What it takes to stick it out: two veteran inner‐city teachers after 25 years

Abstract

This study considers the lives of two veteran, urban high school teachers who have persisted in the profession over several decades, and who demonstrate an investment and enthusiasm for the work that is unusual among teachers in ‘difficult’ schools. Through ethnographic, open‐ended interviews and observations, the study seeks to identify those traits of character that serve to support both longevity and ongoing engagement among urban veterans. Those traits are identified here as psychological hardiness, narcissism, and an all‐consuming love of subject. The study, though only anecdotal, seems to suggest that administrators and policy‐makers would do well to broaden their definition of good teaching and solicit the expertise of this overlooked and valuable cohort.

Keywords:

• veteran teachers
• retention
• urban schools
• teachers lives

Notes

1. Here, and throughout the article, pseudonyms are used to protect the privacy of both subjects and school.