Beginning to teach in a primary school means establishing a whole new set of relationships - with your class of course, but also with the other adults who work in the school. These include teachers and teaching assistants, support staff of various kinds from the visiting educational psychologist to the essential school secretary and parents, both as helpers in the school and as the major influences on their children's lives outside school.
This book is designed to give students and newly qualified teachers a taste of what they can expect and to help them to get the most out of these relationships both for themselves and for their children. Throughout, it draws upon the experiences of new teachers, often in their own words, but it also uses the voices of other `primary school people' to show students the view from the other side. Throughout, the text is supported by points for discussion, questionnaires and check lists to help new teachers to define and analyse their own situation.