A case study of how first-year early childhood teachers figure their roles within the profession and whether to remain in it

The first year of teaching can be overwhelming, and many early educators in elementary schools located in the United States often choose to exit the classroom. Despite various suggestions for reversing this trend, many early childhood teachers working in elementary schools still leave teaching as their profession’s complexity continues to increase. Here, we examine how first-year early childhood teachers whom we have followed since they enrolled in their teacher education program figured their roles within the profession and whether they thought they would remain in it. Through this analysis, we illuminate the complexity of the world of teaching in which these beginning teachers figured their identities as professionals, and we offer suggestions for teacher educators to employ figured worlds as a construct to support novice as well as preservice teachers as they navigate the realities and unexpected challenges of teaching in the early childhood grades in elementary schools.