ABSTRACT
I entered the fifth grade classroom where I would spend the next four months as a student teacher armed with three and a half years of college coursework, a plethora of theory, an emerging understanding of culturally responsive teaching, a lined notebook dubbed my “reflective journal,” and a healthy dose of nerves. My experience was unique because besides the students and my cooperating teacher supporting me in my reflective process, I had the privilege of being involved with the Literacy for Social Justice Teacher Research Group (LSJTRG) as I began to build my identity as a teacher. In the context of this group, I was able to inquire into and critically analyze my teaching practices through the lenses of equity and social justice.
