Positionality

In this entry, I am following the next reflexive practice in chapter two, where I discuss my positionality in the context of my proposed research study. 

I am a white female who was raised in the Midwest.  I grew up in a blue-collar city.  My father was a factory worker for over 30 years.  My mother stayed at home with my sister and I while we were in elementary school, but worked various odd jobs once we entered middle school. I have had to adjust to Southern culture, and I have been examined by many and have been “asked” the same “question” (I believe it is more of a comment on my person), which is—always with some sort of skeptical tongue-roll prior and a long look up and down—“You ain’t from around here, are ya?” I have encountered this in various stores and even schools, but not in the university setting. My origin has been pronounced for me by the residents (whether native or not).  This influences how I am perceived, and I may have to use my years of experience as a teacher to prove that I am indeed competent and capable in any setting.

Only one cousin of mine (who is at least 20 years my senior) graduated with a Bachelor’s degree.  I am the only person on either side of my family to earn a Master’s degree and go on to earn a Ph.D.  I am a product of public schooling, K-12, and went to a Big Ten university to earn my B.S.  I believe in public education, but I am also frustrated by the top-down movement—which may influence how I talk to my interns.  It is very difficult for me to hide my frustrations as I have two children in the local school district, and I have already fought battles over curriculum, materials, and scripted reading programs.  I know that I project these frustrations onto my interns, and I need to be more private with my feelings regarding school policies and practices. 

I was an inner-city high school teacher for ten years, and I was in the lowest socioeconomic school with a 98% free-reduced lunch population and 99% African-American.  I loved my job as a teacher.  Although it was extremely challenging, I would not trade that experience for any in the world.  I taught students on parole, students who dealt drugs, students who were pregnant (for a second time, and only freshmen), and students who never left the 6 block radius of their neighborhood.  I was told by Black teachers that I could not teach Black students, but my students (for the most part) were extremely supportive and rarely missed my class. Because of this, I was finally accepted by my Black peers.  This rich experience allows me to assure my interns that they are going to be fine regardless of their placement, and I have the tools to help them plan engaging lessons for even the most at-risk students. 

Although I am heterosexual and married, I have a few close friends who are lesbian and gay.  The city where I lived for nearly 20 years has the third largest population of LGBT people in the United States, and I am fortunate for this experience. 

When I am interviewing my interns, I will have to be deliberate in my efforts to not discuss my experiences while they are relating theirs to me.  I have a tendency to interject (I found this after transcribing a couple of interviews) and I do not want to lead my participants.  I will also have to be mindful about how I construct my interview protocol, and be sure it goes back to my original research question(s).