TEACHING PROFESSION IN EXPERIENCED TEACHERS' STORIES

Abstract

Beginning teachers try to turn their theoretical pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of their subjects into practically applicable knowledge and at the same time develop their self-image as teachers. In the moments where beginning teachers can be confused, the personal knowledge of experienced teachers can help in their continuous self-reflection. The most natural form for sharing of such personal experience, which the experienced teachers choose, are stories. In stories it is possible to share personal, moral, emotional, or practical meanings of situations. This article reports on thematic analysis of experienced teachers’ stories. Which stories do experienced teachers share with their new colleagues? Which themes are the most important for experienced teachers that they like to share with others? Such narrative contains hidden, otherwise incommunicable (tacit or practical) knowledge and can help beginners in their process of self-reflection, professional development and in the continuous creating of their self-image as teachers. In this qualitative resarch study, I present several patterns of themes in 20 stories of 15 experienced teachers, in stories that high school and elementary and secondary school teachers tell their beginning colleagues. These people worked as teachers for 15-51 years at primary and secondary schools as well as high schools in the Czech Republic and during these years they got various experience on different positions as educators, as teachers of many subjects, as school directors, school inspectors etc. This was an ideal selection of respondents who do not form any average group of teachers, but rather teachers who wanted to collaborate on research and who like to share their stories with beginning teachers. This article presents results of thematic analysis. The themes that experienced teaches share are tightly connected with teacher careers, understanding the profession and with their own continuous process of self-reflection.