The Miseducation of a Beginning Teacher: One Educator's Critical Reflections on the Functions and Power of Deficit Narratives

Abstract

Abstract Everyday "storied" teacher talk about students and families can reveal and reinforce deficit thinking about racial/cultural "others." Through personal narrative and critical reflection, the author draws on results from a previous investigation into the nature and content of informal teacher discourse to discuss the miseducative potential of deficit narratives and their contribution to the uncritical acceptance and perpetuation of educational inequities. The author argues for the need to help preservice and beginning teachers surface unacknowledged beliefs about students and families of color and to "hear," challenge, and reframe informal, deficit-based teacher discourse by engaging them in targeted, critical listening and reflection on the deficit narratives they hear. Notes I do not capitalize 'white' in order to maintain parity with other racial identifiers (e.g., students of color) The narratives in this article appear in an unpublished dissertation by this author (Pollack, Citation2009). Pseudonyms are used throughout. Ideally, prior to this journaling assignment, students will need to have had opportunities to discuss key readings related to multicultural education, white privilege, and anti-racist teaching practices.