ABSTRACT
Having grown up in a working class environment in Ireland where education was hugely valued it was a shock to fi nd myself working in a community where education had a very low status. The head teacher of the village school where I grew up was treated with great respect. He was our route to a better lifestyle and a ‘better job’ which my parents so much wanted for their beloved children. From the day we fi rst started school we knew that we had to work hard and do our best. My mother in particular was determined that her children would not leave school at the age of 14 as she had and that we would have a profession.
