Introduction: the remarkable careers of English teachers

Abstract

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book demonstrates how English teachers have struggled and resisted these pressures, holding on to their personal and professional integrity and maintaining their expertise. It focuses on the ongoing uncertainty about the relationship between English Literature departments in universities and teacher education programs. The book reveals an especially fraught scenario where persistent government intervention over more than 30 years has seen constant demands and constraints and an underlying move to drive ITE out from universities and into schools exclusively. It offers radical visions for the future of Canadian English Language Arts Teachers. The book reviews New Zealand’s model of teacher education to reveal similar pressures on the schools beginning English teachers must work in via assessment demands and heavy pressure on teacher autonomy.