Reflections from the margins on education and the culture of audit and performativity

This article seeks to contribute to the scholarly debate on teacher commitment, in a manner that is, in itself, committed and personal. It is written in response to the sense of marginalisation I experience, as a teacher and teacher educator, in the midst of education reform.  The article begins with an account of two important life events and attempts to locate them in the problematic of teacher motivation and education policy. It suggests that such life events can help teachers find the personal and professional moorings which will sustain their commitment to teaching.  In doing so, the article addresses the disjunction which currently exists between educational policy and personal values. It argues that the current policy emphasis on student outcomes risks undermining the value of human experience and insight. Finally the article argues the need for individual teachers to consider how best they can sustain their commitment, exercise agency and contribute to the discourse of education so that education will continue to be characterised by the ethics of caring and solidarity.