The Lifeworld Of The Superintendent Of Schools The Whole Spiel
Abstract
In this cross-provincial Canadian inquiry, the life world of the superintendent of a large urban public education system is revealed, creating understandings of what it means to be in this experience. The existing research literature hinted at what it means to care, to set purpose, to lead and to govern a large urban public education system, but it did not address it to the depth and breadth required for deep understanding of this work. This hermeneutic inquiry seeks to understand "What is the truth about being a superintendent of a large urban public education system?" The revealing, the uncovering, and the concealing help us to understand differently by illuminating the complex nature of the experience. The paradox within Gadamer's book Truth and Method is not unlike the paradox within this study, for the kind of "truth" of which Gadamer wrote, could not be revealed by any kind of method (Jardine,1994). Truth is constantly being revealed - in a state of aletheia (Moules et al, 2015, p.76) - unlike the notion of truth as equated with frequency, reoccurrence, and control the natural sciences have carried for years. In examining the experience of three superintendents, there was an opportunity to open up and reveal parts of our experiences that, as Jardine would say, were concealed or closed, to enliven that which seemed routine, deadened, or lethal, and to remember many of things that were forgotten along the way" (p.120). It was the opportunity to say "Really?" to the world.
Description
Keywords
Education, Education
Citation
Johnson, N. E. (2017). The Lifeworld Of The Superintendent Of Schools The Whole Spiel (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28233