Where the Rocks Are in the Pond

"Where the rocks are in the pond" is a metaphor for the concept of empowerment so that those who have traditionally been marginalized and isolated, typically people of color and the poor, can learn the normative strategies that the dominant culture accesses to success. Developmentally, members of marginalized populations are harmed by the lack of access to quality resources for social, economic, political and educational growth. The author has chosen autoethnography as the vehicle to carry critical events that illuminate the deleterious effects of racialization in U.S. society. Critical race theory is the theoretical lens used to analyze several narratives of a Black female educator. These stories and counter-stories intend to increase awareness and understanding in how educational institutions at every level, knowingly or not, participate in the perpetuation of racist policies and practices. This work contributes strategies and techniques to a body of knowledge that speaks little about Black educators navigating the waters in predominately white school settings.

Thomasina F. Hassler earned the Ph.D. in Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Upon retiring from a career in counseling, she chose to serve as an adjunct professor at two local universities. Dr. Hassler is continuing research in the area of social justice.