ABSTRACT
The social construction of the good teacher within School made explicit something of the underlying principles and ideology which shaped the educational process in that particular context. Variation occurred in so far as the headteachers of some schools placed more emphasis upon pedagogic competence and academic outcomes than was the case in school. Throughout the headteacher’s discourse, notions of an appropriate style of relationship to superiors and notions of ‘loyalty’ recurred. They were particularly explicit in the characterization of the senior head of year. The good teachers within the schools were characterized in terms of their ‘organization’, ‘administration’, ‘rapport’, ‘positive personality’, ‘hard work’ and ‘professionalism’. Few teachers were selected for the quality of their pedagogic work as such and very few for introducing significant changes in either curriculum or evaluation procedure. In the emphasis upon teacher ‘professionalism’ it is possible to see a continuing preoccupation with the dangers of a potential politicizing of inner-city teachers.
