Chapter 15: Creating Community and Becoming a Member of an Urban Teacher Education Program

In this vignette, a C.U.R.E. graduate describes her own evolution in becoming a member of a community and the recognition that becoming a member is an ongoing process. She talks of being a “newcomer” in unfamiliar and seemingly threatening surroundings to moving to “old-timer” status as a recognized and respected member of the community. The C.U.R.E. program was founded on the belief that preservice teachers need to be apprenticed into their professional communities and the contexts in which those are located. A goal, then, of C.U.R.E. is to help participants create their own understanding of a particular kind of community. Such a process involves the development of awareness and knowledge of the sociocultural context in which they live and work and, as such, they are always evolving in their roles as members of particular communities.