A NARRATIVE INQUIRY of WOMEN ELEMENTARY EDUCATORS in LEADERSHIP ROLES a Thesis Submitted in Conformity With
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SLIPPING THE BONDS: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY OF WOMEN ELEMENTARY EDUCATORS IN LEADERSHIP ROLES MARILYN 1. DICKSON A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Department Curriculum. Teaching, and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto 43 Marilyn I. Dickson (1998) National Library BiblioWque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 WeUimgton Street 395. rue Wellington OttawaON K1AON4 Ottawa ON KIA ONQ Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auter a accorde me licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pennettant a la National Library of Caaada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduke, peter, distri-buer ou copies of this thesis m microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fb, de reproduction sur papier ou sur fonnat dectronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent Stre imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. SLIPPING THE BONDS: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY OF WOMEN ELEMENTARY EDUCATORS IN LEADERSHIP ROLES Marilyn I. Dickson University of Toronto Doctor of Philosophy Department of Education (I 998) ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of women teachers as they moved into principal or vice principal positions. I wanted to find out what motivated them, what choices they made, what challenges they encountered, and where they found their support The meaning they make of these experiences has a significant effect on how they cwout their work with students and staff in the past, present and future. It also influences their role in encouraging other teachers, particularly women. to consider administration. I chose elementary women teachers as participants because of my close connections with this group through my employment. Narrative inquiry is useful because of the detail with which participants describe their experiences. The detail contributes to our understanding of how they experience their work. More important, through narrative, participants reexamine significant experiences in their lives and restory their lives as they draw meaning from their experiences. It is useful for people in leadership roles to understand their own beliefs, values and professional knowledge. rather than simply adopting those of someone else. Through their stories, the four women in this study have 2xplored new ways of understanding themselves and of sharin this personal and professional knowledge. Reading about how they have come to new un3 erstandings may be useful for others who want to become more aware of their own professional knowledge. A significant issue for each woman was her increased sense of power as she moved into her new position. Two women described their efforts to share power as they each tried to work more coilaboratively with their staffs. Dealing with change was another theme. First I looked at intended personal change as they moved to new careers and then worked with colleagues to implement new ways of managing the school. These explorations led me to speculate how each woman might deal with change over which she has little control, which is increasingly a possibility currently facing educators. Metaphors have sprung to my mind and to the minds of my participants as we sought to story their experiences. For me, the metaphor of flight gave me perspective and direction as I came to slip the bonds of current ideas and explore unknown territory. AS pilot for this journey, I realized I was in a typical fernaJe role - planning ahead, being flexible, changing course when necessary, and feeling responsible for everyone on board. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have contributed to this inquiry. I sincerely appreciate the support and encouragement of those who accompanied me for all, or part of the journey. The four women participants. whom I have named Ellen Bridges, Einene Mori. Laila Urbanski and Stephanie CloutierGibson, have generously given me their time in the midst of so many other professional and personal commitments. I appreciate their belief in the value of my inquiry and the high priority they gave to it. I enjoyed many hours with each of these women as they so freely shared their thoughts and insights, their moments of exhilaration as well as of despair, and especially their humour. To my committee I owe an enormous vote of thanks. My advisor, Michael Connelfy encouraged me, pushing and challenging my thinking throughout the process. I parti~~larly appreciate his availability when I needed to meet, even throughout his sabbatical year. Sandra Acker also gave generously of her time. Her close attention to detail was very helpful, as were her probing questions. I have appreciated David Hunt's support and encouragement from the beginning, when his course provided me the opportunity to develop and refine my proposal. Dorothy Smith's wisdom and her incisive comments have extended my thinking about feminist issues. I appreciate also the interest and encouragement of other faculty, Merl Wahlstrom, Johan Aitken, Howard Russell, and Brent Kilbourn. I have been fortunate in having the support of many others throughout this process. Students in the Centre for Teacher Development have contributed to this inquiry through feedback to my written work, conversations about issues of mutual interest, and discussions of their own work which often raised new questions for me. Thank you to Florence Samson, Dawei Qian. Yasuko Kanno, Wanja Kithinji. Rosalie Young. Dolores Furlong, Mary Beattie, Gila Strauch. Nathalie Sorensen, Caroh Conk, Xin Li, Carole McKay, Karen Cooper, Sandra Monteath, Barbara Barter, Deirdre Decarion and Maureen Dunne. A special thank you to Jessie Lees for remaining part of this supportive community by e-mail, phone calls, and visits from Prince Edward Island. The Federation of Women Teachers' Associations of Ontario has been instrumental in many aspects of this inquiiy. Florence Henderson and Shirley Stokes were wonderful role models as leaders when I was a participant in FVVTAO's provincial leadership course, as my supervisors when I joined the federation staff. and as colleagues when we led the course together. From Florence and Shirley I have learned much about women's ways of leading. The participants in FWTAO's provincial leadership course stimulated my thinking by discussing their thoughts, anxieties, determination, and questions about moving from teacher to iii vice principal and principal positions. Conversalions with many of these women convinced me of the need for an inquiry such as I have undertaken. I appreciate the interest of several FWTAO colleagues who read chapters or discussed various issues as I was grappling with them. In particular I want to thank Betty Walsh and Doreen Hammill for their editorial assistance. I would not have been able to undertake this study without Me flexibility of the FWTAO Board of Directors in granting me a one year sabbatical spread over two years to accommodate university requirements for a Ph. D. program. I am grateful to my family for Me many ways they have supported me throughout the process. Frequently I have called on my husband, Carl, to carry out a range of tasks, from clearing paper jams to taking over many household tasks while I remained at the computer. I particularly appreciate his new interest in kite flying, which gave me the space I needed to focus on my work. My mother was an excellent role model. She influenced in quiet ways, always with grace and integrity. She knew which issues needed to be pushed and did not give up easily. I see her spirit in so many ways, in my sisters Sharon and Kerry, and my brothers Bob and Ron. I appreciate their support and encouragement, particularly since Mom's death. Their children remind me of the need to continue our efforts to change stereotypic attitudes to improve opportunities for those who follow us. My nine nieces and nephews give me great hope for the future. My father gives me faith in peoples' abilities as adults to continue to grow and develop new ideas. Though we still don't agree politically, Dad now accepts my ideas about women's rights, for example. A self-educated man, he continues to impress me with new projects, such as recently learning to play the violin. with no previous musical training. Most of all, I appreciate Dad's love, support and faith in me, which have been unbounded- I have been fortunate in finding a kindred spirit in Jean, my airplane partner, who reintroduced me to the exhilaration of flying. Together we have shared many enjoyable and memorable flights. We have also shared the challenges of returning to university as mature students. While I was engaged in my doctoral program, Jean completed a law degree. artided and began her own practice. My sincere thanks to all who have accompanied me for all, or part of the journey. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: FlUNG THE FUGHT PLAN .............................. LeamingtoFly ................................................. ThesisQuestions ................................................ UntarioContext ................................................ FWTAO's Work