Abstract

This study Being your own best teacher in the light of being an other is a phenomenological studio and essay inquiry. Its autobiographical content is based on two years I spent teaching eight native women living in a small community in northern Quebec. I combined into collages, selected photographs taken throughout this teaching experience. Ways in which the photographs impacted each other determined the content of the layering of images and the final texts in the collages. A language evolved from the structure of the collages, which fostered my understanding of how I functioned, as a teacher, who my students were, and how I could grow to be the teacher they needed. Few jobs revealed my inner self so ruthlessly. Diverse challenges which caused me to question both who I was personally and professionally resulted in my becoming stronger, more self-defined, and better articulated. This thesis provides me with the words and images to express these experiences.