Rescue Stories as Success Narratives: How Israeli Homeroom Teachers Construct Professional Identity through Narratives of Emotional Support for Students

• In Event: Becoming Teachers: Navigating Identity Across Borders and Boundaries

Proposal

Defining educational success is a complex and dynamic challenge, as it reflects social and cultural values, pedagogical perspectives, and diverse assumptions regarding the aims of education and the role of teachers (Godfrey-Faussett & Baird, 2025). Formal education systems often assess success through standardized indicators such as grades, academic achievement, and school retention. However, research shows that teachers frequently adopt broader and more nuanced understandings of success, encompassing emotional, social, and moral dimensions (Ricker, 2016; Ryan & Deci, 2000; Winton, 2013).
Moreover, teachers’ perceptions of success are not uniform but closely tied to how they conceive their professional role (Godfrey-Faussett & Baird, 2025). The teaching profession is shaped by educators’ personal experiences, the socio-cultural contexts in which they operate, and educational policies that frame professional expectations. Thus, teachers’ definitions of success may reflect their value systems, professional identity, and sense of educational mission—whether as transmitters of knowledge, agents of social change, emotional mentors, or a combination of these. This is particularly evident among homeroom teachers, who function not only as subject educators but also as central figures guiding the broader educational process.
In the Israeli education system, homeroom teachers play a distinctive role, serving as a vital link between students, families, teaching staff, and school support structures. Their work is multidimensional, combining pedagogical, educational, social, and moral responsibilities. Their ongoing engagement in students’ daily realities enables them to identify psychological needs and challenges, strengthen self-efficacy and belonging, and foster a supportive educational climate. In doing so, they make a significant contribution to enhancing student motivation and academic success (Kashy‐Rosenbaum et al., 2018; Nutov & Hazan, 2015).
Despite their centrality, there is a scarcity of research focusing on homeroom teachers, particularly concerning how they define educational success from their own perspective. This study seeks to address this gap by analyzing homeroom teachers’ narratives of success and examining the meanings they attribute to success in relation to their professional identity. More specifically, we ask: How do homeroom teachers define educational success? And how do these definitions reflect their professional identity?
This qualitative study is based on semi-structured interviews with 42 teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools across northern, central, and southern Israel. Findings indicate that homeroom teachers conceptualize success along three main dimensions: academic, socio-emotional, and moral. Success is understood both at the individual and classroom-collective levels. Furthermore, many of the success stories teachers shared took the form of rescue narratives, in which the teacher plays a pivotal role in processes of support, change, and personal or social rehabilitation. The framing of the teacher as a supportive or rescuing figure may point to the broader integration of a therapeutic discourse (Ecclestone & Hayes, 2009; Wright, 2014), marking a shift in homeroom teachers’ professional identity—from a traditional pedagogical role toward a more therapeutic-professional orientation emphasizing emotional and social support. Collectively, these definitions construct a holistic picture of how homeroom teachers articulate educational success, with the narratives they tell serving as a central mechanism in shaping their professional identity.

Authors

• Ravit Mizrahi-Shtelman, Kibbutzim College of education technology and the arts

• Adi Sapir, University of Haifa