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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
Create an inspiring, humanizing, and student-driven learning experience for your classroom In Woven Together: How Unpacking Your Teacher Identity Creates a Stronger Learning Community, expert educator Dr. Courtney E. Rose delivers a student-driven approach to teaching that demonstrates how to bring your full self to the classroom. You'll learn to create space for your students to do the same thing, de-standardizing the current norms of the classroom while embracing their unique experiences, perspectives and understandings to create more meaningful learning experiences. Focusing specifically on teachers and teacher educators, this book explains the core issues associated with curriculum design and instructional implementation. It also includes: * Personal narratives from current educators and activities for deep reflection on how your identity impacts and informs your instruction * Methods for co-creating a classroom community and culture that works for your diverse student body * Action-oriented solutions and strategies for creating transformative learning experiences by putting your students at the forefront of your classroom's learning environment An indispensable resource for teachers already in the classroom, as well as pre-service teachers preparing to enter the classroom, Woven Together is the student-focused guide that education professionals have been waiting for.
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Seitenzahl: 347
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Praise for
Woven Together
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
Remembering
Humanizing Education
Weaving It All Together
Overview of the Chapters
Features of the Text
Reference
Chapter 1: Weaving Together Your Teacher Identity
Teacher Identities versus Teachers' Identities
Demographic Imperative
Disrupting from Within
Collective and Hybridized Identities and “The Calling to Teach”
Identity as Narrative
Constructing
Your
Teacher Identity Narrative: Critical Autobiography
Conclusion
References
Chapter 2: Weaving Together Humanizing Narratives
Identifying the Four Philanthropists in Schools
Schooling versus Education
The Historical Role of Schools
Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: More than a Numbers Game: Recruiting, Retaining, and
Sustaining
Educators
Schools as “Battle Zones”
The “Invisible Tax”
Weaving Together Supportive Learning Communities
Critical Reflection and Analysis
Collaborative and Collective Efforts
Greater Attention to School Leadership
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: Weaving Together Intergenerational Perspectives
Learning from Those Who Stay
Models for “Making It Through”
Rooted in Self
Creating Climates Rooted in Systems of Support…and Protection
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Weaving Together the Mindand Body
Disembodied Teaching/Teachers
Loving and Caring for Your Body as Resistance and Liberation
Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Weaving Together Theory and Practice by Weaving Yourself intoYour Practice
Theory‐Practice Gap
Teaching Vulnerably
Creating a Culture of Trust
Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Weaving Student Voice into Our Practice
The Tangled Threads of Silence
Increasing Student Voice
Weaving Together Academic and Cultural Identities
Valuing Students in the Learning Process
Student‐Driven Classroom Management
Conclusion
References
Chapter 8: Collaborating with Parents, Families, and Communities
Critically Reflecting on Internalized Beliefs about Family Involvement
Cultural Barriers
The Complexities of Home Visits
Advice from Those with Feet in Both Lanes
Conclusion
References
Chapter 9: Weaving It All Together
Creating Communities of Learning
Teaching as Love, Healing, and Resistance
Advice for the Next Generation of Teachers or Those Debating Whether or Not to Stay
References
Appendix 1: Critical Educational Autobiography Assignment
Appendix 2: “What's in a Name?” Discussion
Student Prep Prior to Lesson/Activity
Instructions during the Lesson/Activity
Post‐Lesson/Activity Debrief/Discussion Questions
Appendix 3: Policy Analysis/Reflection Assignment
Education Policy Analysis/Reflection
Appendix 4: Classroom Management Philosophy and Action Plan
Culturally Relevant Classroom Management Plan
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1 Teacher Identity as Dynamic, Holistic Interaction among Multiple ...
Chapter 8
Figure 8.1 Decision‐Making Power Flow within our Nation’s Education System....
Figure 8.2 Modified Decision‐Making Power Flow within Our Nation’s Education...
