Descriptive Inquiry: Care of the Teacher Self

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Positionality and Teaching

Abstract

Teachers are often asked to place their own needs behind those of their students. Drawing on the philosophical tradition of care of the self, in this paper I argue that care of students and care of the self can be interdependent. To make this claim, I argue that descriptive inquiry (DI) helps teachers better care for students and themselves simultaneously. Drawing on philosophical texts and qualitative research I showcase how DI provides a means of practicing care of the self.

Author

• Cara Elizabeth Furman, University of Maine at Farmington