The effects of teaching on teachers was investigated. Interviews with female elementary school teachers were conducted on a bi-weekly basis during 2 years of data collection. An analysis was made of the relationship between teachers' work experiences over the course of their careers within specific institutional structures, and their perceptions of the meanings of these work experiences to their self-esteem, sense of job satisfaction, and sense of efficacy. Selected excerpts from the interviews reveal the teachers' attitudes, thinking, and perceptions about: (1) conflicts inherent in the accepted goals of public education and the reality of public schools as they operate on a daily basis; (2) conflicting standards teachers face and their recognition of their inabilities to meet societal expectations; (3) historical roots and continuing impact of conflicting demands on teachers; (4) divisions within the school staff which create an increasingly hierarchical and segmented working force; (5) pressures and expectations that lead to burnout; and (6) teachers' positions within the school system and institutional conflicts inherent in the teachers' roles. (JD)