Description
TitleFirst-year white teachers’ constructions of parents of color
Date Created2011
Other Date2011-05 (degree)
Extentiv, [2], 291 p.
DescriptionNovice teachers struggle with issues of classroom management, paperwork, and
job security (Anhorn, 2008; Bullough, Knowles, & Crow, 1991; Onafowora, 2004);
however, novice teachers also face the difficulty of negotiating identity in their new
settings (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Beginner teachers fill a specific niche in the school,
neither being full members of the profession nor complete outsiders. As a result,
relationships with colleagues shape the experiences and attitudes of new teachers
(Goffman, 1959; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Roehrig, Pressley, & Talotta, 2002). Keeping in
mind the socialization process of novice teachers, this yearlong study investigated how
Whiteness, or rather the positioning of white practices as the norm (Morrison; 1992), manifested itself in the relationships between first-year white teachers and parents of color. The study investigated the ways that novice public educators interacted with and
understood parents of color. Through a qualitative methodology, this study unpacked the
first-year white teacher’s struggle for acceptance into a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) while attempting to resist dominant ideologies about parents of color. Coming from the same teacher-preparation programs, the two participants brought expectations, understandings, and constructions of public education (Clark, 1988; Rumelhart, 1980). Initially, both participants shared similar views on the role of the
parent in the school system. At the beginning of the study, these two novice teachers both believed that the race of the parent would not matter in their interactions throughout their
first year. While these expectations influenced their experiences at the school, it appeared
that one participant fell victim to the dominant ideological beliefs about parents of color,
while the other participant demonstrated partial resistance (Mueller, 2006; Tozer, 1993).
This study explored the elements that may influence the ability for a first-year white teacher to accept or resist the dominant ideologies surrounding parents of color. Under the current budgetary constraints, it is imperative for educators to reevaluate equity in education. As the United States is experiencing its greatest economic
recession in decades (Robelen, 2009), we must attempt to stave off further inequitable divisions between the races. As it is surely possible that this economic recession will further reinforce white privilege, educators must attempt to lessen the impact on the school system. As explored in the findings of this study, first-year white teachers offer a unique opportunity to battle the latent (and manifest) assumptions about parents of color. Since these beliefs ultimately influence the expectations placed on students of color, all modes of resistance must be encouraged.
NoteEd.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Noteby Kayne Ellis
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School of Education Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.