What remains of a story after it is finished? Another story.

ABSTRACT: The following essay explores aspects of my professional identity as a teacher of English, presenting a focus on “the reflexive project of the self ” (Goodson, 1998). I argue for the way rich professional learning can occur by keying into a discourse that values penetrating reflection on classroom practice, teacher identity, self and professional knowledge, particularly in the wake of current professional challenges about professional learning. This paper aims to foreground a space that was, for a time, difficult and invested with uncertainty. Yet, the opportunity to experience a textually rich moment of professional growth arose from dilemmas and “chaos ” (Parr, 2004, p. 41) as I grappled with a socio-cultural context different from what I had previously known. The other key focus of the following essay concerns the way my new context, teaching in an all-girls, Jewish independent school in Melbourne, prompted me to reconsider the nature of schools as interpretive communities. As a teacher of literature my aim is to open up texts to a diverse range of readings, enabling my students to explore the complexities o