In this presentation we will discuss uncertainty in beginning teachers’ work. Uncertainty can be seen as an inherent feature of teachers’ work due to the unpredictability as well as the relational and moral nature of teaching (Helsing 2006, Kelchtermans 2009). However, we focus on discussing uncertainty from the viewpoint of emotions, understanding uncertainty to appear in diverse ways and carrying different consequences for beginning teachers’ work. The effects of uncertainties are multiple: uncertainty has been described as a prime cause of teacher anxiety, frustration, burn out, and poor teaching. Or, on the contrary it has been claimed that the recognition of uncertainty is an important ingredient for improved practice and that it protects teachers from pessimism, guilt, and frustration (Helsing 2006). For example Bullough (2009) has pointed out that teachers often enjoy the unpredictability of their work. The significance of emotional dimension in teachers’ work is acknowledged increasingly more (Boler 1999, Isenbarger & Zembylas 2006, Zembylas 2007). Therefore, it is important to study uncertainty from the emotional viewpoint especially via teachers’ own stories. In this presentation, we will focus on discussing the diverse and multiple ways on how uncertainty appears in beginning teachers’ stories in different educational contexts. The research material has been collected from altogether 15 Finnish beginning early childhood, primary and secondary teachers. Teachers were interviewed twice during their first year at work. Narrativity forms the theoretical and methodological framework of the study (e.g. Elbaz-Luwisch 2005, Riessman 2008). Our purpose is to describe the diversity and complexity of the appearance of uncertainty in teachers’ work based on teachers’ narration. On the basis of our findings we will draw conclusions on how teacher education could help to reflect on and address successfully the uncertainties and thus help teachers to develop positive relationship to their uncertainties.

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