Abstract
Stories of teachers’ classroom lives shape the public imagination of what it means to be a “good teacher,” yet these narratives are always partial, contextual, and entangled with broader cultural and institutional forces. This research essay narratively explores the experiences of Lisa, a veteran literacy teacher navigating Science of Reading (SoR) mandates in her elementary classroom. It examines how her identities, values, and visions for literacy teaching intersect with the discursive, material, and affective dynamics that shape how SoR unfolds in the context of Lisa’s classroom life. (Re)storying her experiences draws attention to the emotional toll and moral dissonance teachers may experience when mandates conflict with their pedagogical commitments—a phenomenon some scholars describe as moral injury. Rather than offering a singular truth, this research essay attends to the complexities of teacherhood, conceptualized as teachers’ evolving identities, sense of efficacy, and experiences teaching reading amid shifting policy and professional demands. It considers what emerges when we closely follow one teacher’s negotiation of policy, identity, and classroom practice. Lisa’s story raises broader questions about how we might sustain teacher agency and well-being in policy-driven landscapes.
Author Biography
Kyle C. Arlington
Kyle C. Arlington is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he is also an instructor. He is a public school leader who has held various administrative roles, including curriculum director, assistant superintendent, and superintendent of schools. His research interests include the interplay of teachers’ visions, identities, and experiences.
Recommended Citation
Arlington, K. C.
(2026).
Thinking narratively about science of reading forces, moral injury, and teacherhood.
Occasional Paper Series,
(55).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1573
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons