Teachers Reflect on Their Identities as Former Students and Future Teachers

The purpose of this qualitative research was to describe the educational experiences of 49 preservice teacher candidates enrolled in educational courses. Theories of teachers' beliefs and qualitative constructivist epistemologies framed the study. The preparation of preservice teachers is an important area of research. Two primary questions guided this qualitative research: 1) How do preservice teachers describe their experience as students? 2) How do preservice see themselves as teachers? Data were collected over the course of one college semester. The following themes emerged following inductive data analysis. As a student, I was procrastinating, lazy, uninterested, and extroverted. As a teacher, I want to be a leader, knowledge imparter, impact others, and inspire students.