NEGOTIATING SCHOOL: a NARRATIVE STUDY by William
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NEGOTIATING SCHOOL: A NARRATIVE STUDY by William Ellis A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright William Ellis 2015 Doctor of Philosophy Degree 2015 William Ellis Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning University of Toronto Abstract Negotiating School is an investigation into the work of parents who adapted schooling to custom fit their child rather than simply depositing the child at the neighbourhood school and trusting the school to decide what to do. Following the methodology of narrative inquiry, this study analyzes the experiences of the author’s family and seven other families as they dealt with school. This study identifies many strategies parents may employ as they navigate their child’s schooling. This continuum of strategies starts with minor actions such as maintaining close communications with teachers to the radical move of quitting school altogether for unschooling. Although Negotiating School never intended to make any claim of generalizability, the strategies that emerged from the participant’s stories seem to cover the territory of possible school negotiations available to parents. Initially, this thesis had in mind parents who sought a humanistic, child-centred education which would reflect their own intensive parenting style. However, as they told their stories, it became clear that some of my participants privileged traditional concerns, such as the quality of teaching, the coherence of the curriculum, and the conduct of the other students in the building. Regardless, the techniques of negotiating school served both ends of the educational spectrum, the progressive and the traditional. Without intending to, Negotiating School has taken on some features of a longitudinal study. Children I met in kindergarten are now in university. Experiments have played out. Some utopian hopes have taken a bad turn. But all my participants were school negotiators, intensely involved in their children’s schooling. ii Acknowledgments I have many to acknowledge, thank, and appreciate, beginning with my co-supervisors. Professor David Booth, countless times, shifted his attention from his own important work to advise, encourage, and stimulate my research. I have never met a kinder more generous person. Professor Linda Cameron was collaborative, honest, and insightful; she welcomed me and her other students into her home to socialize and discuss our projects. From my thesis committee at OISE/UT, Professor Shelly Stagg Peterson gave guidance on restructuring the study, and Professor Jack Miller encouraged me, for a future project, to create a manual for parents. From Brock University, Professor Debra McLauchlan offered suggestions for improving the methodology of Negotiating School. I owe a tremendous debt to my many participants, without whom I would have had no study. Their patience, courage, and honesty led to these intriguing stories and reflections about raising children and negotiating school. My friend and “thesis partner,” Pina Marchese, pitched in, gave suggestions, and galvanized my effort. My nephew, Dorian Nicholson, a journalist, brought his expertise with Internet research, file management, and editing. My wife Veronica Ellis (PhD), special education consultant, teacher of teachers, and partner in negotiating school, contributed greatly to my knowledge of the school system and the writing of a thesis. And my son Liam initiated our adventures in school negotiation. Together we discovered what it was to go off of the beaten path, and to custom fit school to suit one remarkable individual who I am immensely proud of. iii Table of Contents Abstract ..............................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. iv Chapter One: Introduction The Core Idea ...................................................................................................................... 1 My Year of Living Dangerously.......................................................................................... 2 Situating the Study within the Scholarly Literature ............................................................ 3 The Key Ideas of Education, Life and Experience .................................................. 3 The Sixties Literature and its Echoes....................................................................... 4 The Educational Pendulum Swings ......................................................................... 6 Literature for School Negotiators ............................................................................ 8 Chapter Two: Methodology Why Narrative Inquiry ....................................................................................................... 15 Narrative Inquiry Theory ................................................................................................... 15 Preliminary Study .............................................................................................................. 16 Connecting Narrative Inquiry to the Thesis, Negotiating School ...................................... 17 The Participants ................................................................................................................. 20 Identity protection .................................................................................................. 21 Informal conversations .......................................................................................... 21 Participants and minor characters .......................................................................... 21 The evolving interview .......................................................................................... 22 Practical Research Methods ............................................................................................... 22 Collecting the data ................................................................................................. 22 Collaboratively written webs ................................................................................. 22 Ongoing conversations .......................................................................................... 23 The Structure of the Thesis ................................................................................................ 23 Sifting Out the Strategies from the Stories ........................................................................ 24 Features of this Study ........................................................................................................ 24 iv Evolving strategies ................................................................................................. 24 A longitudinal study ............................................................................................... 25 Motivated participants ........................................................................................... 25 Similar methodologies ........................................................................................... 25 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 26 Chapter Three: The School Negotiators Will: The Man Who Tried Many School Negotiating Strategies ...................................... 27 Introduction............................................................................................................ 27 Connection ............................................................................................................. 27 Background ............................................................................................................ 27 Negotiating School ................................................................................................ 34 Reflections ............................................................................................................. 53 Allan: The Man Who Understood and Loved School ....................................................... 62 Introduction............................................................................................................ 62 Connection ............................................................................................................. 62 Background ............................................................................................................ 62 Negotiating School ................................................................................................ 65 Reflections ............................................................................................................. 69 Mario: The Man Who Died and Was Reborn Through Learning ..................................... 73 Introduction............................................................................................................ 73 Connection ............................................................................................................. 73 Background ............................................................................................................ 73 Negotiating School ...............................................................................................