ABSTRACT
The picture that has emerged thus far is perhaps somewhat pessimistic. Indeed, beginning teachers frequently accuse sociologists of education of ‘being depressing’ or teaching about things which they can do little to alter or remedy and which are, therefore, irrelevant to their needs in classrooms. Our intention certainly is not to depress, but rather to show the full measure of the challenge confronting
teachers who want to make some positive impact on their students’ lives and who wish to gain a sense of professional achievement. It has been our experience that all too often many of the best teachers (or potentially so) leave the system very early in their careers out of frustration, despair or a sense of total powerlessness to make any impact on the system. Alternatively, as suggested in Chapter Four, many teachers find themselves taking on the colouration of ‘the system’ (with all that this implies) in order to survive. And, as noted in Chapter One, many more drop out because of ‘burnout’. All in all, then, a great source of sensitivity, idealism and understanding of how things ought to be is lost to the teaching profession.
