ABSTRACT
In the spring of 1996, we, Karen and Janice, each requested leaves of absence from our shared school board to enable us to undertake doctoral study and research. Our decisions to pursue further graduate study were influenced by the growing tensions we experienced as classroom teachers working alongside diverse children and families in a provincial context shaped by an increasing push for standardized curriculum and achievement. In the years leading up to our doctoral studies, a space that was vital in sustaining our work as teachers was a teacher research group brought together through Jean Clandinin and Michael Connelly’s program of research into teacher knowledge and professional contexts (see Clandinin, 1986; Clandinin & Connelly, 1995; Connelly & Clandinin, 1988). In the spring of 1996, Jean and Michael received a grant to extend their earlier work through a focus on “stories to live by,” a narrative way to understand the connections among teachers’ knowledge, contexts and identity (Connelly & Clandinin, 1999). We both very much wanted to participate, and were privileged to do so, alongside Jean, Michael, and other researchers inquiring into teacher identity (see Connelly & Clandinin, 1999).
