These words express a moving and significant goal for our society-a goal, however, which requires the restructuring of the foundation of the teaching profession.

This Spotlight describes a framework for approaching this challenge: the career teacher lifecycle model. The career teacher lifecycle model bridges preservice and inservice education, and encompasses the professional lives of classroom teachers from their first practicum experiences to beyond the time that they leave the profession.

Teachers make choices, some conscious and others subconscious, that help them grow or lead them into withdrawal. To maintain professional growth, teachers must continually experience or initiate a process of reflection and renewal, which, in turn, propels them through different phases of their career (see Figure 1). If this reflection-renewal-growth cycle is broken, the teacher begins to withdraw.

Initial withdrawal may be related to the internal motivational system of the teacher. The teacher may sense that "things just do not feel right. The magic is beginning to fade." Without intervention, a teacher experiencing these emotional signals may slip further into career withdrawal.

When teachers experience persistent withdrawal, their negative feelings surface. They become critical of others and are unresponsive. At the deep withdrawal level, teachers' professional growth has ceased. They leave the reflection-renewal-growth cycle behind.

Unfortunately, as many as 1 out of every 30 teachers currently working in schools may be at these latter levels of withdrawal. This crisis, however, can be avoided.

Using the career teacher lifecycle framework as a guide for professional development, curriculum monitoring, supervision, and teacher-reward systems can help administrators identify teachers who are entering the downward spiral of career withdrawal.

Committed classroom teachers pass through six phases during their  careers: novice, apprentice, professional, expert, distinguished, and retiree. The career teacher lifecycle model is a developmental continuum based on consistent growth and career competency.

Novice Teacher

The novice phase begins when preservice students first encounter practicum experiences and continues through student teaching and the intern experience.

Novice teachers begin to acquire the skills necessary to function effectively in the classroom. As time passes, novices acquire more skills. They begin to see how the learning environment is created. Their confidence grows as they learn more about themselves as professionals and about actual classroom practices. As they approach the next career teacher phase, they reflect on newly acquired skills and experiences, then enter the apprentice phase.

Apprentice Teacher

The apprentice phase begins for most teachers during the student teaching experience when they are given responsibility for planning and delivering instruction. This phase typically continues through the first year of induction and often into the second and third years of teaching.

Teachers at this career phase are filled with boundless energy. Finally, after all the professional-preparation courses and field experiences, they are able to stand before a group of students and be called "teachers." Notwithstanding feelings of self-doubt, many express their love of the field and a belief that they have the skills necessary to assure that all children assigned to them will achieve at high levels. Above all else, these teachers need mentoring. Without caring, experienced mentors, these enthusiastic apprentice teachers may become disillusioned.

About one- third of all newly hired teachers leave the field after a few years of teaching (NCTAF, 1996). With proper encouragement and mentoring, however, these teachers maintain the euphoria of the apprentice. If they avoid withdrawal and continue to reflect on their experiences, renewal and growth can soon lead them to the next phase in their careers.

Professional Teacher 

The professional phase emerges as teachers grow in their self-confidence as educators. Student feedback plays a critical role in this process. Students' respect for teachers and teachers' respect for students forms the bedrock foundation upon which this stage is built.

Professional teachers most frequently seek help and assistance from other teachers at this phase. They actively participate in a collegial professional network and use this network for support and guidance. These teachers have satisfied the  requirements for state licensing and regularly use a variety of professional development opportunities to continue growth.

In addition, observing other teachers' innovative practices and interacting with peers are activities that professional teachers value. Continued growth and development  depends on having ample opportunities for observation, reflection, and interaction.

Expert Teacher

The expert phase symbolizes  achievement of the high standards desired by NCTAF. Even if they do not formally seek it, these teachers meet the expectations required for national certification (Steffy, 1989). The goal is to assure that 80% of all teachers operate at this stage. Expert teachers are always evolving, growing, and changing; they are committed to the newest ideas in the profession. They are usually connected with other expert teachers within the district, region, and state. They hold leadership roles in professional associations or content areas and take great pride in maintaining cutting-edge expertise. Expert teachers learn through their role as teachers. These teachers understand that students are inclined to learn. In the absence of serious obstacles, this phase can last for the professional lifetime of a teacher.

Distinguished Teacher

The distinguished phase of the lifecycle of a teacher is reserved for those teachers who are truly gifted in their field. The roster of distinguished teachers is of course limited by the numbers who achieve the expert phase. Distinguished teachers exceed everyone's definition of exemplary teaching. They are the "pied pipers" of their profession. Students, parents, and the community revere them. They are all too rare!

Retiree

Many career professionals choose to honor their lifelong commitment to students by continuing to serve actively in a variety of alternative roles. Some move into administrative duties, while others pursue careers in higher education. Preparing for this phase begins prior to exiting from day-to-day teaching. Support is essential for the continuing work and impact of these teachers, who leave the profession but choose to remain active. Everyone can gain from a teacher's useful and active retirement, including the school system and officials, students, and most of all, the other teachers.

The task of today's educators is to apply the model in schools in an effort to improve the classrooms of tomorrow.