Guide
Cover Page
Praise for Woven Together
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
Appendix 1: Critical Educational Autobiography Assignment
Appendix 2: “What's in a Name?” Discussion
Appendix 3: Policy Analysis/Reflection Assignment
Appendix 4: Classroom Management Philosophy and Action Plan
Index
Wiley End User License Agreement
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Praise for Woven Together
“Woven Together is a masterful tapestry. It is precisely what educators need: an articulation of how to lead from the inside‐out, true to their most authentic selves, so that they may best serve their students in changing the world.”
—Dr. Anindya Kundu, sociologist, award‐winning educator, and author of The Power of Student Agency
“Powerful. Courtney Rose breaks down the steps for those who desire to humanize education and truly maximize their educational reach. Her approach to dismantling systems in order to transform them is a must read.”
—LaNesha Tabb and Naomi O'Brien, authors, public speakers, and educators
“Courtney Rose's book could not come at a better time for teachers. As more and more educators leave the profession while we deal with the fallout from unforeseen and unprecedented social and political conditions, the need for this book is self‐evident. Those of us who remain are looking for the sustainable strategies that Courtney discusses. Administrators who are desperately seeking to recruit new teachers and retain the ones they have can look to this book as a guidebook for how to create conditions that are necessary for teachers to thrive in.”
—Larry Ferlazzo, high school teacher, author, and Education Week teacher advice columnist
“Woven Together by Dr. Courtney Rose is a masterful presentation for all educators, students, and education leaders, with very practical and doable examples of showing up and being your authentic self in one of the most important and sacred spaces, the teaching and learning environment. Dr. Courtney Rose, through her own storytelling and demonstration of Woven Together, provides for the reader concrete examples and theoretical contextual insight into some of today's most challenging educational and social issues. Woven Together has helped me learn and grow as a higher education executive, it will do the same and much more for those committed to an authentic, trust‐based teaching and learning experience.”
—Dr. Anthony E. Munroe, president, Borough of Manhattan Community College / City University of New York
WOVEN TOGETHER
How Unpacking Your Teacher Identity Creates a Stronger Learning Community
COURTNEY E. ROSE
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data is Available:
ISBN 9781394152131(Paperback)
ISBN 9781394152148(ePDF)
ISBN 9781394152155(ePub)
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: © Daisy‐Daisy/Getty Images
Author Photo: Courtesy of the Author
For Mom and Dad, the first two, and still most powerful, educators in my life.
Acknowledgments
This book would not be possible without the values, skills, lessons, and gifts passed on to me from the generations of educators, both formal and informal, in my family. I often say that teaching, educating, is the family business and the truth is that this work lives and moves through me in ways that make me feel forever woven together with the grandparents and great grandparents on both sides of my family whose strength and wisdom gained in their own journeys to and through educational spaces, whose love, care, and passion for developing the next generation, whose no‐nonsense and fearless leadership has shaped who I am and how I engage in this work.
Words cannot express the gratitude I have for my first, and most powerful, educators, my parents, but I will do my best.
Mom, thank you for teaching me the power of my voice and giving me this gift of writing. You bought me my first journal, and in that moment, opened me up to the importance of looking within when the world feels lonely, scary, or chaotic and it has been the greatest source of strength in my life. Growing up I'd watch you from the back of rooms filled with people hanging on your every word as you moved powerfully and gracefully, and I used to pray for just one ounce of what at that time I thought just had to be magic. As I've gotten older, I realize that what really fuels you is the deep love for yourself, your family, and your community that is woven into every fiber of your being and I thank you for passing that love on to me.
Your guidance throughout this book journey, and my life, has been invaluable, and with you in my corner, I've been able to navigate it all with so much confidence, power, grace, and peace.
Dad, I always thank you for being a pillar of calm and peace, and I will echo that here. I feel so blessed to have a father who sees and nurtures me the way you have.
But I also want to thank you for contributing to the book as not only one of the featured teachers, but also keeping me grounded in remembering my audience and my why. You entered the K–12 classroom just a little while before I did, and just as with Mom I'd sit in the back of your classroom and watch you pull out the absolute best in each of your students. It's actually why I jumped at the opportunity to be a math teacher when it presented itself during my first year in Jacksonville, which ultimately shaped the rest of my journey as an educator. It's been so special to share this part of our lives with each other, and it's added a powerful element to our father/daughter relationship.
