Teaching in "Frontier" Schools: The Challenges and Experiences of Vocational School Teachers in Italy

This paper examines the professional experiences of teachers working in vocational schools in Italy, institutions often associated with high levels of social marginalization and educational challenges. The study draws on qualitative and quantitative data from vocational schools, where teachers face complex interactions with students from working-class backgrounds, often marked by academic underperformance and behavioral issues. Vocational schools are positioned at the margins of the Italian educational system, a sector characterized by declining enrollment, violent incidents, and media attention on teacher-student conflicts. This marginalization reflects broader societal undervaluation of manual and technical education compared to academic tracks. The research explores how vocational school teachers navigate these difficulties, balancing traditional educational goals with the immediate social and emotional needs of their students. Using frameworks from both the sociology of education and the sociology of work, the study highlights how teachers' professional identities and teaching practices are shaped by daily interactions and the institutional demands of "frontier" schools. Teachers' experiences are analyzed through the lenses of class, gender, and career trajectory, revealing the emotional labor involved in maintaining classroom order and fostering student engagement. The study also addresses the pressures of recent reforms aimed at aligning vocational education with labor market needs, raising questions about the impact of these policies on teaching practices and professional ethos. The findings contribute to ongoing debates about the crisis in professional meaning within education, suggesting that vocational school teachers play a crucial role in mediating between educational objectives and the socio-economic realities faced by their students.