ABSTRACT
In considering the nature of professional identity it is necessary to generalise about teachers (for a recent overview see Rodgers and Scott, 2008) and by the nature of this chapter, especially to generalise about teachers of English. It must be stressed that this does not suggest that all English teachers are simplistically the same or that the profession is not full of unique and remarkable individuals. The value of generalisation in relation to professional identity is essentially twofold. First, it allows readers to recognise that they are comfortably part of a significant professional group who face similar challenges and experiences and who, therefore, have much in common that is of value and that can be shared and understood. Second, this allows each individual reader to calibrate how these generalised themes and patterns necessarily a part of becoming an English teacher do, or do not, resonate with their own sense of identity as a person and as a professional.
