Disrupting Boundaries and Binaries: University Relationships That Sustain and Support Anti-Oppressive Teachers

• In Event: Developing and Sustaining Anti-Oppressive, Antiracist, and Anti-Ableist Teachers

Abstract

We recognize inequity and oppression as woven into the foundations of schools, yet we also foreground hope by celebrating disruptive work. In this paper, we aim to explore how in-service teachers pursue opportunities to continue to grow their practice towards anti-oppressive education and how partnerships with local universities might help sustain them. Drawing on data and constructed narratives across multiple research projects, our collaborative analysis identified two common experiences: mentoring PTs and participating in research. We describe how teachers drew on the resources and access these relationships provided to disrupt oppressive systems and mentor PTs toward critical frameworks. We invite discussion and future research into creating anti-oppressive relationships, engaging teachers in this work earlier, and expanding these experiences systematically.

Authors

• Saba Khan Vlach, The University of Iowa

• Charlotte L. Land, Pennsylvania State University