“It’s Not Brain Surgery”: Construction of Professional Identity Through Personal Narrative

This article addresses how the professional identity of a teacher is constructed through narrative with two intended goals: 1) to examine the ways in which theories of teacher education are embedded in professional identity, and 2) to suggest the inclusion of individual narrative analysis as a reflective tool in professional development and teacher education. A teacher’s spontaneous conversation about his or her work is analyzed in terms of personal and professional knowledge, collegiality and isolation, and teaching as a reflective practice versus technical activity. The complex, and sometimes contradictory, results support the obvious challenges and tensions facing teacher education; however, the use of conversation analysis as a tool for teachers to examine their own identity offers a new dimension to reflective inquiry, allowing teachers to make connections among public images, individual thoughts, and professional practice.