Those Who Can, Teach: Shifting Identity After Illness

• In Event: 53.081 - Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: 53.081-6 - Lives of Teachers: Professional Development and Teacher Identity

Abstract

This autoethnographic study focuses on my experience as a teacher dealing with illness, hospitalization, and the loss and recovery of identity. Through reflexive interviews and a first-person narrative, I analyzed the shifting nature of my identity, specifically my teacher identity. I also analyzed how the act of writing, and writing the narrative of this autoethnography, assisted in the healing process. Data analysis shows that in moving from pre-illness to post-illness, I shifted from a strict, content-based teacher to a facilitator with a focus on critical thinking.

Author

• Erin Parke, Pinellas County Schools