SPOKEN STORIES: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY ON THE LIVES AND EXPERIENCES OF “OUTSIDER ...

250 Pages·2012·0.68 MB·English

ABSTRACT

Title of dissertation: SPOKEN STORIES: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY ON THE
LIVES AND EXPERIENCES OF “OUTSIDER
TEACHERS”
Sara Makris, Doctor of Philosophy, 2012
Dissertation directed by: Professor Linda R. Valli
Department of Education

When a teacher enters a classroom, a story begins. The plot is informed by its
characters and setting—the students, faculty, and the surrounding community. If a teacher
comes from outside this community—whether in terms of race, class, gender identity,
sexual orientation, ethnicity, ability status, or culture—the plot thickens.
Existing literature examines the roles that these identity characteristics play in the
classroom. Literature currently addresses “outsider teachers”—those whose identity
characteristics cause them to stand out among their school communities, and in some
cases, within many other communities—but it does so often at the exclusion of a holistic
view of the teacher. The research tends to focus on teacher experiences in terms of only a
single facet of teacher identity within any given study. This study looks at the
experiences of “outsider teachers” with the intention of creating a more layered narrative
by encompassing the many facets of identity that interact to create the intricate
experience of an individual human being.
The experiences of these outsider teachers, the ways in which they characterize
their identities, and in particular, the ways that they articulate their approach to pedagogy,
provide valuable insight for the teaching community at large. Using narrative inquiry, this
study explores the experiences of a group of six “outsider teachers,” including the
researcher. The images of the participants present a more complex picture than those
found in studies that examine teacher identity based upon only one or two identity
categories, to the exclusion of others. Informed by intersectionality theory—which
emphasizes the nuanced interaction of identity categories—the study seeks to portray
depth and subtlety in descriptions of participants. This effort has implications for the
viability of intersectionality theory in the discipline of education.
In the telling of their stories, participants described the use of proactive
inclusiveness, in which they sought to create safe spaces within their classrooms for all
students. This proactive inclusiveness emerged from participant experiences of their own
intersecting identities. They had felt the complexity of belonging to multiple groups—
some of which did not accept the existence of others. Because of this, they came to
understand that a group of students might seem cohesive on the surface, but that
outsiderness often dwells just below. Proactive inclusiveness, thus, represents a mindset
that acknowledges the invisible barriers and struggles that exist within all groups of
individuals.
They leveraged insider characteristics, using common identity characteristics to
gain student trust and challenge embedded stereotypes. Participants stressed the
importance of accessing memory as a tool for connecting with students whose
characteristics are different from their own, arguing that the existence of an adverse
experience in one’s life provides some ground for connection with others. In addition,
participants described a commitment to giving their students access to broader points of
view in an effort to combat the inherited bigotry that can feed societal inequality.
Findings also include a potentially expanded definition of “outsider teacher,” to describe
one who employs a teaching philosophy guided by a desire to focus on inclusion of
marginalized students and the development of empathy, acceptance, and open-
mindedness among students.
SPOKEN STORIES: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY ON THE LIVES AND
EXPERIENCES OF “OUTSIDER TEACHERS”

by

Sara Makris

Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the
University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
2012

Advisory Committee:

Professor Linda Valli, Chair
Professor Francine Hultgren
Assistant Professor Maria Hyler
Assistant Professor Victoria-Maria MacDonald
Assistant Professor Noah Drezner
Dedication

For Cheryl and Theodore Makris.

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Acknowledgements

To the scholars who have challenged, encouraged, and educated me: Dr. Linda Valli, my
committee chair; Dr. Victoria-Maria MacDonald my advisor; and Dr. Maria Hyler, Dr.
Francine Hultgren, Dr. Noah Drezner, and Dr. Connie North, my committee members,
thank you. Thank you, Dr. Irvine, for taking an interest in me, and thank you, Mrs.
Kinsey, for doing the same. Thank you, MUE colleagues, for support, guidance, and
camaraderie: Simone Gibson, Tracy Dula, Carlton Marshall, Wyletta Gamble, and Laura
Yee. Thanks especially to Joy Jones, Elsie Pratt, Elizabeth Johnson, and Anita Stevens,
who have informed, advised, and assisted me—and many others—at every turn. Erica
McKinney and Rosy Carranza, thank you for your friendship. I could not have made this
journey without you. To Daniel Lockney, thank you for everything. Really.

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Table of Contents
Chapter I: Introduction…………………………………………………………1
Troubling the Term: Outsider ………………………………………………2
The Outsider Teacher in the Literature…………………………………….. 2
The Outsider Teacher in the Public Eye…………………………………… 5
The Outsider Teacher in History…………………………………………... 7
Terminology and Research Questions……………………………………... 8
Purpose and Significance of the Study…………………………………….. 9
The Role of Personal Narrative……………………………………………. 12
Childhood Narrative……………………………………………………….. 14
Research Methods…………………………………………………………. 18
Data Gathering…………………………………………………………….. 22
Student Narrative…………………………………………………………... 24

