This Teaching Life of Mine: a Study of Teacher Renewal Through Values and Purpose-based Reflective Practice

Despite the sense of vocation often associated with teaching, many teachers can lose sight of their core values and deeper motives for entering a teaching life, becoming vulnerable to disillusionment and possible burnout. This action research study of teacher renewal investigated the impact of a series of 6 reflective conversational workshops for a small group of teachers. Over the course of three months, conversations focused on exploring core values and purpose to promote professional and personal renewal. Data was collected from the conversational interactions and individual interviews conducted four months later, participants? results from A Values Inventory (AVI), participants? and researcher?s reflective journals, and participants? stories of Most Significant Change (MSC). Through reconnecting with personal values and by articulating aspects of vocational purpose, participants experienced a strong sense of ?Coming Home to Self?. Each reported experiencing a sense of professional renewal. Findings from this study view teacher renewal through a new lens, and suggest fresh strategies for processes that promote vocational vitality which are currently lacking within our schools.