The great power of this generous, detailed, and illuminating portrait of three elementary school teachers at work is its interweaving of vivid pictures of daily life in classrooms with trenchant discussions of pressing issues in contemporary feminist theory. As the struggles and triumphs of her teachers come alive, so too do the contradictions we all live with as we try to create classrooms that serve all of our students. This book helps show us how models of feminist education actually work.
Frances A. Maher, Wheaton College, co-author of The Feminist Classroom Here is an erudite and thoughtful addressing of complex education problems, contemporary educational issues, and ground breaking concepts for teaching practice.
Wisconsin Bookwatch
When Carla Rensenbrink set out to study feminist teaching, she sought teachers who would challenge her own unquestioned assumptions—about feminism and about teaching. The result is case studies of three encounters: with Lucy (most like herself), Rosemary (a lesbian), and Marcia (African American). Each is written partly as a window into a rich classroom world. Then, in each, Carla stops, the window glass becomes a mirror, and she reflects on her own reactions and responses. Thanks to her honesty, as a reader I too was led to consider the limits of my own beliefs, once again and in new ways.
Courtney Cazden, Harvard Graduate School of Education