The emergent complexities in the histories of life of “good professors”

Abstract

Investigating good teachers is a complex task because there is a risk that the investigation may end up oversimplifying their features. There is also a risk of thinking that these good teachers are the ideal to follow, and this is a mistake as they are just human beings, as the rest of us, but with a great commitment to their jobs and much love for what they do. Thanks to life histories, we were able to understand the process of teaching professionalization and its complexities. We were also able to point out valid trends for any teacher in relation to this professionalization. Analytical construction enabled us to understand and explain what it is that makes a teacher a good teacher: the value of common sense, improvisation, change consciousness, and pedagogical thinking and action. These features can be enforced during different stages of the professionalization, as they generate enthusiasm, and political, social and pedagogical commitment with a well done job.