ABSTRACT

Over the three years of our study, a teacher’s personal approach to the profession emerged as a high priority for teacher education. The 22 graduates we followed stressed such things as seeing the teacher’s role broadly, taking a positive stance toward teaching, seeking help from – and collaborating with – other teachers, balancing work with personal life, and viewing themselves as continuing to grow professionally and personally. We were somewhat surprised at this emphasis on the total life and practice of the teacher (as distinct from instructional activities, narrowly conceived) but in fact it makes a great deal of sense. The teacher is not a mere “conduit” passing knowledge to the child (Connelly and Clandinin, 1999). As is often said, “we teach who we are”: the whole person of the teacher is involved in the complex teaching-learning process. The teacher must personally embody the qualities of good teaching and learning if these are to become a reality in the classroom (Danielewicz, 2001).