ABSTRACT
Teachers face a range of issues, often raised directly by their learners, on a regular basis. They need to be prepared for unexpected questions and crises (whether personal to the children, national or international). This introduction sets the scene for what will follow and provides signposts to different sections within the book. It raises a range of issues and considers what constitutes a controversial issue. Our understanding of issues is based on the way in which we perceive the world. At times those around us see things from different perspectives and in very different ways, as shown in the vignette at the start of this chapter. We can find our opinions, values, attitudes and beliefs challenged; sometimes we are misunderstood and at times we misunderstand others.
