What Informs and Inspires the Work of Equity Minded Teachers

• Main Author: Stephanie Tuters
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brock University 2017-10-01
• Series: Brock Education: a Journal of Educational Research and Practice
• Subjects: motivations, equity work, experiences of inequity, witnessing inequity, learning about inequity
• Online Access: https://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/brocked/home/article/view/605

This article explores teachers’ reasons for engaging in equity work. Although multiple bodies of literature discuss teaching for equity from different perspectives, little empirical data exists about what informs or motivates people to teach for equity. This study aims to help fill that gap in existing research with the purpose of informing professional development and training for practicing teachers hoping to or attempting to engage in equity work, and for encouraging and motivating other educators in beginning to engage in equity work. Data was gathered through interviews with 15 teachers from three large school boards in Southern Ontario. Findings illustrate that participants were motivated to engage in equity work because of personal experiences with inequity, witnessing other people experience inequities, and learning about inequities in school. Three key findings stand out with regards to their utility for professional development and training: all participants spoke of critical incidents which compelled them to do equity work; emotional struggles were associated with their work, yet they remained hopeful in the possibility of change regardless of what they had experienced; finally, the nature of the equity work that participants chose to undertake was directly related to the nature of their experience with in/equity.