are not just representative of a diverse society through the pupils who attend. The staff within schools can be equally diverse. This is not always the case with the teaching and management of schools, though. In many countries, there are concerns about the homogeneity in the teacher training population, for example, and about the lack of data around this (Bellacicco & Demo, 2019). It is often suggested that the overall education system reflects middle class values and is biased towards this dominant culture. However, this does not mean that everyone working with a school comes from a middle-class background or have universally agreed values about education.
Activity 3: It’s alright for some
These next readings are an opportunity to spend some more time thinking about the different perspectives within a school from a staff perspective. Read these abstracts and then choose at least one extract to read in more detail. As you are reading consider:
- What barriers are these people facing within the school context?
- What are the positive aspects of these experiences as they are presented?
- What kinds of opportunities are there within schools to explore the issues which are identified as being important to the people?
- How does the school experience reflect the wider social context?
- What challenges do these experiences present for someone working in a school?
- Are there perspectives you would like to hear from in relation to experiences in school?
When you have finished reading you may want to have a discussion with friends or colleagues.
Bradbury, A., Tereshchenko, A. and Mills, M., (2022) Minoritised teachers’ experiences of multiple, intersectional racisms in the school system in England: ‘carrying the weight of racism’. Race Ethnicity and Education, pp. 1–17. Abstract: This paper recounts the experiences of 24 primary and secondary teachers from a number of minoritised groups in the education system in England, using interview data collected for a project exploring the retention of minority teachers. The teachers’ experiences of racism are discussed alongside other intersectional aspects of their identities – including gender, class, accent, and the subject they taught – to emphasise the variety of racisms experienced by these teachers. The stories of teachers, both early in their careers and with decades of teaching experience, provide powerful evidence of the cumulative effects of racism experienced by teachers and the continued power of race with the education system in England. Read: from the start of The research study (p5) to the start of the Conclusion (p. 12) |
Ware, H., Singal, N. and Groce, N., (2022) The work lives of disabled teachers: revisiting inclusive education in English schools. Disability & Society, 37(9), pp. 1417–1438. Abstract: Globally there is a focus on ensuring a more diverse teaching workforce ensuring representation across gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity. However, little attention is paid to ensuring the inclusion of disabled teachers. This paper examines the work lives of ten disabled teachers in schools across England. Their experiences suggest that whilst there is a strong discourse on inclusive education within English schools and policies this does not necessarily extend to disabled teachers themselves. Whilst the disabled teachers participating in this research demonstrated ways in which their presence disrupted normative notions of able-bodiedness in education and they actively created spaces for inclusive learning, the majority also reported facing significant discrimination and barriers whilst at work. Urgent change is needed to support disabled teachers to access effective training as well as the removal of barriers to enable disabled teachers to remain in the workforce and progress their careers. Read: from the start of Our participants and research approach (p. 3) to the start of Discussion (p. 12) |
Clarke, E. and Visser, J., (2019) ‘Is a good Teaching Assistant one who ‘knows their place’?’ Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 24(4), pp.308–322. Abstract: Teaching Assistants’ (TAs’) roles in mainstream English primary schools continue to evolve. Research suggests TAs play a vital role in managing behaviour and can have benefits for both teachers and children in relation to supporting positive behaviour in the classroom. However, there is a lack of clarity in what constitutes TAs’ role, particularly when their pedagogical contribution outweighs any other form of support provided to schools. With a lack of clarity in what constitutes the teachers’ and the TAs’ role, TAs’ responsibilities for managing behaviour are opaque. As a result, opportunities for TAs to manage behaviour can be reduced due to their concerns over undermining teachers. The research this paper draws on found TAs were often passive observers in relation to behaviour management as they did not understand how their role correlated to that of teachers’. The concept of what TAs in this research described as ‘knowing their place’ in relation to managing behaviour will be introduced and discussed. Strategies to support TAs in ‘knowing their place’ in a positive, as opposed to pejorative way in managing behaviour will be considered through a range of different approaches to their direct work with children and teachers. The paper then concludes with some ‘next steps’ for schools to consider in supporting TAs to affirmatively find their ‘place’ in managing behaviour. Read: from the start of Methodology (p. 7) to start of Conclusions (p. 20). |
Li, F., 2021. A Narrative Inquiry Into Beginning Teachers’ Meaning Making of Self as a Teacher and Teaching as a Career (Doctoral dissertation, ResearchSpace@ Auckland). Abstract: This longitudinal study used a qualitative, narrative inquiry approach to examine the influences on beginning teachers’ meaning making of teaching and themselves as teachers. Of particular interest was the process of meaning construction and reconstruction that participants experienced over time. The five participants were all first-year teachers in urban Auckland schools, New Zealand. Data were primarily collected through semi-structured individual interviews conducted five times; once at the end of participants’ initial teacher education (ITE) programme, and four times over their first year of teaching. Interview data were supplemented with field notes and information collected through social media. The data were analysed thematically and presented in two ways: stories that illustrated individual participant’s lived experience and a cross-case analysis of the five participants’ data. You will be reading about Sophie, a 30-year-old European New Zealander. Prior to entering the Masters teaching programme, Sophie had a bachelor’s degree double majoring in marketing and advertising and worked as an account manager. Read: from The paragraph which begins: ‘In terms of the kind of teacher she would like to be’ (p. 104) to the start of The Lived Experience of Annie (p. 110) |
Comment
A key barrier across the papers was stereotypical presumptions about who people were, in relation to such things as sexuality, gender, leadership style and competence. In all the stories, people found themselves excluded from various school networks or opportunities within the school, being judged against different criteria to others, or against values which they did not agree with, whilst being required to compromise who they might be in other contexts. In many ways they lacked a voice, and had limited opportunities, often pushing them to work in particular ways or particular areas of the school. This limited their choices. It had an effect on their sense of self, making them at times vulnerable. The stories tell of people who were situated in some way against the dominant narratives of the school, having limited scope to make a difference; for example, being offered token appointments or limited access to training or constraining the kinds of communications they could have with students and colleagues. Many people felt that they had to move to another work place.
Across all these papers, there was also a positive sense of people who had a strong commitment to the learners with whom they worked, to being meaningfully involved in their learning. They also wished to challenge the kinds of inequitable responses they faced, but they required a degree of self-resilience and a capacity to resist. This capacity was often rooted in their identity and networks beyond the school.
In telling these stories, the researchers highlighted the need to listen and to include case studies like these in training. They wanted us to explore both what is said and what is so often left unsaid in relation to these issues and experiences. They encouraged us to challenge presumptions in how we recruit, support and evaluate the contributions of people, to look beyond stereotypes and established – unquestioned – practices. These stories of people’s day-to-day interactions can inform your reflections upon your own role, the challenges you and others face, and how lived school experiences are situated within wider social justice agendas.
It is also interesting to consider the kinds of voices that are not here. When developing this activity, the authors spent time seeing if there was research into the experiences of Premises Manager or Kitchen Staff or School Cleaners. These seem to us to be very important voices in schools. Some historical documents were found, related to Dinner Ladies and Janitors but no contemporary material and nothing that related to their role in a community which is intended to focus upon learning. This encourages the question of what this says about researcher’s priorities, the shared understanding of who supports learning in schools, how learning is understood and how it happens.