ABSTRACT
I remember relating with enthusiasm and vigour to an interaction that had happened in a staff meeting. The person to whom I was speaking said: ‘You have never been able to resist the sawdust!’ At the time we laughed at that circus image. I have thought a lot about that image since and recognize that there are a lot of similarities between schools and circuses. So in this chapter I would like to explore the idea of the circus metaphor with a view not only to providing an opportunity to laugh with and at those of us in the school business, but also to obtain some educational insights. Using a new metaphor of circus we will explore older unconscious metaphors that constrain our thinking.
