A good teacher is often depicted by virtue of certain isolated competencies, such as knowledge, skills and attitudes. Teachers' identity and their spiritual and emotional integrity are often ignored. This paper reports a qualitative study of the professional identity of an English teacher in a middle school to understand the identity and expertise of a beloved teacher. Through interviews and classroom observation, the study reveals(1) that the teacher who owns a more advanced diploma or professional certificate but confines himself/herself to transmitting only formal knowledge is not well received by his/her students, and(2) that the teacher who is appreciated by his/her students teaches with heart and integrity of identity, and possesses a capacity for connectedness among his/her personal experience, subject, social context and students' needs. The study triggers some implications for pre-service teacher education in China. The authors argue that teacher education programs must concern themselves with nourishing persons rather than technicians who are merely equipped with competencies.
