Drinking Out of the Fire Hydrant: Educators’ Perceptions of Well-Being in a Teacher Preparation Program

The process of becoming a teacher is complex, multi-layered, and often high-stakes. Teacher preparation programs are designed to equip prospective teachers with the foundational skills and knowledge needed for a successful teaching career. In addition to pursuing the academic degree in education, future teachers must meet credentialing and licensure expectations. Because of these expectations, novice teachers are often met with profound feelings of stress and anxiety. The purpose of this research exploration was designed to investigate elementary educators’ perceptions of well-being during their senior year in a pre-service teacher preparation program. Using a qualitative research design, six educators were interviewed as to their perceptions of well-being. Four compelling themes emerged from the data and informed the research questions. Participants’ experiences and voice were captured and highlight the critical need for teacher preparation programs to consider the well-being of teacher candidates as they are transitioning to becoming new teachers.