Work

The dangers of relentless pursuit: teaching, personal health, and the symbolic/real violence of Teach For America

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: This paper examines the pressures experienced by teachers as they strive to embody the Teach For America (TFA) motif of ‘relentless pursuit’. It draws on interviews conducted with 36 teachers and uses a Bourdieuian analysis to consider the mechanisms of control manifested through socialization and corps member habituation. The findings suggest that corps members experience both symbolic and self-imposed overt violence as they aim to meet the demands of TFA. This has implications for the increasing number of teachers in programs around like TFA as well as the broader discourses of teacher accountability and the teaching profession.

Source: Discourse Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education

DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2017.1311298

Authors: Matthew A. M. Thomas, Elisabeth E. Lefebvre

Institutions: The University of Sydney, University of Minnesota

Language: English

Topic: Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2604642991

FWCI: 10.73

Cites: 26

Cited by: 20

Related to: 10