ABSTRACT
Chapters 1 and 2 discussed how teachers need constantly to clarify and review their own values and attitudes as it is these values and attitudes that will contribute significantly to who we are: they will underpin our professional identity. In preparing to teach you will need to consider what the expectations of the children you teach are and adopt a broader perspective in your teaching that takes account of the fact that you are preparing children for a life after school as responsible citizens. Those
awarded QTS will inevitably need to demonstrate that they ‘can communicate sensitively and effectively with parents and carers, recognising their role in pupils’ learning, and their rights, responsibilities and interests in this’. They will also need to demonstrate that ‘they treat pupils consistently, with respect and consideration’. In these two sections of the Standards (Sections 1.4 and 1.2) teachers, both new and experienced, are required to respect parents and pupils and show consideration to them as partners in the teaching and learning process. Chapters 6 and 9 cover the context of wider professional relations by the teacher. Parental involvement in schools and the kinds of care and respect provided for pupils will vary depending on the school you find yourself in during teaching practice or in your first teaching appointment. Practice in both these areas will vary considerably from school to school as each school generally develops its own way of involving parents and caring for its pupils-there is no standard practice. It is interesting that chapters dealing with these two areas (of teachers as role models and parental involvement in schools) are often absent from the various books which offer guidance to students during their teaching practice. These areas can certainly be complex and challenging for the new teacher. Matters are made more complex by virtue of the fact that there is no one standard by which one can determine what represents good practice from school to school. This complexity is best illustrated by a consideration of the principle expressed by the Latin tag, in loco parentis.
