My ‘snake story’ draft

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This focused writing activity was introduced in class with the purpose of connecting me to a heritage of theorists within my academic house. Since I’m an educator, my background and pivot points are surrounded by educational theorists and thought provokers. Here is a DRAFT of the pivot points or turns in my ‘snake story’ in chronological order.

  • Leaving home (rural, farm setting) for the first time and failing in my first year at university was a turning point – trying to fit into something that did not fit me. Found psychology and started volunteering with exceptional children. Constructivism: Piaget, Vygotsky, John Dewey
  • Teaching in Cochrane as my first teaching position – working with indigenous children for the first time and feeling my ‘difference’ as a privileged, white, female; being a teacher who taught differently for the context; this continued as I moved into teaching in a rural, farming community. teaching for diversity – Howard Gardner
  • Birth of my children – railing against the education machine for the first time, seeing the barriers and roadblocks within school cultures and routines; became a special education teacher and computer lab teacher to find ways to reach the toughest to reach children as a methodology for change; this lead me to do a master in education with a focus on technology and special education. Howard Gardner – multiple intelligence theory; Seymour Papert hooked me with Mindstorms; access and diversity; Noam Chomsky; Marshal McLuhan – medium is the message
  • Finding change not happening so was triggered to go into school leadership through a conversation with someone I respected (standing in a hockey arena watching my daughters playing hockey) – gained the position after years of studying only to find the next bump. Franklin Covey; Leadership leaders like Michael Fullan; Jean Vanier was my spiritual guide.
  • Living a divided life – could not balance the human connections found in leadership with the bureaucracies in the position (suspension, finances) and being caught in the middle – living between being a teacher with students, and the board office directives and demands. Then finding Parker Palmer’s work/retreats for two years to refocus myself; Donald Schon – reflection in, on, off action
  • Finding, applying and completing the master program in educational technology was the next bump that created a shift in direction from schools to higher education teaching. This is where I once again realize that there are barriers to participation or being recognized as valid ‘academic’ voice – where my voice was silenced or not fully accepted. Thought leaders here are Community of Inquiry framework Garrison and Anderson; Lave and Wenger with CoP; Siemans with connectivism; Joseph Novak – concept mapping; David Jonassen – constructivist learning environments; Neil Postman – humanism in technology
  • Began teaching at the University and continued my learning journey into critical thinking and critical pedagogies, I was introduced to Paolo Freire; Deleuze and Guattari; Foucault; and bell hooks.

Image attribution: Photo by James Forbes on Unsplash