Brandon, thank you for all of the support you've given me throughout the years. You helped me think through and process aspects of this book journey that often don't come naturally to me and helped me feel so protected and cared for. Thank you!
Mariel, I've said this before, but you are the friend/sister whom I prayed for, and it comes as no surprise to me that you and I were writing our first books at the same time. You've held space for me in ways that often created pathways for the words to flow, and my heart just overflows with love and gratitude for the person you are and sisterhood you've brought into my life.
To my other sisters Jessica, Jordan, and Amber, some might not understand the cover art, but you all know that it is symbolic of the place where we all met and formed this lifelong friendship, the place where I had the revelation that I wanted to be a teacher, that it was who I'd probably always been. You all have been by my side through so many milestones and loved me through so many versions of myself. Thank you all for never asking me to be anything or anyone other than who I am.
C, I know I don't need to say much, or anything at all, to let you know the love and gratitude I have for you. Your unwavering love, patience, support, and understanding lifted me up so many times during this writing process.
To the rest of my incredible support system, Maxie, Jenn, Ed, Zo, thank you for the words of encouragement, the laughter, the listening ears when I needed it, the brutal honesty when I needed it, and for always loving me for just who I am.
To my incredible featured teachers: Alexia, Jeff, Bobby, Brian, Vennieta, Tanesha, Dee, Deonna, Ryan, Joscelyn, Yari, and Eva, you all inspire me on a daily basis. I can't express enough how deeply grateful and blessed I feel to have had the opportunity to sit in your brilliance and wisdom. The authenticity, honesty, and vulnerability you each approached our conversations with helped me take this book to new heights and deeper explorations of the issues and myself. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
A huge thank you to my Jossey‐Bass team. Your patience, understanding, and flexibility helped me to produce the book I've been carrying in my heart for years, and I thank you for seeing the vision and helping me to bring it to life.
I'd also be remiss not to thank my social media family, which constantly posted things like “Write the book, sis!” and “Where's the book, sis?” and encouraged me to sit down and start writing, even before I knew exactly what I had to say.
Thank you to every educator whom I've had. In each of your unique ways, you encouraged me to tap into different aspects of who I am and who I want to be and find my strength and power, shaping the woman and educator I am. Special gratitude to my sixth grade Reading teacher Ms. Koplo, my AP Psych teacher Mrs. Barnett, my high school Spanish teacher Ms. Chandler, and professors Dr. Stephanie Evans, Dr. Yolanda Sealey‐Ruiz, and Dr. Christopher Emdin. Each and every one of you created learning environments that allowed your students to just be, to remember who we are and opened opportunities to express the fullness of ourselves freely and without judgment and I can see threads of each one of you woven into my own practice.
Finally, thank you to my students, from my first third‐grade babies all the way to my grad students. Each and every one of you has shaped the educator, and person, that I am in such profound ways, and I carry each one of you in my heart.
I love you all and I hope you see the gifts, lessons, and love you have all passed on to me woven throughout the words in this book.
Love,Courtney/Dr. Rose
About the Author
Dr. Courtney E. Rose is a Florida‐based teacher, educator, and educational consultant, and founded Ivy Rose Consulting in 2018. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Dr. Rose taught fifth‐grade math and science in the Duval County Public School system in Jacksonville, Florida (two years of which were completed during her commitment as a Teach for America corps member). At the time of writing this book, she was a Visiting Professor in the Education Policy Studies Department at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Dr. Rose's research and work interests include the development and implementation of innovative approaches designed to (re)humanize instructional practices, curricular designs, and learning environments. Her student‐driven approach to teacher education and development aims to provide teachers with new tools and understandings on how to incorporate students' authentic voices into curriculum and instruction to better engage students with academic content. Adopting a framework rooted in critical self‐reflection and collective dialogue, Dr. Rose views curricular designs and instructional practices as powerful tools through which to construct, legitimate, and impose messages about what is appropriate, intelligent, and valuable, which impact both educators' and students' experiences within schools. Given this, her approach to teacher education/professional development aims to help educators and administrators develop or enhance their practices to create humanizing and collaborative learning environments and co‐create more meaningful learning experiences with and for the increasingly racially, culturally, socially, linguistically diverse students and families of today's schools.
