Vision and the Ideal Teacher: Implications for Educational Practice

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to describe how and why teachers with a vision of an ideal teacher have chosen teaching as their profession and to articulate how that vision has influenced their educational practice. Procedure. This study was conducted in the classroom setting using qualitative methods. The qualitative techniques were informal and formal interviews, non-participant observations, and personal journal entries. Conclusions. The findings of the study revealed that the three teachers do have visions, which they clearly articulated. Their visions resulted from their interaction with others, but specifically with some of their former teachers. As new ideas, educational trends, and policies are introduced, they adjust their goals to attain their visions. Their visions are communicated to students, parents, colleagues, and school administrators directly and indirectly. Their visions have taken on several realities that are reflected in every facet of their educational practice. Implications. Opportunity should be provided for teachers to (1) articulate how and why they became teachers, (2) develop a networking system in which they share imaging and visionary techniques, and (3) develop awareness that future teachers are being prepared in their classrooms every day, and the responsibility is theirs to demonstrate that teaching is an honorable profession. School administrators might be interested in the visions teachers have and what goes on in their classrooms. It would motivate them to help teachers polish their visions. Researchers should base more of their studies on outstanding aspects of what is happening in classrooms and report these findings in terms that teachers, parents, and school administrators can understand. Recommendations for further study. Recommendations are (1) for the study to be extended to a larger number of teachers, (2) for first- and second-year teachers be included in a future study, and (3) for college and university professors to be interviewed to see if they also have a vision of ideal teachers that influenced them in some way.