No, I’m not talking about myself or indeed any of my illustrious colleagues. It’s Teacher of the Year time again. So take a look at this and think carefully. Let’s try and look at this sociologically and bring our syllabuses screaming up to date as well. Teacher of the Year - is it, a) best seen in terms of functionalist analysis - a way of trying to identify and reward the best teachers, or b) best seen in Marxist terms as a ruling class ideology, c) as the outcome of negotiated meanings, or d) as an example of marketization, whereby the market is seen as the best way in which to organise all social needs? And no, I’m not bitter - this is sociology, not politics.