Losing Control: The effects of educational restructuring on waking and dream life

This paper focuses on the restructuring of the educational system in England over the last 14 years. It proposes that frequent changes to the system have resulted in negative emotions for many teachers which in turn have implications for the children's well-being. One of the negative feelings reported by teachers in subjective studies of their working experiences is a loss of control of the content and methodology of their work. This feeling re-emerges in school-related anxiety dreams, the content of which was studied in a sample of 10 teachers and four headteachers. The article raises issues for managers, suggesting that they need to ensure that the spiritual and emotional lives of the teachers are safeguarded in order to protect those of the children.