Abstract
This study explores the learning and teaching journeys of novice English teachers in Soweto across three stages of their lives: pre-university, university, and post-university. It looks at how these experiences shape who they become as teachers and how they teach in multilingual and challenging school environments. Using a life history approach, the study draws on interviews, personal documents, and field notes to understand how teachers’ backgrounds, relationships, and school contexts influence their development over time. The study is guided by Narrative Inquiry, which focuses on teachers’ lived experiences, Social Capital Theory, which explains how novice teachers rely on support from mentors, colleagues, and school communities, and Community Cultural Wealth theory, which shows how teachers use their own cultural knowledge, life experiences, and community strengths in their teaching journeys.
The findings show that becoming an English teacher is not a simple or straight path. It is shaped by a mix of personal effort, support from others, and the challenges found in schools. Some teachers had strong support systems, while others had to depend more on their own strength and determination. Overall, the study shows that learning to teach is an ongoing process of growth, change, and adjustment. It highlights the importance of recognising where teachers come from and improving support systems to help novice teachers succeed in diverse school settings.