The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study, conducted in southern
Virginia, United States, was to understand six teachers' own images through the experiences
teaching preschoolers from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Semistructured
interviews were conducted with six teachers from two day care and
development centers. Observations of classroom teaching added vital information to
the data collected through interviews. Other tools for data collection included field
notes and a researcher's reflective journal. Strategies for examining the data in this
study were thematic and constant comparative analysis. Five major themes of
teachers' self-images emerged from their reflection on the roles in multicultural classrooms
were: ( 1) Teachers are advocators for promoting social justice, (2) Teachers
are learners of cultural diversity, (3) Teachers are transformers through caring, (4)
Teachers are supporters for children's emotional and social needs, and (5) Teachers
are facilitators of social reciprocity. The findings also suggested recommendations for
future research and practice in the field of early childhood education.