Failing gym is like failing lunch or recess: two beginning teachers' struggle for legitimacy

It is generally recognized that the first year of teaching is a critical time in the professional life of a teacher. It is a major life change from the role of student to teacher and working adult, from one who is guided and directed and stimulated to one who guides, directs, and stimulates (McDonald & Elias, 1983, p. 14). The neophyte teacher becomes part of the profession Ryan once described as the "ranks of the chalk-soiled, ink stained, over-challenged, undersupported, memo-ridden, privacy riddled, patience-worn, school fatigued, lovers of children and ideas" (1970, p. vi). Unlike other occupations, beginning teachers assume responsibilities similar to those who have been teaching for 20 years (FeimanNemser, 1983; Little, 1987; Locke, 1984; Lortie, 1975). Many new teachers describe the transition as a period of great anxiety (Huberman, 1985; McDonald & Elias, 1983) and experience reality shock (Veenman, 1984). Weinstein (1988) described reality shock, formed during teacher training, as the collapse of the new teacher's missionary ideals by the harsh and crude reality of everyday classroom life. The ordeal, Weinstein argued, stems from "unrealistic expectations and the difficulty of teaching in general" (p. 31).