| In this study I explore the lived experiences of six high school vocational teachers under school reform. Van Manen's (1990) hermeneutic phenomenological framework of six research activities provides the methodology that is grounded in the philosophy of Martin Heidegger and others. I draw upon my own experiences as a vocational teacher for the past 21 years, as well as extended one-on-one conversations with six vocational teachers, to bring to life questions, stories, and themes surrounding teaching vocational education under school reform.; Listening to each other and to ourselves, and then reflecting upon what we have heard and experienced, is a vital part of understanding our journey under school reform. Literature on education, reform, and caring, as well as fiction, poetry, and philosophy open up the lived experiences of vocational teachers and enable these experiences to be seen in new ways. The voices of vocational teachers take us into their world and also seem to contain the power to transform schools experiencing reform into more caring places.; Teaching vocational education is a labor of love, a calling or mission, to these six teachers. Despite being displaced by school reform—either physically, mentally, spiritually, or with respect to their curriculum—vocational teachers continue to find new ways to help students learn valuable skills, work habits, and attitudes. Vocational teachers struggle with a loss of identity as they are pushed into places that are more academic and less “hands on”—where learning of the mind is separate from the wisdom of the body. In this environment, it is easy for vocational teachers to feel uncared for, marginalized, or abandoned. Instead of waiting for their voices to be heard, vocational teachers would do well to listen to their own voices and speak up. As co-agents of school reform, vocational teachers can help to shape the dimensions of vocational education in re-formed schools. |
