Not Movers, Not Leavers: Rebuilding the Teaching Profession Amid Changing Educational Landscapes

• In Event: A Collective of Diverse Narrative Explorations: A Generative Space for Sharing Approaches to Storying, Identity, Equity, and Inquiry

Abstract

This narrative study examined the experiences of teachers who left conventional school systems for microschools that prioritize learner agency, autonomy, and relational learning. By using structural narrative analysis of interviews with 11 credentialed educators, we were able to uncover how participants navigated moral dilemmas within traditional schools and redefined their professional identities. Teachers described their departures not as leaving the profession, but as rebuilding it in alignment with their core values of care, curiosity, and autonomy. The concept of “rebuilders” emerged as a new category, distinct from the typical labels of “movers” or “leavers” in teacher attrition research. Findings suggest these educators pursued ethical and pedagogical coherence rather than escape, offering insight into evolving teaching pathways beyond traditional institutional frameworks.

Authors

• Cammie Justus-Smith, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Georgia Heyward, Virginia Commonwealth University