Presentation
Stories From Five Decades: The Importance of Theatricality, Courage, and Creativity in Teaching
Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA)
(2011)
Abstract
Stories of veteran teachers have much to contribute to our understanding of how to approach the current problem of teacher attrition. We examined the stories of one teacher, Betty Peck, who had more than fifty years’ experience teaching and consulting. We explored what dispositions she considered most important to her resilience as a teacher. We found that Betty described inclinations to be theatrical, creative, and courageous. When reductive conceptions of teaching and learning abound, Betty’s colorful stories remind us of the personal and ultimately idiosyncratic nature of teaching. Betty’s stories can encourage novice teachers to cultivate their own authentic dispositions in order to build careers that are rich and authentic enough to sustain them over a lifetime of teaching.
Keywords
- Case Studies,
- Narrative,
- Teacher Characteristics/Traits
Disciplines
Publication Date
April 9, 2011
Location
New Orleans, LA
Comments
Paper presented as part of session: Life Stories and Teacher Empowerment.
Citation Information
Colette Rabin and Grinell Smith. "Stories From Five Decades: The Importance of Theatricality, Courage, and Creativity in Teaching" Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) (2011) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/colette_rabin/41/