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A deficit view of teachers' daily practices and the message that teachers do not know how to teach diverse groups of students and need support is common. Excessive entitlement in teacher education is a topic that has been brought to the surface in somewhat a new way and from a new perspective. By using the term to conceptualize and uncover the sources of oppression, it is possible to understand educators' experiences in new ways. The purpose of this excessive entitlement research in the self-study-autoethnography-memory vein was to gain an understanding of teacher entitlement related to demands and pressures placed on teachers and teacher educators by different personnel as classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse.

The teaching profession calls for professionals who are theoretical, pedagogical and critical as they influence teaching, learning and the reconstruction of schools. One of the “myths and legends” about teachers is that they are mostly interested to hear about practical ideas for their teaching and often resist theories behind their practice or theoretical analysis. If they do not take a stance towards education or are not aware of where they stand, their behavior or actions can manifest in ‘excessive teacher entitlement’ as a response to unreasonable demands or pressure. In this chapter focus will be centered on how teachers and educators inquire into practice and professional capacities in order to recognize their identities, roles, and pedagogical and theoretical background. This chapter's purpose is to understand the complexity of supporting teachers to create their agency and to find ways to support them in their transition.

During the Covid-19 crisis, schools around the world at all levels had to respond to the situation most often without any preparation or time to reorganize their teaching. This chapter investigates how the Covid-19 pandemic amplified the need for equity and how teacher agency evolved through this time period. The study was qualitative and data were collected from 29 individuals from the same number of countries through narratives, and virtual interviews written responses to semi-structured questions. This chapter focuses on two main concepts: equity and agency. The authors met 18 times to work with the data, clarifying understanding of concepts, analyzing meanings, and writing up findings. Findings indicate that equity of access to online teaching and learning was a major challenge during the early stages of the pandemic lockdowns. However, many universities initiated some innovative strategies to minimize the inequities created by the migration to online learning platforms. Both educators' and students' agency evolved during the online and digital tuition provisions and made some agentic decisions that impacted their teaching and learning, respectively. During the Covid-19 pandemic, educators had much to say about their teaching online. Their experience and thinking can be leveraged in discussions about the best way forward after the pandemic experience. The mutual learning that we experienced collaborating internationally in this study points to the significance of using online facility to create and enhance solidarity among educators globally.

Since the inception of formal education, negative labelling of students by teachers has been a norm in education settings. However, research on student outcomes has shown that this practice is contrary to the principles of quality education and legislation mandating the rights of the children to an education that prepares them for a fulfilled future. Still, the practice has persisted in education in various forms. This chapter examines how teacher agency can be used as a tool to uproot negative labelling from the school systems to allow teachers to create positive learning environments where every learner is valued as an individual with rights.

In the context of a highly regulated teacher education system, this chapter offers an alternative vision for a ‘better normal’ for teacher education in England. It foregrounds the need for teacher educators and teacher preparation curricula to promote ‘a way of being’ that enables teachers and teacher educators to have agency, develop as ‘thinking’ professionals and be resilient in an ever-changing policy context.