Shattered Images: Understanding Expectations and Realities of Field Experiences

In this paper we explore the phenomenon of “shattered images” in the learning to teach process. For our presentation and discussion we draw on: reflective accounts of preservice teachers written prior to, during, and following periods of field experience; our experiences as teachers and teacher educators; and, on our own and other research on teacher education and development, particularly on our ongoing work which focuses on field experiences. We highlight and examine some of the discrepancies between preservice teachers’ expectations and experiences, identify and discuss circumstances contributing to the discrepancies, and consider ways in which such inconsistencies might be taken into account in order to develop and maintain productive preservice teacher preparation programs. Back in September when most of us were still starryeyed with excitement, we all dreamed of changing the lives of hundreds of youngsters through our teaching techniques. We knew that if we only tried enough, we could make everyone learn everything they were supposed to learn in the time allotted for them to learn it in, and make all the children love us at the same time. We knew that we were going to stand in front of classrooms and silence the masses with our brilliant and creative ideas for learning how to count to ten, and that the cooperating teachers were going to break our arms patting us on the back, and the principals were going to offer us jobs the day after we graduated because there had never been a teacher like us before.