I've Got Your Back! The Importance of Care in Student Teaching in Urban Environments

• In Event: Situating Relational Care and Criticality in Clinically Based Teacher Education

Abstract

In order to help create teachers who are culturally responsive and successful working in urban environments with diverse populations, the Elementary Education department in our university offers an urban immersive program, in which students participate in an intensive practicum in an elementary school of an urban district during their final semester of courses, followed by a semester of student teaching at the same school. In this study, we discuss some of our analysis of the interviews done with those students about their experiences with the program. Specifically, this study focuses on the theme of care that arose within the data. We suggest that feeling cared for may be a factor that helps student teachers in an urban setting experience success.

Authors

• Kirsten Robbins, Ball State University

• Veronica Marie Fife-Demski, Ball State University

• Jerry Woodward, Ball State University