Constructing The Ethos of Tolerance and Respect in an Integrated School: The role of Teachers

This article seeks to explore how teachers develop tolerance and respect within an inclusive school<br/>in Northern Ireland. Drawing on interviews and observation of 18 teachers, it will be shown that<br/>teachers’ own personal values and assumptions exert a defining influence on the school ethos. It will<br/>be argued that if teachers are not accorded the time and space to develop an understanding<br/>of their own values and beliefs then there is the potential for schools to simply reinforce the psychological<br/>barriers which sustain division.<br/>