Room for passion, joy and glitter? About emotional challenges at the onset of a teaching career

Author(s):

Rachel Elise Jakhelln

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

1. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 01B, Learning for and about Newly-Qualified Teachers

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-10

09:15-10:45

Room:

B3 315

Chair:

Maureen KIlleavy

Contribution

The last years I have, as an action researcher, facilitated for and followed groups of newly qualified teachers (NQT) in their first job, and their mentors. I have seen that some emotions in a teacher’s work are possible to talk about while others are not. Andy Hargreaves (2005) says that teachers in their early careers have to develop an identity as employees and at the same time they have to cope with their own emotions related to the work, which can be a challenge. Other research shows that experiences from when teachers begin their career are those that have the greatest influence on their identity as teachers (Zeichner and Gore 1990). Norway has weak traditions for following up newly qualified teachers. I will focus on the NQT´s emotions connected to the onset of their carrier. How are their emotions expressed in their everyday work situations, and how can they use such emotions deliberately in their own development as teachers? Is it wise to focus on the emotions to strengthen the newly qualified teacher’s professional development? I will take a closer look at which emotions are related to work situations. Furthermore I will take a look at what we know about emotions related to learning in the newly qualified teachers’ everyday and at what my empirical data shows with regard to emotions in work situations. Shame and guilt are two salient emotions in the material; the new teachers are ashamed of not managing to be the teachers they want to be, but they handle it differently. How can more passion, joy and glitter be developed and less guilt and shame? By way of conclusion I will briefly discuss some suggestions connected to the relationship between emotions and the development of newly qualified teachers´ professionalism. The paper is built around four cases; three newly qualified teachers and their mentor in upper secondary school that I have been facilitating for during the past two years. The methodological approach is qualitative, and the empirical basis for this article is based on texts written by the four teachers, as well as interviews and observations of them. The teachers’ stories provide an opportunity to discuss the relationship between emotions and professional development of newly qualified teachers. The data indicates that it is of great importance to follow up the new teachers in the early stages of their career. As Hargreaves writes, the culture of a school is the framework for action and learning in the workplace. Different cultures are represented in the same school, and the teachers experience different beginnings. Skårderud (2001) writes about shame connected to the realisation of self. It is shameful to possess a number of possibilities yet lacking the ability to make use of them? Today the realisation of self and respect are closely connected, but how to get respect as a teacher and how to realise yourself in a teacher career is unclear for the new teachers. Teachers should be able to ‘touch upon’ emotions, make them explicit and visible to be able to learn from them. There are two premises that are necessary to make this possible. There must be time and room for reflection about the work, and it must be legitimate to show one’s emotions at work. Not uncontrolled blowouts that those around cannot understand, but constructive work with emotions, individually and together with others. Emotions must not be a threat, but give the possibility of extending one’s perspectives in the working situation.

Method

The paper is built around four cases; three newly qualified teachers and their mentor in upper secondary school that I have been facilitating for during the past two years. The methodological approach is qualitative, and the empirical basis for this article is based on texts written by the four teachers, as well as interviews and observations of them.

Expected Outcomes

The data indicates that it is of great importance to follow up the new teachers in the early stages of their career. Emotions is seen as a threat more than a possibility for extending one’s perspectives in the working situation.

References

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Author Information

Rachel Elise Jakhelln

Tromsø University College

Teacher eductaion

Tromsø

158

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