ABSTRACT
TEACHING IS A PERFORMANCE, an act. All professions have an acting role to a degree. Think of the barrister in court, or the consultant doing a ward round. Being ‘professional’ means that when you arrive at your place of work, you put the cares of your domestic and personal life as far out of your mind as you can, and concentrate on the job for which you are being paid. It can be a hard act, if things at home have gone wrong, or there is a personal crisis. Some serious crises such as illness of your child, or a close bereavement, may hinder your effectiveness, and some even demand your absence from school to deal with them.
