First Day in Secondary School: Learning to Be a ‘Professional Pupil'∗

The first school day of four groups of school students starting secondary school is described and analyzed. The article is based on ethnographic research conducted in two secondary schools in Finland by a group of six researchers. Initial encounters between students and the school and its teachers are discussed. The focus is on how the construction, negotiation and learning of the ‘profession’ of being a pupil in a secondary school begins. ∗We express our gratitude to the teachers in City Park and in Green Park who gave us the unique possibility to follow the first encounters of new students.