ABSTRACT
Education is probably the most powerful influence on the development of our society. The education that young people receive through schooling goes beyond knowledge about a body of academic subjects: it is built upon and shapes the values, rights and responsibilities that make our society distinctive. Nobody entering the teaching profession does so as a blank canvas; everyone has experienced education and this shapes their sense of what teachers are and do. Everyone has an opinion of what teachers do. Often these views are formed by personal experiences of school, and they are often idealised by the passage of time. The media, television, cinemas and literature also provide people with many and varied representations of teachers. Teaching is a deeply personal activity. Pupils respond strongly to individual teachers. Teaching is a responsible activity. This includes the values and priorities that shape the education that pupils receive. Teaching is a purposeful activity, both in the short-term and the long-term.
