Previous research on education policy in the Kurdistan region reveals sweeping reform and governing rationales stemming from the 2008 and subsequent reforms, shedding light on the complex conditions of Kurdistan education policy (Nuri, 2024, Wahab, 2017). This study explores the lived experiences of Kurdistan public school teachers and examines the impacts of reform agendas and policy imperatives which have influenced how teachers understand themselves and their everyday practices. It investigates the responses of teachers to the various reforms and policy regimes, with a particular focus on their personal beliefs and the meanings they attach to education and teaching. To do that, it makes use of ‘policy enactment’ (Ball, et al., 2012) and Foucault’s (1988, 1997) concepts of ‘subjectivity’ and ‘care for the self’ to explain teachers positions and position-taking in response to policy. The study employed an in-depth analysis of two rounds of 10 teacher interviews. Key findings include two overarching teacher positions of teaching within policy and teaching beyond policy. These policy positions pinpointed the spaces where teachers stay within or go beyond policy regimes or both in order to materialize their own conceptions of education and teaching. It further revealed that teachers’ responses to policy are not merely effects of power or products of governmentality, but are influenced by their personal beliefs about teaching. The study is relevant to the conference theme of ‘Equitable Pedagogies and Contextually Relevant Praxis.’ It highlights the importance of incorporating local teachers’ conceptions (indigeneity) of education and agency into education governance, policy development and policy enactment.