A Self-Study of a 21st-Century Black Woman Science Educator

• In Event: Deepening the Discourse on Black Educators’ Experiences and Pedagogy: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

Abstract

The objective of this self-study was to examine my thinking and worldview as a 21st Century Black woman educator and to illuminate (Bullough and Pinnegar, 2001; and LaBoskey, 2004) the experiences and factors that motivated me to foster positive relationships and interactions with my Black students. Data for this inquiry included three self-study narratives of my experience teaching in two high-poverty high schools and my current position as an assistant professor, as well as my reflections on those narratives situated in the appropriate socio-political, historical, and cultural contexts. Both the narratives and reflections functioned as data sources that I analyzed using four core principles of Black Feminist Thought (BFT).
The four core principles of Black Feminist Thought (BFT) include: 1) Self-definition of Black womanhood; 2) The confronting and dismantling of intersectionalities; 3) The interconnectedness of intellectual thought and political activism; and 4) The recognition of a distinct cultural heritage to resist and transform daily discrimination (Collins, 1990).These principles were instrumental in helping me understand the motivation behind my relationships and interactions with my Black students.
The findings reveal that my sense of obligation to my community – which I call the Black collective – and my view of science as a means of racial uplift motivated my positive interactions with Black students. Analysis of my narratives and reflection on my current work unveiled an overwhelming sense of disappointment, which stems from what I perceive as my inability to fulfill my obligation to the Black collective because I no longer work, exclusively, in K-12 schools that serve Black communities. The first two findings, sense of obligation and racial uplift, are inextricably linked. The philosophy of racial uplift, which is the idea that Black people have “. . . a moral and spiritual responsibility to help each other rise above their enslavement” (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 1999, p.708), aptly explains the obligation I have felt for my Black students. I saw pursuing a career in science education as a means for racial uplift. Thus, my narratives reveal that I was deliberate in providing my students opportunities to explore science related careers.
This self-study, albeit specific to me, has significance to teacher education at large, as the reflective and analytical process serves as a meaningful method for teachers to examine their worldview, thinking, and dispositions toward the students with whom they work. When engaging in self-study grounded in BFT, researchers must situate their experiences in the appropriate contexts, in order to gain an understanding of why they interact with their students in particular ways, what knowledge they deem essential for students to learn, and how they prepare students to interact in and with American society. Additionally, self-study illustrates that much of our lived experience, as most acknowledge, is shaped by intersectionalities that extend privileges to some and marginalize others. Finally, self-study may be useful in stimulating a change in teacher dispositions related to issues of diversity and equity in education, as the process encourages critical reflection (Howard, 2003).

Author

• Vanessa Diane Dodo Seriki, Loyola University Maryland