Abstract
This paper analyses practising schoolteachers' use of figurative language, drawn from a set of semi-structured interviews with 42 Australian teachers, part of a wider, five-nation study of teachers' emotional experiences. The analysis is clustered around the teachers' talk about commitment (as manifesting motivation), agency (as a consequence of professional competence), relationships (as expressing social competence) and self-awareness (as a primer of emotional competence) that framed the teachers' experiences of effectiveness and wellbeing. More broadly, teachers’ intuitive use of figurative language to communicate their experiences sheds new light on the phenomenon of teacher resilience.
•Presents a clear conceptualisation of the pillars that support teacher resilience.•Analyses figurative language that reveals a view of resilience that respects the teachers' actions.•Expands theoretical and practical understanding of teacher resilience in everyday interactions.•Suggests tailoring teacher professional learning towards enhancing teacher resilience.
