TRUSTED PROFESSIONALS OR EXPENDABLE FUNCTIONARIES?

EXPLORING THE SOURCES OF ROLE STRAIN AMONG TEACHERS AT AN ELITE HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

 In this qualitative study, I examine the sources of role strain among teachers at The Richmond Academy of Science (the Academy) – one of the most exclusive English-medium international schools in Bangalore, a city in southwest India. I address the following question: How does the Academy’s position, as one of the premiere international schools, impact teachers’ interactions with students, parents, and senior administrators? The analysis of interviews with 24 teachers at the Academy indicates that structural aspects of the school, such as its dependence on recruiting students from wealthy families, inform how students, parents, and senior administrators interact with teachers. In some cases, teachers are treated as trusted professionals whose opinions are valued, whereas in other instances, they are treated as expendable functionaries whose job involves fulfilling the goals set by others – namely parents and senior administrators. Teachers’ attempts to satisfy these conflicting expectations lead to role strain, which they express as resignation and frustration. Interrogating how teachers at one elite school experience their work provides important insight into how schools’ structural characteristics and the behaviour of key stakeholders shape teachers’ professional experiences.