Participation of the Beginner Teacher in Social and Cultural Space of the School: On the Need of Transgressive Opening to Change

The text discusses the issue of rooting of a beginner teacher in the social and cultural space of the school. The article is intended to raise awareness about possible fields of tension in the school culture, which - as identified in the experience of teachers - may serve as a barrier for functioning of a novice at school. In the beginning I presented a short discussion of the essence of school culture, and pointed out to possible presentation of problems related to functioning of a beginner teacher in it. In this background I presented assumptions and results of my own studies devoted to looking for an own place in school culture by a novice. From the perspective of teachers, when referring to their opinions I presented what types of own experience may be identified in the process of participation in school life and what types of anchors are used by novices. The discussion develops the thesis that due to multiplicity and locality of school cultures, a novice cannot learn them during their academic education, but they may be transgressively open to the notion of difficult embedding into the social and cultural space of school. The data obtained show that the teachers try to understand their own experiences and juxtapose them with their limited knowledge about school life when they start their work. The results show that they are motivated to take transgressive actions, and actively look for reference sources to formulate the interpretation framework and define a situation which is new to them. This can be understood as an attempt to immerse in the social world of the school and become an inherent part of the school culture.