Teachers are a critical mass of professionals whose growth within the teaching profession is of great consequence to the effective imparting of knowledge and skills to students. While previous studies maintain that superior subject matter mastery, the ability to relate well to students, and innovative teaching strategies are qualities inherent in the teacher that qualify them to be adjudged as expert teachers, the present qualitative study argues that teachers' life in the academe, their choice of Self-enhancement schemes, their self-view and their conception of the schoolwork environment are contributory building blocks in defining and maintaining their expertise. (Contains 1 table.)