Race IS a Big Deal: The Childhood Experiences of White, Female Teachers and the Development of Critical Consciousness to "See, Judge and Act"

Authors

Margaret Schauer, John Carroll University

Keywords

critical consciousness, white teacher identity development, culturally relevant pedagogies, equity literacy, critical race theory, narrative inquiry

Abstract

This study explores the stories of White, female teachers to understand moments of critical consciousness around race during childhood experiences that may have supported strong relationships with students of color in their teaching careers. Qualitative methods were employed to collect and analyze the stories of five White, female teachers in an urban school district. Findings include colorblind and White privileged stances from childhood that became more critical as participants began teaching students of color and adopted culturally relevant pedagogies and practices to meet their students’ needs. A need for teacher education and school professional development to move educators even further to an action stance of critical consciousness that supports anti-racist and equity literacy pedagogies is discussed.

Recommended Citation

Schauer, Margaret (2019) "Race IS a Big Deal: The Childhood Experiences of White, Female Teachers and the Development of Critical Consciousness to "See, Judge and Act"," Mid-Western Educational Researcher: Vol. 33: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/mwer/vol33/iss1/3