The Agony and Growth of the Middle-aged Elementary Teachers' Life uncovered by the Telling of their Life History** A thesis submitted to the Council of the Graduate School Kyungpook National University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for th...
The Agony and Growth of the Middle-aged Elementary Teachers' Life uncovered by the Telling of their Life History** A thesis submitted to the Council of the Graduate School Kyungpook National University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D. in June, 2013
Jeong-Hee Lee
Department of child & Family
Graduate School, Kyungpook National University
Daegu, Korea
(Supervised by Professor Kim, Choon-Kyung)
(Abstract)
This study inquired into the lives of the 7 middle-aged elementary women teachers, To be more specific, this study life history study looked into the original family environment in which the participants were grown up, how they were educated, what their family settings are like, and how their selves have been evolved. 3 or 4 formal interviews were carried out per each participant. participant observations were also done during the school hours for some participants in order to understand their classroom contexts. Additionally, a variety of artifacts were collected to understand how they experience themselves in the context of this research such as personal journals, postscripts, photos etc.
Despite the individual differences, most of the 7 participants shared 4 commonalities across their lives. First, each of the participant leads an existential life. Each one has successfully integrated the different selves she had brought throughout her whole life. such as wife, woman, teacher, mother etc. by asking 'who she is, what she has to believe, and what she has to do'. Second, each of the participant leads a professional life. Each one wishes to exert one's passion and energy into her students but she has a difficulty in struggling with heavy clerical work. Despite the difficulty, each one tries her best to be a professional teacher. Third, each participant leads an open life. By actively showing her life and world-views to others, she can make one's existential life with confidence. Fourth, each participant leads a caring life. Because of the motherhood experience, each one is able to develop the capacity of understanding and caring toward the students.
Although it is not confirmed that all of the 7 participants share the above-mentioned 4 commonalities altogether, they share 3 or 4 of the commonalities. The teachers with less teaching experiences have relatively good opportunities to be assisted by mentor teachers, other teachers, or school administrators, But middle-aged women teachers have less opportunities. If they had counselling opportunities because of the stress or the burnout they experience during the mid age, they could led a more productive and fruitful life. The expansion of counselling opportunity is strongly supported by the fact that most of the teachers described that the 3. 4 research interviews provided them with a healing experience.