"We'd better hide those tats": a transient family tries to fit in to school

Abstract

As the two main settings and experiences of contemporary children's lives, home and school have been foregrounded for their role in constructing and shaping the current parameters of childhood (Edwards, 2002). Research has often focussed on the constraining nature of school based discourses on family practices. By foregrounding school-based literacy practices to the detriment of others, the institution of schooling risks marginalising students and their families and constraining their potential levels of participation. However, little work has been done on the explicit moves that some families make to limit the institutional gaze directed towards their children. To redress this issue, this paper considers the efforts of one itinerant family, who make deliberate attempts to bridge the gap between home and school, by masking some of their home practices.