The emotional characteristics of teaching: an ethnographic study of one teacher

This article seeks to explore the emotional characteristics of teaching through an ethnographic study. An elementary school teacher participated in a 3-year research project investigating the role of emotions in her teaching, her relationships with the students, and the political context of the school. The data sources were field observations, in-depth interviews, an emotion diary, and a collection of teaching documents (e.g., lesson plans, philosophy statements, etc.). From these data, three assertions were developed and evidence was provided for three major roles of emotions: evaluative, relational, and political. The findings revealed the emotional complexities, tensions, and challenges that Lire associated with teaching. The politics and power relations within a school influence the values, discourses, and beliefs this teacher holds and thus the experiences and emotions she reports. These findings are discussed in terms of their contribution to existing research on teacher emotions. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.