I Answer with My Life: Life Histories of Women Teachers Working for Social Change

by Kathleen Casey

Overview

Originally published in 1993. This book shows, through the oral histories of ordinary women teachers, that effective prescriptions for change do not come simply from policy-makers. The author focuses on the narratives of three groups of teachers in the USA: Catholic nuns; secular Jewish women; and Black women. For each of these the individual teachers’ narratives have been examined for constructions common to the group and these patterns are assembled into a discourse. Teachers’ self-identities are considered, as are their assessments of the institutions in which they have worked, and their relationships with the pupils. The text examines how the social role of the teacher is constructed by the lives of these women. Incorporating this perspective of diversity into the educational debate, this book argues that these less dominant but important voices shouldn’t be ignored.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138040670
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/27/2018
Series:	Routledge Library Editions: Education and Gender
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kathleen Casey

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Theory, Methodology and Politics in Discourse Collection and Analysis 3. An Existential Discourse of Catholic Women Religious Teachers Working for Social Change 4. A Pragmatic Discourse of Secular Jewish Women Teachers Working for Social Change 5. A Signifying Discourse of Black Women Teachers Working for Social Change 6. Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

This study offers an analysis of 33 anonymous female teachers who responded to a survey created by Casey (education, Univ. of North Carolina). The women are divided into three groups, and each group is explained in a separate chapter. ``Existential'' religious Catholics, ``pragmatic'' Jewish women, and ``signifying'' African Americans tell much, but very little is reported about the actual contributions these women are making to social change. The exceptions are reports from one teacher who helped homeless citizens in the quest for social security and from another who founded an alternative high school that later received regular accreditation. Recommended for academic collections in education, psychology, and sociology. (Index not seen.)-- Ina M. Wise, Daley Community Coll. Lib., Chicago

Library Journal