Resolute resistance: Exploring the impact of protest and acts of resistance in shaping the identities and expectations of Jamaican teachers.

• In Event: Teacher Activism As Resistance

Proposal

As scholars have described, teaching and the profession of teaching throughout the world have been "in crisis and under…assault" for decades (Givan & Lang, 2020, p. 235; Robertson, 2012). This lament is not new and has proven to be a consistent cry among teachers across the Caribbean region (Telesur, 2017; Fraser, 2022; Inews Guyana, 2018; Now Grenada, 2021). In Jamaica, the profession of teaching has been plagued with various challenges, ranging from the imposition of market-oriented principles that contribute to high workload and stress, meager compensation packages, educational inequalities, lack of autonomy, lack of development opportunities, security and welfare concerns, and high teacher attrition (Jamaica Gleaner, 1999; Jamaica Gleaner, 2003; Jamaica Observer, 2022; Small, 2023; Sumner, 2022; Thomas, 2022).

Over several decades these small nations have continually had to contend with austerity measures brought about by the International Monetary Fund, including education policies influenced by the World Bank, along with catastrophic global events such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, protests and varying acts of resistance have seemingly become a staple in the Caribbean teaching profession. Protests and acts of resistance are arguably one of the most effective means through which teachers can challenge austerity measures, oppose policies that threaten educational quality, and potentially realize power, autonomy, and personal expectations regarding their lives and work.

The core focus of this research, however, is on Jamaica, the largest English-speaking nation of the Caribbean, where teacher protests and acts of resistance have taken many forms and have existed in public and private spheres at varying levels of the careers of teachers. This research pinpoints the many forms of protest and resistance currently underway and seeks to explore how (if at all) these various protests and acts of resistance have shaped the teaching profession in the country. Importantly, it will examine how participation in protests and resistance campaigns have interacted with other discourses to shape teachers' identity development and whether this makes a difference for teachers at various stages of their careers.

This research project involves conducting fifteen interviews and three focus groups with Jamaican teachers who are at different stages within the profession. Participants will include those who are approaching retirement, seniors, and juniors, as well as those who have recently graduated from tertiary institutions and are looking to enter the profession. The aim of interviewing teachers at different career stages is to gain a comprehensive and potentially nuanced understanding of the level and kinds of protest and resistance in which Jamaican teachers are engaged, their perceptions about these acts, and the degree to which these actions shape their professional identity.

This research is significant since it would examine and potentially add to the knowledge of how Jamaican teachers negotiate personal expectations and shifting identities throughout their careers against the backdrop of deprofessionalization and austerity, where power and professional autonomy are sometimes only realized through actions and discourses of resistance and protest. The knowledge gained would be beneficial for those who make education policies and programs around the teaching profession in Jamaica, as it would allow them to center teacher-well-being and ensure that the strength and sustainability of the profession are preserved, which could ultimately lead to increased student achievement.

Author

• Shari-Lee Calese Carter, New York University