The Reluctant Impostor

Abstract

This chapter recounts in both personal and pedagogical terms the journey of the author from a teenager who dropped out of high school to a young person who earned a GED. The pedagogical story then continues to trace the path to the author's beginning as a middle grades educator and, ultimately, as a scholar who has earned a PhD and now serves as a teacher educator. The chapter draws upon narrative methodology, as well as self-study, to examine this transformation alongside relevant research literature. The author includes reflections from journal notes, accounts drawn from family interviews and photographs, and notes from former teacher/mentors in the process. Final conclusions speak to imagine new possibilities for a range of pathways to success in the educational system, and a centering of the power of literacy to empower a person in their lives.