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Introduction
Why Does the Good
Student Matter?
Our year is sort of split up into two groups—the cool group and the squaries. The cool group hangs out on the Great Court, which is down some stairs. My group hangs on the stairs. Close but not quite. I can’t get down to the stairs to sink to their level.
Sometimes you just shut up with them [teachers]. You know that nothing you say is going to change the way they are going to teach you because they have the authority. Sometimes their values kind of seem contradictory. For example, Ms Jones is a good teacher. I wouldn’t say she was opinionated, but she has got very strong values and sometimes when I am watching something I think about it and I think she’d hate me for watching this. You learn not to say or do anything that challenges her opinions.
How is it that we have become who we are today? This book is essentially about the ways that schooling, schools, and young people interact and shape each other in the continual, fluid process of becoming.