Parent teachers: reconciling the roles

Abstract

This article draws on a life history study which investigated teachers' experiences of parenthood within the gendered and familial context of schools and schooling. Key questions are: does becoming a parent change teachers' perceptions and experiences of the various aspects of their work, and do their experiences and perceptions as mothers or fathers fit harmoniously with common organisational and managerial systems and dominant discourses in schools? In focusing on teachers who are parents the intention has not been to construct icons of parent teacherhood in which many teachers who are parents fail to recognise their own experiences, nor is it claimed that parents make the ‘best’ teachers. Rather, the aim has been to acknowledge that some of the knowledge, skills and understandings which can accrue from being a parent cannot but help to have a positive impact upon how mothers and fathers who are teachers, teach.