Jami Holbein Swanson April 4, 2012 rch 7, 2012

Appendix D

TEAC 930A Narrative

Narrative Analysis
Part 1: Narrative When I heard Shirley was hosting Friday Breakfast Club at Goodfun Middle School, I really thought I knew what was happening before school each Friday morning. As a new teacher at Pound Middle School fifteen years ago, I attended many Friday Breakfast Clubs with Shirley Speidell. What I was reminded of is that there is no such thing as a normal Friday before school morning at a middle school. I have attended each Friday Breakfast Club at Goodfun since February 24th. I even brought items to share so I would not be seen as a scrounger by the teachers who know I am not a Goodfun teacher, but do not know how I fit in. My breakfast treats were welcomed with squeals of joy Miller and Paine Cinnamon Rolls. As World Language Curriculum and Professional Development Specialist for the district, I supervise both world language teachers and novice teachers. The novice teachers at Goodfun see me weekly. This is based on need as well as convenience. Because I have a Teammate in the building whom I visit each Friday, this group of teachers get more attention than the rest of the new hires. The first Friday morning I attended, Shirley the art teacher and mentor for all three of the new elective and also new to the profession teachers in the building was sitting at a table with the Chinese teacher, who is a Chinese national visiting teacher from the Hanban (Ministry of Education in China). The FCS teacher arrived shortly after I did, and the Spanish teacher came about 10 minutes later. I had asked the new hires to meet with Shirley and me so I could share with them important information regarding tenure and probationary teacher expectations. Generally, I spend the first few weeks of school visiting mentors and new hires at their buildings. The fall of 2011 was unique as I was on leave until the second quarter. Fall 2011: First meeting with new hires and mentor at Goodfun I was confused because Shirley kept referring to William as Zheng (pronounced nothing like he spells it in English). When William got up from the table to go get some more yogurt, I asked her why she called him by that name. She went on to tell me how disrespectful it was to call people by an English name just because Americans cannot pronounce Chinese names very well. It was not fair or welcoming to people from other countries to have to take an English name. It was another example of not respecting other cultures and the Ugly American. Shirley was not shy in her answer and explained all of this to me in a normal voice surrounded by Goodfun teachers in the lounge, not hiding the topic of our conversation at all. When William returned to the table the conversation went back to the course of the day and weekend plans. After a few turns of the conversation where William was actually Zheng, I simply asked the novice Chinese teacher, What would you like to be called? William is my American name, he told me but I it seems as though he uses American and English in the same manner. I then asked why he had an American

2 name and a Chinese name. William explained to us that most Chinese nationals adopt American names while they are in the US because when Americans say their names, the pronunciation is so poor that the Chinese nationals do not know anyone is talking to them. When an American name is used, they are better able to attend right away when some one is addressing them. That conversation was interrupted and went in a different direction. December 2011 Later in the quarter I asked Rachel Zeng, the Associate Director of the Confucius Institute about the names Chinese nationals chose for themselves. It was in this conversation that I put together the fact that Chinese vowels have four different tones. Americans who do not speak Chinese or have not grown up around the language not only are not able to hear the tones, but they are also not able to reproduce the sounds of the seven different tones. Rachel prefers to be called by her American name so she can easily identify when he is being addressed. February 24th, 2012 It was a Friday Breakfast Club at Goodfun. William, sitting at a table in the teachers lounge before classes eating a cinnamon roll had his head down as he concentrated on the cinnamon roll. Shirley got up to get some juice. Standing at te table, she turned her head toward the table of new teachers and said, Zheng, would you like some juice? William did not respond. She asked again. William did not respond. This went on three more times. I was watching the show, counting how many times she would try and what might happen. Finally, I couldnt take it any longer and stepped in by asking William if he wanted some juice. In hindsight, I wish I would have asked first using his Chinese name. He did want juice. He just hadnt heard Shirley calling his name. March 2012 Discussing Williams teaching with his appraising administrator, I later found out that Shirley sent out an email at the beginning of the year to all of the staff at Goodfun introducing William to the building, and asking everyone to address him as Zheng. It was important to Shirley that the Goodfun staff learned his name as a sign of respect. Part 2: Narrative Analysis 1. This conversation took place at Goodfun Middle School in the teachers lounge before school over a plate of sugary breakfast items. The audience was really any and all teachers in the lounge. The three new teachers were the main audience as they were seated at the table. Shirley appeared to be talking to everyone in the room: loud voice, big hand motions as though she wanted the group to know she was advocating for William. The message she wanted me to hear was that she was advocating for him well. The message for her mentees was that she takes good care of them. The message for the other teachers in the room was that she was

3 culturally savvy when working with people who do not look like her, and taking the correct steps towards being even more culturally proficient by advocating for William. 2. William chose an American name for a reason. It was clear to me on more than one occasion when Shirley has tried to get his attention that he does not attend the first three or so attempts. I really think this is because he does not hear his name in what comes out of her mouth. This piece jumped out to me because I am afraid that while Shirley thinks she is taking great care of William, that he might really want to be called by the name he has asked others to call him, but that Shirley may have sabotaged that for him as his mentor. 3. According to Gallup, 80% of the population is called by a name they do not like but do not do anything to stop it. Shirley appears to really be attempting to be respectful in advocating for William but falls short in that his culture would never correct someone who is seen as a superior. It is not respectful. 4. Shirley really presents herself as a steward for William, and for the most part is a steward for him. She presents herself as someone who values diversity and celebrates cultures other than her own. She is not able to see that William might have a strong reason for choosing an American name. She thinks that he did it because all of the Chinese visitors before him have done this so he did as well and it was not necessary. 5. I still see Shirley as a strong mentor who is able to guide a novice teacher in the area of relationship building, instruction, classroom management and assessment. While my perception of her calling William by the name of Zheng, and asking the Goodfun staff do to the same is not the same as her perception, it is clear that her intention is to be a strong advocate which I much appreciate. I have to remember that she is not the perfect mentor what are the attributes of the perfect mentor and that there are many layers to what makes a super mentor. How many layers and what they are made of is another day. 6. My pre-understanding lies in the fact that I was the new teacher across the hall from Shirley 15 years ago. I really thought I knew what she did for new teachers since I was one and worked with her as my mentor. She has changed quite a bit over the years and so have I, as anyone would have expected. It is important for me to realize that time, space, students and new teachers have changed. Shirleys love for teaching and working with novice teachers has not.