Constructing Teacher's Professional Identity in China and Canada

Traditional teacher education has ignored the realities of teachers' lives both inside and outside the classroom, failing to consider their existence within broader socio-cultural circumstances. This study examines the professional development and transformation of four women teachers including my mother and myself in China and Canada through exploring our life experiences in socio-cultural contexts. I use autobiographical writings, material from in- depth interviews and artifacts, as well as documents. Data analysis indicates that our devotion to teaching career, optimistic attitude to life, success in overcoming many difficulties to become teachers, all stem from our knowing of the "Tao of life". My professional transformation in Canada led me to understanding teacher as a curriculum maker, teacher development as both personal growth and professional development, and professional transformation as learning from relations. This study attempts to provide a middle ground for dialogues among teachers and scholars from different cultural backgrounds, enabling them to understand each other and explore new versions of teacher education.