Source: Teachers College Record Volume 113 Number 5, 2011, p. 1105-1134.
This study explores how new teachers who teach from a social justice perspective navigate the challenges of their first year in teaching.
Specifically, this study asks, What strategies do new teachers use to stay true to their vision of teaching for social justice despite the challenges they face in their school environments?
Participants
During the course of the study, 4 of the 6 participants were full-time classroom teachers.
The 2 other participants were still taking education classes while student- and assistant teaching. All worked in a variety of urban elementary schools.
Program
The participants were all members of a social justice critical inquiry project (CIP) group that met at the university from which they graduated.
Data Collection and Analysis
Data were collected from three sources: transcripts from audio and videotaped CIP sessions, ethnographic interviews with participants, and participants’ written reflections.
Data were analyzed using grounded theory method.
The teachers developed four strategies for teaching for social justice.
First, by participating in a critical inquiry project, the teachers supported each other by building a safe haven that protected their vision.
Second, the participants camouflaged their critical pedagogy by integrating it with the mandated curriculum, which allowed them to teach from a social justice perspective without rousing the concerns of their administration.
The third strategy was to develop their students as agents of change.
Finally, in a few instances, the teachers went public with their work by rejecting or speaking against policies that they felt were not in the best interests of their students.
Although these four strategies allowed participants to successfully create critical classrooms, they did not impact the larger neoliberal forces that maintain unjust schooling experiences.