A review on the memory of mathematics teachers about their educational lives

This study aims to reveal the teachers that primary school mathematic teachers cannot forget during their school years and the effects of these teachers on the choice of teaching profession and professional practices. This study, which is qualitative research, was designed with a descriptive model. The study group of the research consists of 56 primary school mathematics teachers working in different regions of Turkey. The data for the study were gathered using a semi-structured interview technique and four open-ended questions devised by the researcher and the expert. The obtained data were analysed by content analysis technique. Findings obtained as a result of the analysis of the data: the reasons for the preference of the teaching profession, the characteristics of the teachers who are not forgotten positively, the characteristics of the teachers who are not forgotten in the negative sense, the exemplary aspects of the teachers who are not forgotten in the positive sense, the avoided aspects of teachers who are not forgotten negatively, and the distribution of the unforgettable teachers according to the branches are collected under five main headings. According to the results of the research, some necessities are at the forefront of the reasons that primary school mathematics teachers prefer the teaching profession, and these reasons differ. It has been observed that primary school mathematics teachers can clearly remember and describe their teachers with many different characteristics, both positive and negative. In addition, it has been concluded that the teachers who are not forgotten are the aspects that are taken as examples or avoided by primary school mathematics teachers reflect on their professional lives. It is thought that this study will contribute to the studies on the effects of the unforgettable teachers in the school memories on the professional life of the teachers.