Learning To Care: A Narrative Study On The Professional Growth Of A Transferred Preschool Teacher

Transferred preschool teachers are a special group of teachers in China,with some of them transitioning from primary and secondary schools to kindergartens.Therefore,they often suffer from more psychological disparities and career maladaptation,and require more care and assistance.Caring teachers are the goal of professional development for teachers under a caring orientation,and for preschool children,more care and love are needed.Therefore,using narrative research methods to explore the professional growth process of transferred preschool teachers and returning them to real educational situations has certain practical significance.At the same time,exploring the professional growth of transferred preschool teachers from the perspective of caring and being cared for by them also has certain research significance for enriching the professional development path of China’s teacher community.This study adopts an educational narrative method,with a transferred preschool teacher with care literacy and experience as the research object.Through literature review,existing research trends at home and abroad are clarified,and then interviews are conducted to understand the teacher’s transfer experience and educational stories.The caring behavior of the transferred teacher is observed in the field,and the growth gains of the transferred teacher are analyzed.Taking a comprehensive view of the professional experience and transfer stories of transferred preschool teachers,this study explores their professional growth after transfer,analyzes the influencing factors of professional growth,and aims to trigger introspection among transferred preschool teachers,providing useful ideas for the perspective of care theory on the professional growth path of transferred preschool teachers in China.Specifically,Chapter 1 defines relevant concepts such as care theory,transfer of preschool teachers,and teacher professional growth,based on the reasons for the topic selection,research purpose,and significance.In this study,from the perspective of caring theory,teachers have two identity subjects: one as caregivers and the other as cared for.From the perspective of professional growth,teachers have two aspects of growth: one is the growth of professional concepts,knowledge,and abilities;On the other hand,it is the growth of caring awareness,caring actions,and caring relationships.Subsequently,based on the literature review,research design was carried out and practical research was carried out.Chapters 2 to 4 use the professional experience of teachers as a clue to narrate the story of teachers’ job transfer and analyze the professional growth process of job transfer teachers.In general,the career of Y teacher is divided into three stages:primary school teacher stage,kindergarten teacher stage,and kindergarten principal stage.The reasons for job transfer,key events why they were left behind,some problems that occurred,and the content of professional growth in these three stages are analyzed respectively.Chapter 5 is based on the professional growth of Teacher Y,using the basic viewpoints of the care theory as the analytical framework.It is summarized that the growth of Teacher Y’s care ability includes three parts-establishing a sense of care,carrying out care actions,and establishing a care relationship.Finally,the relationship between the growth of Teacher Y’s care ability and professional growth is explored,and the research conclusion is that Y Teacher’s care ability and professional ability are interdependent,A mutually reinforcing relationship.Chapter 6 takes the theory of care as the starting point to explore the path of professional growth for transferred preschool teachers.On the one hand,when transferred preschool teachers act as caregivers,they interact with young children through role models,dialogues,practices,and recognition,and gain growth through practicing care education;On the other hand,when transferred preschool teachers are cared for,they grow through the care and support of the government,kindergartens,parents,and teachers themselves;Finally,the author draws inspiration from the entire growth process of Teacher Y’s life,believing that in order to become a caring teacher,one needs to pay attention to the life significance of education and demonstrate the essence of education in “one centimeter”.In the final conclusion,regarding the question of “Is a good teacher born?” in the origin of the article’s research,the author has provided some thoughts and expressed some insights on this research.