Thesis (M.A.)--Acadia University, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [114]-120). Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Teachers represent a large percentage of the workforce in the United States, yet there is a high demand for teachers every year due to a large number of teachers exiting the profession (Ingersoll, 2001). Staying beyond the first five years is a feat nearly half of the teachers in the United States do not accomplish which leads to problems within the school community (Ingersoll, 2002; Ingersoll, 2004). Through an exploration of the positive stories of teachers' experiences this study identifies some of the common themes found within those stories that led teachers to greater happiness in their profession. While this study provides important information regarding specific experiences of teacher happiness, it is also a closer look at a lesser-known but powerful tool of Narrative Inquiry, story cycles.