“Finding Their Place”: Supporting Early Career Teachers’ Sense of Belonging

• In Event: First-Year and Early Career Teachers' Experiences

Abstract

New to the profession, new to their workplace, and often new to the lifestyle of a working professional, early career teachers undergo several transitions as they commence their initial teaching assignments. Compounded by feelings of under-preparedness, early career teachers often find themselves overwhelmed and isolated, causing some to exit the profession prematurely. This phenomenological study explores how eight early career teachers conceptualize belonging and how belonging manifested in their initial teaching experiences. From analysis of these early career teachers’ experiences with belonging emerged several practical considerations for teacher educators as they support early career teachers in “finding their place” in their new schools.

Author

• Kathryn Polley, University of Georgia