Chapter II: Literature Review………………………………………………….. 30
Selection of Studies………………………………………………………... 30
Categories and Themes……………………………………………………. 32
Race and Class……………………………………………………... 34
Themes……………………………………………………………... 52
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation…………………………… 54
Themes…………………………………………………………….. 60
Nationality and Ethnicity…………………………………………... 62
Themes…………………………………………………………….. 70
Ability ………………………………………………………………71
Themes…………………………………………………………….. 75
Methodological and Content Themes ………………………………75
Intersectionality……………………………………………………. 77
Discussion………………………………………………………………….. 79

Chapter III: Research Methodology…………………………………………….. 83
Process Narrative…………………………………………………………... 83
Participants………………………………………………………………… 88
Narrative Inquiry…………………………………………………………… 92
Study Structure…………………………………………………………….. 98
Types of Questions Asked…………………………………………. 99
Types of Information Gathered……………………………………..100
Sharing of Literature……………………………………………….. 100
Transformative/“Uncomfortable”/Co-constructed Aspect………… 102
Interview and Journal Questions……………………………………………104
Opening Interview…………………………………………………. 105
Journal Assignments……………………………………………….. 107
Closing Interview…………………………………………………... 109
Generative Questions………………………………………………. 111
From the Opening Interview……………………………….. 111
From the Journal Assignment……………………………… 112
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From the Closing Interview………………………………... 113
Intersectional Methodology………………………………………………………... 114

Chapter IV: Windows…………………………………………………………… 118
Teacher Narrative…………………………………………………………...118
Jamie……………………………………………………………………….. 126
Lisa…………………………………………………………………………. 140
Maria……………………………………………………………………….. 154
Winnie……………………………………………………………………… 169
Kyong………………………………………………………………………. 182
Outsider Teachers………………………………………………………….. 193
A Return to the Research Questions……………………………………….. 194
The Transformative Aspect…………………………………………………199

Chapter V: Mirrors……………………………………………………………... 201
Closing Narrative…………………………………………………………………... 203
“Outsider Teacher:” Revisiting the Term………………………………………….. 209
Limitations and Delimitations ………………………………………………………211
Building on the Literature……….…………………………………………………. 213
Race and Class……………………………………………………………... 213
Gender and Sexual Orientation……………………………………………. 214
Nationality and Sexuality…………………………………………………... 215
Ability……………………………………………………………………… 216
Conclusions for Teachers…………………………………………………………... 218
Proactive Inclusiveness…………………………………………………….. 218
Leveraging Insider Characteristics………………………………………… 222
Accessing Memory………………………………………………………… 225
Conclusions for Schools…………………………………………………………….226
Implications for Scholarship……………………………………………………….. 227
Support for Narrative Inquiry……………………………………………… 227
Representing the Whole Person: Intersectionality…………………………. 229
References………………………………………………………………………….. 232

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Chapter 1: Introduction
What we say about ourselves in passing is usually swept away, the detritus of
discourse, and it takes a rupture in the normal unfolding of everyday life to
bring it into view and remind us of its value as identity’s bedrock.
–Paul John Eakin (7, 2008)
This study gathers information and insight on the experiences of a group of
self-described “outsider teachers.” Outsider teachers are those who possess
identifying characteristics that differentiate them from their student populations.
Race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and social class, all
constitute potential elements of difference. Teachers may diverge from their
students at the intersection of a number of these characteristics. This study examines
and analyzes the experiences of self-defined “outsider teachers,” including the
researcher, who possess social identifiers that set them apart from their students.
The term “outsider teacher” is flexible. It may refer to teachers who come
from the dominant culture—a predominantly white, middle class population—and
teach students of color (Howard, 2006; Irvine, 2003; Kearney, 2008; Michie, 2007;
Valenzuela, 1999). As Kleinfeld, McDiarmis, Grubis, and Parrett (1983) put it, they
may be “teachers…cop[ing], often for the first time, with the experience of being a
minority person, of being a symbol of a resented majority culture” (p. 88). “Outsider
teacher,” may also refer to teachers with identities that are marginalized regardless of
their setting, for example black teachers in white schools and immigrant teachers in
United States public schools. Based upon their struggles for legitimacy and

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acceptance, teachers with disabilities, and transgender, gay, and lesbian teachers in
any public school system may also consider themselves outsider teachers.
Troubling the Term: Outsider
The term, “outsider,” may seem problematic to some. Its connotations
include exclusion, judgment, or situation outside the norm. Because of this, some
readers may object to its use here. The term, “outsider,” is presented here with full
awareness of its potential for negative implications. As one of the self-described
“outsider teachers” participating in the study, I appreciate the term for its ability to
portray a stark reality.
The participants who joined me in this study have embraced the term to
varying degrees, all of which are represented here. In most cases, the term rang true,
and they felt it applied to their experience. Three participants—Jamie, Maria, and
Kyong—embraced it from the outset. One participant, Winnie, who, unbeknownst to
me, initially rejected the term, came to believe that it applied to her and fit her
circumstances. Lisa, ultimately, chose not to be defined by the term, preferring to
use “other” instead. Her words to that effect appear later on in the text.
The Outsider Teacher in the Literature
The experiences of outsider teachers have received attention in the scholarly
literature according to categorical descriptions. In other words, researchers have
looked at outsider teachers based upon individual categories: gay teachers, foreign
teachers, black teachers in white schools, and transgender teachers have participated
in research. Less commonly have teachers participated in research that examines
their identity in its more complex forms: teachers, for example, who are outsiders

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