Much research has recently been undertaken in the field of teaching methods and the different approaches to teaching within the classroom framework. Studying Teachers' Lives examines the background and personal experiences of a number of teachers, and the direct and indirect influences their individual situations have on their methods of teaching. Providing insights into the perceptions of teaching, the authors cover a wide range of issues from the importance of teachers socialisation to the question of teacher drop-out. Drawing on their diverse experience, they identify collective themes which run across many teachers' lives and reflect on the social structure in which their lives are embedded. They employ a range of different methodologies allowing the reader to assess their varying strengths and weakne ses, but throughout they reaffirm the centrality of the teacher in educational research.