Introduction
Sitting down to write this book was a test that I was not expecting. I found myself trying to write a book that I thought people wanted to read, and I forgot the one piece of advice that I often give when people ask me about the journey of writing, which is to write what you need, or what you felt you needed at a given time in your life's journey. As I sit and reflect on that now, the time I've spent in my teaching journey has me reflecting on when I first entered the classroom as a Lead Teacher. That version of myself was so confident.
Remembering
Reflecting back on that first year as a Lead Teacher, I was so excited. I was finally stepping into the world and the work that I felt was what I was meant to be doing, what I was put on this earth to do. We often use words like purpose, calling, or destiny to describe the intensity of this emotion, and this version of myself, this Courtney Rose of the past, felt like I was stepping into all of those things. I was walking in my purpose, answering my calling, and following my destiny, and I could not have been more excited. It did not happen exactly how I thought it would happen, but I was doing it and I was proud of myself because I was going to do something that meant something to me and to the world.
As I entered that first classroom that year, it took only about a week or so before I realized that perhaps this was not going to be or what I was told that it was going to be, what my university‐based teacher education program had prepared me for, and I felt myself begin to question the path that I selected. Based on state testing data, the school was identified as the “lowest‐performing school in the district” earning the lowest F of any of its schools. Given this, the school, which served students from kindergarten through eighth grade and a predominantly Black student population, was labeled a “turnaround school” and became a target for district and statewide efforts to reform the school and improve test performance. This push toward immediate turnaround became the school’s entire identity during the year that I joined as a teacher and governed almost every aspect of our daily experiences within the building.
Although 40 humans sat in chairs in front of me every day, my school and classroom started to feel less and less like spaces where people came together and more like a lab where practitioners produced and analyzed data. The students, and teachers, were constantly under surveillance. Students were constantly taking tests and being assessed, and by extension, so were the teachers. We, the educators, were observed endlessly, asked to meet at a moment's notice, and required to submit things so that our expertise and “effectiveness” could be measured and evaluated. On any given day, I could expect at least five people to come in my room unannounced, and in front of my students, make comments about what I was not doing well, what I needed to do better, what I should be doing, and what they, who had never spent more than five minutes with my students, thought would serve them best. On one particularly frustrating day, the school was visited by a team that specialized in assessing student engagement. The three‐person team spent the morning moving through the hallways peeking through the windows of each classroom door to gather a 30‐second “snapshot” of students' engagement with the learning taking place on the other side. At no point did they open the door, enter the classrooms, or speak to any of the students or teachers. It was quite possibly one of the most dehumanizing experiences of my life as we were literally treated like animals in a zoo being viewed through the glass. They then went to a room and compared notes, ultimately creating an overall assessment of how well teachers were engaging students. During the debrief meeting that day, I remember most of the teachers, myself included, becoming increasingly irate as the visitors presented their report, calling out teachers whose classes they found both deeply engaged or disengaged through their analysis of the snapshots.
No matter how long I reflect back on this, which is just one example out of many more, I will never see how this was supposed to benefit us or our students, whose parents often got on ships and left for months at a time as a part of their assignments at one of the two nearby naval bases. They needed something different, something more, and as a community, a school community, we all needed something different. We all needed something more. The burnout was palpable and you could see it on everyone's faces, and experiences like the engagement snapshot observations. We all knew that if we didn't meet the standard that year, the school would look very different, or be closed altogether. You see, during that first year of teaching, my students' parents and families voted on what they thought should happen to the school as one of the reform options on the table was to consider a complete restructuring of the school. This move would likely result in many of the students, and teachers, being displaced to other schools. Having already gone through the previous restructuring that led to the development of the K–8 school to begin with, many of my students began to vocalize that it really did not matter what they did that year because the school probably was not going to be here the next year and so why try? Do you see the internalization of we do not matter? I have never felt that so deeply, that I did not matter, that the work I was doing did not matter, that the people, the human beings sitting in the seats that I faced every day, did not matter to so many people whose job description was to communicate the exact opposite.
