Learning to Connect. Victoria Theisen-Homer
these students that I became who I am today.
Notes
1.
Buber, Martin. (1958). I and thou. New York: Scribner & Sons, p. 28.
2.
See Cooper, Kristy. (2013). Eliciting engagement in the high school classroom: A mixed-methods examination of teaching practices. American Educational Research Journal, 51(2), 363–402; Fredricks, Jennifer A., Blumenfeld, Phyllis C., & Paris, Alison H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109; Martin, Andrew J., & Dowson, Martin. (2009). Interpersonal relationships, motivation, engagement, and achievement: Yields for theory, current issues, and educational practice. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 327–365; Sosa, Teresa, & Gomez, Kimberley. (2012). Connecting teacher efficacy beliefs in promoting resilience to support of Latino students. Urban Education, 47(5), 876–909.
3.
Throughout this book, I intentionally capitalize Black but not white. This is because Black is a proper noun, referring to a formal culture or group of people from the African diaspora. White, on the other hand, is not generally thought to be a culture in and of itself, and white people often think of themselves in terms of their specific cultural origins (e.g., Irish American). To understand more about this, see https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2016/09/21/black-with-a-capital-b/.
4.
Sleeter, Christine. (2008). Preparing white teachers for diverse students. Handbook of Research on Teacher Education: Enduring Questions in Changing Contexts, 3, 559–582.
5.
Grossman, Pam, & McDonald, Morva. (2008). Back to the future: Directions for research in teaching and teacher education. American Educational Research Journal, 45(1), 184–205; McDonald, Morva A., Bowman, Michael, & Brayko, Kate. (2013, April). Learning to see students: opportunities to develop relational practices of teaching through community based placements in teacher education. Teachers College Record, 115, 1–35.
Acknowledgments
The journey to write this book has been an arduous and incredible one, rife with many twists and turns, trials and tribulations. And I would not have reached my destination without the support and assistance of so many people who inspired me, bolstered me, guided me, listened to me, let me cry on their shoulders, read my profuse prose, watched my children, and nourished me—body, mind, and soul. There are so many people who deserve appreciation.
First, this book would not exist today had it not been for the three incredible scholars who served on my dissertation committee, supporting and guiding me throughout the course of the study that informs these pages. These distinguished professors include Jal Mehta, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, and Meira Levinson. As my advisor, Jal encouraged an ambitious research agenda, one that led to this book. Throughout the last 8 years, he has been my “guide on the side,” always asking questions first, sharing insight in the form of personal anecdotes, exposing me to life-changing scholarship, and cheering on my efforts. Through his generous attention, I was able to hone my analytic abilities, improve my writing, and generate meaningful scholarship. Meira, too, generously guided me, with her critical insights and sympathetic concern for me as a person. Her incredibly high standards helped me conduct and report research that was both innovative and rigorous. I am further indebted to both Jal and Meira for continuing to support my work after I graduated from the doctoral program, reading drafts of my book proposal and chapters and helping me think through the process of publishing this work. Moreover, Professor Lawrence-Lightfoot served as both an inspiration and guide throughout this research; she exemplified what is possible in methodology and artistry, while offering genuine warmth and subtle advice to help me find my way to portraiture and through this study. Her incisive questions and keen aesthetic sensibility helped me craft a more thoughtful and beautiful narrative. Overall, I feel honored to have had the opportunity to learn from these amazing people.
The study documented here would not have been possible without the research sites that star in this book. A special thank-you to the faculty and residents from “Progressive Teacher Residency” (PTR) and “No Excuses Teacher Residency” (NETR), who allowed me to observe and examine their thoughts and experiences. In particular, I want to thank “Taylor” from PTR and “Sara” from NETR for taking a great deal of time to sit with me and answer questions. And of course, I must thank my four focus residents—“Julie” and “Casey” from NETR and “Elisabeth” and “Leah” from PTR—for allowing me to interview and observe them multiple times in their programs and then in the field, their first year in the incredibly demanding teaching profession; these four teachers generously gave me hours of their lives, access to numerous documents, and a seat in the back of their classrooms. I am also grateful to the Harvard Graduate School of Education for awarding me various small grants to aid in the collection and analysis of the data represented here.
I have also been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by brilliant friends and colleagues who have shed their time, attention, and insight upon this work by reading drafts and offering comments. In alphabetical order, I want to thank Mildred Boveda, Chris Buttimer, Amy Cheung, Maleka Donaldson, Sarah Fine, Jenna Gravel, James Noonan, Stuti Shukla, Lynneth Solis, and Beth Swadener. They have all offered me encouragement, seen things in the data that I overlooked, helped interrogate my assumptions, pushed my thinking, and cared about me a person outside the work. I am also grateful to my childhood best friend Adriane Ackerman, the only person outside of the academy who willingly read hundreds of pages of my writing while providing feedback and support. Additionally, I would like to thank Shirley Fedorak, who helped edit a rough draft of this manuscript. This book would not be what it is today without all of their insights and encouragement.
I want to acknowledge Elsie Moore for believing in this work and leading me to the postdoctoral research position at Arizona State University’s School of Social Transformation that made space for me to complete this book. Her support and guidance has been invaluable. Within this position, I have also been fortunate to be advised by Bryan Brayboy, who has generously shared his experience and expertise to help me navigate the waters of academia. And before I ever entered academia, I was fortunate to have many wonderful teachers through elementary and secondary school, college and beyond who modeled meaningful teacher-student relationships. Some of these educators–including April Chambers, John Palmer, Rae Jeane Williams, and Samuel Joo–fostered connections with me that changed my life.
I am fortunate to have good friends who provided moral support, camaraderie, advice, and even child care. Cynthia Pepper has been there every step of the way, helped with my children, and listened attentively to my challenges. Rachel Blaine, who plowed this path before me, helped guide me through this academic and parenting journey. Ashli Jones let me crash on her couch for weeks during my initial data collection experiences in Los Angeles and was always there to listen and empathize. My fellow working moms—including Leslie Armstrong, Sheena Chiang, Pearl Esau, Whitney Leinin, Jennifer Stein, and Sabrina Villagran—provided me needed moral support on this journey of writing while parenting. And to those who went through the doctoral journey alongside me, including my fellow Harvard Educational Review editors and cohort mates: thank you for being there, for listening and understanding, for showing me that I was never alone. My friends have been like family.
And then, of course, there is my wonderful family, who has supported me throughout this process. I am so grateful for my mom, Marissa Theisen. Although she battled pancreatic cancer for two years, she continued to ask about my research, listened to my forming theories, turned me on to Martin Buber, and made it across the country with cancer in her very bones to watch me walk across the stage to collect the doctoral degree for the research that informs this book. She passed away in September 2018, and though it has been hard to move forward without her, she never let anything inhibit her passion for knowledge and I know she would be proud that I have persisted with this work. I also want to thank my dad, Chuck Theisen, who has always believed in me, encouraged my academic