Developing as a teacher educator requires understanding the culture of academia as well as recognizing the roles one assumes within that culture. The process is complex, for it involves learning many roles, forming a variety of relationships, and understanding numerous contexts. With limited experience in academia, beginning teacher educators are unaware of this complexity and often have difficulty “making sense” of the process. Early in our study of this initial experi- ence, the process generated these personal comments:
This is the most stressful job I have ever had...I don’t know how I ever made it through [first semester]...I came close to not going back in January. (1/8/91-#4)
What I realize is what a nightmare last fall was [referring to initial year]...I feel just as off-balanced and harried as I did last year. (9/8/90-#1)