I barreled through that first year. I struggled and came in every day feeling like a cog in a broken machine rather than a human in a community, which added immensely, immeasurably, destructively to my own personal and professional identity development and vision for myself as an educator. I was an adult, a young adult, but an adult, nonetheless. I could not imagine and I still cannot imagine, what my students were enduring and feeling and the emotions that were rising in them that were not being checked, were not being addressed, were not being tended to in the time that they were in the school building. I started waking up every morning crying, or with this intense feeling of dread, but I would drag myself out of bed, take a shower, get dressed, put on the best smile that I could and just keep on trying every day. I showed up every day because I was walking in my purpose and answering my calling and following my destiny. But I knew it was not right.
One day I got a call to the principal's office. She notified me that I would not be asked to return, but that she did want me to finish the school year because we only had about a month or so left. So, in the middle of the day when I still had students in my room, she called me to the office and gave me this message. What struck me the most, what still sits with me to this day as I think about that moment, are the words she said to me. She said, and I am paraphrasing a bit, “Do not let this place destroy the gift that you have, the passion that you have for this work. You have something. Do not let this place take it.” That has stayed with me ever since, and every time I think about it I wonder whether she thought she was saving me, and if so, if that place could destroy whatever she saw and thought was worth saving in me, what was it doing to the children in the building? More importantly, what were we, the adults who had taken on this work of serving and educating our students, doing as a community to try to save them?
Humanizing Education
I reflect on that year often, and it brings me to tears quite a bit because I know that there was more that I could have done, maybe more that I should have done. But every single day in that building felt like a fight, a battle to hold onto myself and remember why I was there. Ultimately, being fired likely did save me, or at least jolted me back to life and reignited my passion for this work and my purpose in it. I carry those students and that year in my heart because it was one of the most dehumanizing spaces I have ever inhabited. Remembering what it did to the educators in the building, remembering what it did to the students in the building, brings me to tears to this day. I believe it is why I have always focused on how we can create spaces and practices and policies that build our kids up, that see their humanity, and that breathe life into them, but also that recognizes that in order to do that, we need to see the humanity in ourselves as educators and breathe life into ourselves, our colleagues and by extension, our students and their families/communities.
Unfortunately, much of existing education research and policies are framed within deficit‐based narratives. The data asks us to look at what isn't working, who is falling short of academic standards, the tactics and approaches that are not effective, and the shortcomings of students, educators, schools, and communities that are not providing or receiving what they need. These narratives have often placed the issues of schooling and educational attainment/academic achievement in students, educators, and communities rather than the systems and structures in which they are contextualized and housed. As a result, many key stakeholders in education (politicians, parents/caretakers, educators, students, etc.) are positioned in direct opposition to each other, creating strong lines of division and fractured learning communities.
Educator, scholar, and author of We Want to Do More than Survive, Bettina L. Love writes of the spirit murdering of predominantly Black and Brown youth, along with those whose identities sit outside of the Eurocentric norms that often lie at the root of dominant educational policies and practices. Defining spirit murder as the denial of inclusion, protection, safety, nurturance, and acceptance because of fixed yet fluid and moldable structures of racism, and I add, other forms of oppression, those living on the margins are often humiliated, ridiculed, criminalized, and hyper‐surveilled for simply being. For example, students living in impoverished communities have a greater chance of attending a school that has metal detectors and have their bags searched on a daily basis. Black boys and girls receive harsher punishments for committing the same level, or even less severe offenses, than their White counterparts as are students with disabilities or individualized education plans (IEPs).
As educators, we occupy an interesting position. When we take on the educator identity, we step into a role that places us with one foot on both sides of the coin. We walk through the same metal detectors as our students, but are also tasked with enforcing, often arbitrary, school discipline policies; we experience similar levels of stress and pressure to raise test scores and prove our value within the school building based on how well our students perform, which can lead us to lean into instructional, testing, and grading policies that fuel the false narratives of the tests value, even amid data that prove otherwise. In essence, I argue that the spirit murdering and dehumanizing nature of dominant schooling structures not only dehumanizes students, but educators as well. Speaking personally, in my first year of teaching I felt similar feelings arise in me as I felt when I occupied seats in classrooms throughout my own K–12 schooling. However, this time, I was standing in a position where I had more agency, power, and tools to begin to transform that experience, even if only for the time that my students were in my room.
