Teachers With a Passion for the Profession

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe commonalities among teachers who have sustained passion for the teaching profession, identify ways to instill a similar passion in teacher education candidates, and encourage teacher educators to maintain and model an enthusiastic passion. The authors present the results of a study that consisted of interviews with 13 teachers who were identified by their principals as those having a strong passion for teaching. This article reveals the insightful findings of these interviews and offers several valuable lessons for all teacher educators. Teacher education programs must focus not only on candidates' academic ability but also on appropriate dispositions of their candidates. Maintaining a strong passion for teaching and the candidates we teach is critical in teacher preparation programs today.