The emotional labour of critical pedagogy: An autoethnographic study of teacher identity

This thesis examines my life-history and how it has impacted my teaching practices in my Grade 6 classroom. Specifically, I use autoethnography, narrative inquiry and critical theory as I weave my lived experiences, letters to my grandmother with the theories of various researchers. I recount specific experiences from my past in order to identify the power relations that exist in our society. I argue that my schooling greatly influenced the way I learn, the way I teach and the way I live my life. Indeed, I only learned to know myself once I entered the Masters Program and was challenged to unlearn, learn and relearn all that I knew about teaching and learning. I invite the reader to reflect upon my lived experiences and question my thesis through a critical lens. I believe we must enter into meaningful dialogue about the hidden messages in our society in order to create a better world for our students and children.