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Revisiting Rurality and Schooling: A Teacher's Story

Authors:
Daisy Pillay at University of KwaZulu-Natal
Daisy Pillay
Sheeren Saloojee at University of KwaZulu-Natal
Sheeren Saloojee
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Abstract

This paper presents an understanding of what it means to be a teacher in a school defined as 'rural'. From a sociological perspective, we consider the mechanisms and ways of knowing that are adopted by a teacher for understanding not only the external world but for being a certain kind of teacher for a school in a rural setting. Employing data techniques from life history and collage compositions, data was produced with a teacher we have named Hilton. The data focused on his daily lived experiences and the social realities of working in the context of rural education to offer an expanded social and collective approach to teacher identity. Through his story, as told and experienced by him, we foreground dominant discourses at work in a rural context, and show how specific discourses define Hilton's life and work as a teacher in specific ways. Despite the challenges and adversities he faces, we show how as a teacher he chooses to negotiate - through resistance and complicity - the discourses that dominate rural schooling and its culture, learners, teachers and communities. The article concludes that a teacher's capacity to disrupt and challenge stereotypical meanings of rural schooling involves ongoing dialogue with the self, with teachers, with learners and the wider community.
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1
To whom it may concern
Please be advised that Mrs S Saloojee was a student participant in the NRF
funded project, Every Voice Counts. I include an excerpt from the report below:
Excerpt from final NRF Every Voice Counts Report
5.5 Students
List all students who have obtained a higher qualification through their
involvement in this research project.
(Please add boxes if required – one for each student).
Name of student
(title, initials, surname)
Mrs S Saloojee
Citizenship
SA
Degree Awarding
Institution
UKZN
Department
Education
Race
Indian
Gender
F
Date degree awarded
(month & year)
April 2010
Level of Degree
Masters
Title of
Thesis/Dissertation
Portraits of rural schooling: What does it mean to be a
teacher in a rural school?
Supported by the NRF
(yes/no)
Yes
If yes, from which
programme
IRDP
Disabled (yes/no)
No
Publications from M Ed study
Research Article
Status (e.g.
published, submitted,
accepted for
publication)
Publishe
d
Perspectives in Education
2
Dr D. Pillay
S. Saloojee
Revisiting rurality and schooling: A teacher’s story.
2011
2012
Kind regards
Prof N de Lange
HIV & AIDS Education Research Chair
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Faculty of Education
11-0G-002
South Campus
University Way
Port Elizabeth
Tel: 27-41-5044519
Fax:27-41-5044519
... If schools opt for extra classes beyond the stipulated school hours, parents should be involved. According to Pillay and Saloojee (2012) there is a pressing need for a sound relationship between the teachers, learners, and parents. This assertion is confirmed by Segoe and Bisschoff (2019) that parental involvement in school activities determine their children's educational achievements and development since it has a direct impact on improving learner attitudes and improving positive parent-teacher relations. ...
... Our findings confirm the results of a study conducted by Pillay and Saloojee (2012) that challenges in teaching and learning are not unique to rural schooling and teachers who teach in rural schools. Du Plessis and Mestry (2019), however, feel that the deprived socio-economic status of parents in rural areas places learners at a financial disadvantage. ...
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