Debbie Pushor PhD

Essential Conversations

The term “essential conversation” comes from the work of Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot (2003). While Lawrence-Lightfoot uses the term to describe the kind of conversation which occurs between parents and teachers in conferences about children, I use the term, in this context, to capture a kind of important conversation that occurs between colleagues about our identity as educators, about learners and their families, about what schooling is and can be, and about why we do what we do.

At the end of term, in lieu of a final exam, teacher candidates in my two undergraduate courses, ECUR 370 and ECUR 401, will schedule a half hour essential conversation with me, instructors in other courses, and partners from our community schools. In this conversation, they will be asked to talk about shifts in their identity as a teacher which occurred during the term; to make connections between and among topics discussed and researched in the course; to synthesize what they have learned from their experiences, relationships, course readings and discussions; and to consider what significance their experiences and their learning will have for their future practice as educators.

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