Ethnographic Narrative Project: Surviving My First Year Teaching

Growing up in a family of teachers, I often heard people say, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach,” and it often left me wondering what life would be like outside of the teaching field. I thought I knew what being a teacher was about since I was always around teachers, so I purposely chose a different career path, but the call to teach eventually caught up later in life. This is my story about changing careers, from business management to teaching, and learning the hard way that those who can do, can’t teach. This project serves its purpose as an artifact to document my journey throughout my first year of teaching with the goals to becoming an effective teacher for all students, developing my pedagogical skills, and growing into a critical social justice educator. My journey includes research collected through student interviews and home visits, analyzing our community and school culture, and consistent personal reflections