This week has been a whirlwind of events. On Wednesday Iowa BIG received a one million dollar grant from XQ America, so there has been a lot of excitement, press and discussions on what to do next. I spoke about this during my discussion post. Besides the surreal atmosphere of educational fame, there has been a lot of amazing things happening on the micro scale. Groups have started meeting with their community partners and I’ve been trying to choose a group to include in my observational research. One group that I’m considering is working with Shive-Hattery, an architectural firm, conceptualizing landscape architecture around a new bridge that is going to be built in between the Czech Village and Mount Trashmore in Cedar Rapids. The group is split into to, a morning and an afternoon group. The morning group is only 3 people who are very enthusiastic about the project and I feel like they would be a good case study. However, with the recent grant money looming, and the enthusiasm that students have shown in social justice, I could focus on a couple of other projects. Dancing away the stigma will involve teaching people with disabilities dance, building relationships between dance studios and Camp Courageous. Another possibility is a group who is experimenting with Gender activism and social media. These are all worthwhile case studies to consider. Do I observe another teacher and one of their groups, so I can really take the time to observe and reflect?

 

My question remains, do I focus on myself? My original idea was an autoethnographic study. I think I could still do this. It is amazing how different this job is, how the knot in my neck has disappeared, how happy I am to do the work, how busy I am but not particularly stressed out. Would it be worthwhile to share why these differences exist? How does community based projects and competency based grading with a group of interdisciplinary teachers change the job of teaching and create greater job satisfaction in an age where teachers are getting burnt out left and right.

 

Do I focus on the team dynamic and how working in an interdisciplinary team is challenging and rewarding?

 

Do I present a case study within this school, how working on initiative based, passion driven projects with community partners creates a meaningful experience for students?

 

I feel like the “underserved” question is one that needs to be addressed in my community, and in this program, but I don’t really feel like I can do proper research on this huge issue while teaching. If I don’t take the time to step back and observe. I can spend time reflecting after I teach, but I’ve found it extremely difficult to create meaningful notes, or capture meaningful images while I’m in group meetings. My day is not much different then my last job, except there is a lot of virtual class time. I have time to respond to emails once a day. My work day officially lasts from 7:30-4, and continues after I’ve made dinner and put the kid to bed. How will I find time to collect data and organize this research?

 

I’m in the process of creating my framework outline and organizing it in a way that makes sense. I think that once I have a plan of attack that all of my questions will be answered. In a way, I wish this was the book we read instead of the books Islam had us read over the summer. It’s providing a helpful way to frame the research and the philosophy behind it.