A Phenomenological Study of Home in the Classroom
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Title of Thesls/Project/Extended Essay :-ookinq for Home: A Phenomeno1or;iica.l Stud)! of Home in the Classroom Author: (s i gnacuref Carol 1 .yne SINCLAIRF: (date) Date Approved: Abstract Looking for Home: A Phenomenological Study of Home in the Classroom In this study, I examine the classroom as a place for preparing the child to be at home in the world. I focus on situations that occur in my own classroom over a period of three years, in which I explore and question how children can be helped to become more at home in the world. I consider the notion of home, first of all, at the personal level, which encompasses being at home with oneself and accepting oneself in the context of one's own maturity. Next, I look into home at the broader level and consider the historical, cultural and spiritual connotations of home that characterize the child's movement towards maturity. Finally, I observe the celebration of the self as both unique and part of a community at home in the world. I ask: What Is it like to experience "home" in the classroom? What is it like to be "at home"? -What can we do with this feeling'! The sense of being "at home" found in the ideal home can be created in a classroom in which children can share their thoughts- and feelings and dwell with others in comfort. The classroom, like the home, can be a place for children to discuss and exercise moral and ethical decisions that contribute to their growing maturity. 1 have written the thesis about day-to-day life in the classroom. My engagement with present classroom situai.ions then became the catalyst for my remembrances of childhood. X found my memories to contain the principles that gu~demy practice and my way of interacting with children. I blended recollective accounts of my own childhood experience with descriptions of classroom interactions which gave rise to a phenomeno'logical description of such pedagogical themes as: caring, risk, reliability, security, continuity, maturity? and celebration. These themes are central in revealing how the classroom can be made a place for intimate exchanges between teacher and students that help to make them both fully human. Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my parents with love and thanks Acknowledgements I wish to scknowledge my senior supervj sx, Stephen Smith, for his unwavering patience, guidance and his gush to "just do it"; Meguido Zola who told me I had a story to tell anti badgered me to write it down; Deborah Faulds and Alannah Ireland for their enthusiasm and sensitive feedback in our phenomenoiogicai writing group; Brenda McNeill for her meticulous reading of the drafts and valuable criticisms; Sheila Tripp who provided encouragement; and my students who shared their stories with me, many of which are revealed within these pages. Table of Contents Titlepage ................................................. i .. Approval Page............................................. 11 ... Abstract ................................................. 111 Dedication ................................................ iv Acknowledgements ........................................v List of Publications ........................................vi Chapter I: Looking For Home -- Souvenir From My Childhood ...1 Returninghome .........................................1 Find a meaningful object ...............................-5 Separate solitudes ......................................6 The call of home .......................................13 Do Something that Lasts ... : My White Lunch Education ...16 Being at home ........................................ -20 Chapter 2: Being at Home with Each Other ...................39 Recollection ..........................................A4 The ability to respond ..................................47 Reaching out to lend a hand ............................. 51 Keeping in touch ....................................... 53 Losing touch .......................................... 55 Home safely and in one piece ........................... 56 Ifonly................................................ 58 The meanings in memory ...............................60 The truth in memory ...................................62 Respect or fear .........................................65 Betending ............................................67 vii Lessons f~rme ........................................68 "Listening to the spheres" ...............................75 Chapter 3: The Classroom as a Home for Exploration ..........81 Thoughts from my journal ............................. -74 Observing the children .................................57 Life-feelings .......................................... 92 "Cheerfulness" .........................................93 "Morningness" .........................................95 "Patience" ............................................98 Reading moods ........................................98 Mooded understanding ................................102 Making it safe to explore .............................."107 "Goodness" ...........................................108 Reaching maturity ....................................116 Chapter 4: The Universal Home ...........................122 Catch Us Being Good ..................................143 Missing the moments ..................................145 Creating Their Own Home ..............................'154 Chapter 5: The Universal Stance .......................... -158 Leading and following ................................ -158 Standing up for a child ................................171