Weaving It All Together
At its roots, I hope this book serves as a tool in the journey toward rehumanizing education and recognizing that, as teachers who were once children/students, as teachers who may also be parents/caregivers, as parents/caregivers of children who are also students, our experiences, both inside and outside of schools, both past and present, are inextricably linked in that they weave together who we are individually and collectively, but they also weave us together to each other in this human experience, and in the experience of teaching and learning. Each of the present‐day realities that I cover in this book are informed and shaped by past realities, and have the ability to transform and reshape future realities. Humanizing education starts with recognizing that when I dehumanize you, when I dehumanize a student, or when I sit silently and watch as you are dehumanized, I dehumanize myself. Conversely, when I humanize myself, or act in ways that honor my humanity, I in turn humanize you.
Humanizing education requires the acknowledgment of the daily injustices and inequities that students and teachers, particularly those from and working with communities of color and other marginalized groups, often face. Certainly, any effort to create more equitable and just learning environments for students of color requires that the social, structural, and systemic barriers they face, both inside and outside of their learning environments, be faced head‐on. Those bearing witness to discriminatory, oppressive, and exclusionary policies and practices, especially those occupying positions of power within educational and institutional structures, must see it as a professional and personal responsibility to call out these policies and practices while calling themselves and others in to do the work of disrupting, dismantling, and transforming them. This book takes the reader on a journey of weaving all that is necessary together, toward an optimal educational experience for students, parents, and teachers.
Overview of the Chapters
Chapter 1 is where the journey into self begins, posing the question of where teachers' identities overlap with and inform the development of their teacher identity through the construction of the Critical Educational Autobiography. Readers are encouraged to revisit their autobiographies through each chapter, reflecting on what new or deeper insights they have gained.
Chapter 2 presents the ways that language is used to reproduce and reinforce deficit‐based narratives and frameworks within dominant educational policies and practices. This chapter encourages a deep‐dive into your “why” as educators situate themselves within these narratives.
Chapter 3 also digs below the surface by tackling the numbers and beyond pertaining to recruiting, retaining, and sustaining educators, including a comprehensive discussion of the “invisible tax” that is pushing many teachers out of the classroom.
Chapter 4 explores the notion of intergenerational wisdom and the lessons that should be learned from “those who stay.” Contemporary popular depictions of this type of veteran teacher is explored through a frank analysis of the popular television show Abbott Elementary, which debuted in 2021, that highlights veteran teacher, Barbara, and all that she brings to the classroom. Further exploration of veteran teachers is also through excerpts of discussions with Featured Teachers.
Chapter 5 takes a different approach in that there is a critical analysis of how the physical body is perceived within educational spaces and how that might impact the ways teachers embody their practice and are unfortunately disembodied.
Chapter 6 focuses on the power of voice and the need to create space for authentic self‐expression in the development of self‐actualizing learning experiences and environments, and explores the complexities involved in teaching vulnerability.
Chapter 7 widens the scope to weave together teacher and student identities and voices in the development of a student‐driven classroom community.
Chapter 8 extends beyond the classroom, inviting teachers to weave together stronger relationships with parents/families/caretakers.
Chapter 9, the final chapter, endeavors to weave together all of the elements of the preceding with a forward‐looking approach for the next generation of teachers to come.
Features of the Text
Beginning with Chapter 2, the following elements are included:
Instagram quote: As Instagram is a popular medium of exchanging ideas, especially for educators, and where I have a very substantial following, I start each chapter with a quote pulled from my feed that is primarily devoted to education and teachers.
Featured Teachers excerpts: Additionally, each chapter contains excerpts from my interviews with Featured Teachers. Featured Teachers, in this book, are educators currently or recently serving in K–12 schools, including public, private, and charter.
