Accountability policies (i.e., "No Child Left Behind" and "Race to the Top") in education over the last two decades have produced a culture of fear and anxiety, undermined teacher autonomy over curriculum and instruction, and pressured teachers to focus on raising student test scores, resulting in a narrowing of the curriculum. The purpose of this study was to seek a clearer understanding of how teachers narrate what it means to them to be a teacher in the midst of various accountability reforms. More specifically, the intent was to understand the unique narratives of five veteran elementary teachers' experiences. Situated within an interpretivist discourse of research in general and Deweyan pragmatism in particular, this qualitative study employed an adaptation of Pinar's (1976) theory and method of "currere" to make sense of teachers' narratives. Data collection involved interviews and classroom observations. While findings echoed in part the extant literature, this study elucidated a number of unique contributions related to both the perspectives of veteran elementary teachers and the use of "currere" resulting in implications for practice and research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]