Teacher Stories – National Network for Educational Renewal

This resource page is filled with teachers’ stories — stories of holding fast to their dreams — dreams of making a difference in the lives of all their students and of their joy in doing this honorable work. And some are stories of dreams deferred — dreams that clash with the realities teachers face. And often these are stories of dreams deferred and found again. And, all are reflections of caring and dedicated teachers willing to share their stories so that others can learn from and empathize with them, and be inspired to rise above the challenges teachers face today.

These stories serve as a resource, a starting place for conversation and reflection. Each is followed by several discussion questions and there are countless other questions and observations that may arise as the reader interacts with the text. All are rich in context and perspective. The authors’ thoughtful reflections bring the reader along with them to their classrooms, their homes, conversations with students, parent conferences, faculty and department meetings, and into the communities in which these stories take place. They translate the idea of teaching into its complex reality.

Central to the NNER work is a commitment to provide all students with access to quality content in a nurturing environment. We understand that education has a responsibility to the future—supporting students so that they can and do contribute to improving the social and political democracy in which they live. These stories give voice to this mission. It is the hope of the NNER and the authors that these stories will be used in university courses where future teachers learn to connect theory with practice and school in-service sessions where teachers can connect their own stories with these—learning from both. The stories may be used as introductions to local inquiry sessions. They may be used informally as teachers and university colleagues engage with one another in book, critical friend, or study groups. It is our hope that in all uses the stories generate good conversation and motivate those who read them to reflect on their teaching and renew their commitment to this honorable profession.

NNER Teacher Case Story Guidelines

Teaching is very much a storytelling profession. In school hallways, professional meetings, and casual encounters, teachers tell each other their stories on a regular basis, sharing their day-to-day joys, challenges, and insights. Often these stories, and the teacher voices behind them, reveal truths about school realities that seldom find public expression. In this era of test-based school accountability, it is more and more critical that teachers share these stories in public and that we hear their voices, especially as they address the impact of public policies on the democratic and moral mission of public schooling.

The NNER Teacher Case Story Collection is dedicated to providing a public forum for teachers to share their stories. The particular focus of this site is on the struggle to enact ideals of equity and democracy in public schools – the successes, limitations, and tensions of contemporary schooling.

Case stories are similar to case studies in that they are designed to serve as concrete examples of practical dilemmas to be used as texts for reflection and discussion by other practitioners. They are also slightly different than case studies in that they are deliberately meant to come from a storytelling approach rather than an academic or data-driven one. It’s a story, not a study, about practice, told from a first-person vantage point, in a narrative way, for an audience of colleagues.

Practicing K-12 teachers in public schools are invited to submit their case stories for review and inclusion in the collection. Manuscripts will be accepted according the following criteria:

Stance: Takes a point of view that embraces and advocates for equitable and democratic school practices;
Focus: Illustrates a critical dilemma related to the tensions involved with being a professional teacher committed to democratic educational ideals;
Voice: Uses a first-person narrative to reveal insights about self, students, and contemporary school and classroom realities; conveys a passion for teaching;
Writing quality: Writes engagingly and well, inviting the reader to see and enter into the situation and consider possibilities;
Length: No more than 4000 words.

We recommend that stories go through a local process of peer conferencing, feedback, and revision before submitting a manuscript for inclusion on this site. Manuscripts will be reviewed for acceptance by a panel consisting of teachers and teacher educators.

Possible themes include, but are not limited to: accountability, assessment, authenticity, caring, citizenship, community, collegiality, content knowledge, curriculum, inquiry, instruction, justice, leadership, opportunity to learn, parents, professional development, professionalism, relationships, renewal, stewardship, testing.
Please send your case story to Ken Jones, University of Southern Maine: kjones@usm.maine.edu