Reflection questions/activities: The chapters also include reflection questions and activities that are woven throughout the text to encourage ongoing critical self‐reflection and revisions to the critical autobiography as previously mentioned.
Appendices: Additionally, appendices included at the end of the book supplement the information shared throughout. These tools include a full description of the critical autobiography assignment, an exercise entitled “Name Story,” which serves as both an additional opportunity for critical self‐reflection in the development of one's teacher identity and a relationship‐building activity that can be completed with students. Additional appendices focus on educational policy analysis, and important acronym, as they relate to the field of education as well as a list of governing bodies to help educators continue to engage in the self‐reflective process as they weave together more collaborative instructional practices.
Reference
Love, B. L. (2019).
We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational freedom.
Beacon press.
Chapter 1Weaving Together Your Teacher Identity
The parts of yourself that you try to leave out of your practice by ignoring or overlooking them are often the parts that impact and shape your practice the most.
Instagram Post
@drcourtneyrose (October 7, 2019)
For many, and I would argue all, educators, the journey to teaching and development of what becomes our “teacher identity” starts well before we declare education as our major or step foot in our first classroom. As educators our reasons for entering teaching and the types of teachers we become can often be traced back to key experiences (both inside and outside of schools/classrooms), people and places spanning our entire lives, the histories of our families and the ties (whether they are weak or strong) to the cultures and communities we identify with and inhabit, and therefore, are intricately woven into the fabric of who we are. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that the development of one's “teacher identity,” or how educators come to see and carry themselves as “one who teaches” remains a core area of research, particularly among those aiming to inform, reform, and transform approaches to teacher education.
To dig into the complexities of teacher identity development, this chapter explores two different core components found across existing literature:
Teacher Identity versus Teachers' Identities
Identity as Narrative
Additionally, to provide an opportunity for you to weave together your teacher identity development narrative/journey, I break down a commonly used activity, the Critical Educational Autobiography, and some different variations and approaches, many of which I use in my own courses. There are additional journal prompts to help you engage in critical reflection and dialogue if you want to do this activity with members of a Professional Learning Community, grade/content‐area team, students, or for your own personal use in your Reflective Teaching Journal.
Teacher Identities versus Teachers' Identities
Existing research shows that the teacher is an integral part of a child's educational experience and is often a primary determining factor in a child's academic trajectory and ultimate professional and social outcomes. However, among this literature there is little agreement on how to conceptualize and operationalize “teacher identity.” Specifically, debates arise over where the “self” before and outside their role as an educator intersects and should be considered, if at all. In other words, in the wide range of research on the development and enactment of teacher identities, some key questions remain:
Where do the teachers' identities, and most importantly their self‐image, fit into the teacher identity development process?
How does who we are, who we're from, and who we want to become impact our perception and development of a “teacher identity”?
Through both my public scholarship via my social media platform and in my courses with pre‐ and in‐service teachers, I find this same tension forcing people into two camps: those who believe that “teaching is what I do,” and therefore feel a need to separate their personal and professional identities, versus those who believe that “teaching/teacher is who I am,” and find the two identities to be inextricably linked. I've posed this question in numerous ways, with many teachers reporting a sense that thinking of the role of teacher as “who one is” dehumanizes them and ignores that they are more than what they do for a living. For some, this is what leads to the expectation that teachers should always be available and makes it challenging for educators to “unplug” and set boundaries without feeling like they're falling short of the professional expectations of their job. On the other hand, some educators feel that viewing teaching as just “what one does” also dehumanizes educators because it erases their humanity from the process, practice, and art of teaching. Those who hold this perspective find that framing teaching as what one does reduces it down to rote skills and practices that just anybody can do, and the justification for scripted lessons and canned teaching approaches that overlook the importance of teacher autonomy, creativity, and relationship‐building.
PAUSE, REFLECT, DISCUSS: Framing Teaching and Identity
Take a moment to reflect on whether you view your role and identity as a teacher as “what you do” or “who you are.”
Do you find one more humanizing than the other? Explain.
How have these beliefs and framing of your own teacher identity shaped and influenced the way you enact your practice?
