Chapter 8: From Oz To Reality: A Personal Journey in a Wonderful Land

In this account of my professional and personal journey through my first year in the academy, I draw upon my belief in the importance of reflection and critical self-narratives in the formation of professional practice. In thinking about the myriad of ways in which individuals situate themselves within the community they inhabit, in this case education, I consider Dewey’s (1916) emphasis on critical reflection in educational practice. However, given that I want to focus attention on the socialization processes that occurs within communities of practice, I am more inclined to rely upon Boud and Walker’s (1990) insistence on the ways in which sociological phenomena influence community interaction and individual growth. Among the many ways to approach personal journeys, we find critical reflection (Craig, 2008; White, 2009) and engaged self-narratives (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Gergen & Gergen, 1983) as the most common frames for exploration. Yet, for me, one of the more promising avenues to explore complex relationships is through the use of metaphors.