TEACHING BELIEFS IN MOHAWK CLASSROOMS - ISSUES OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

This study describes the teaching beliefs of three primary-level teach ers (two Mohawk and one nonaboriginal) teaching in the same Mohawk com munity and analyzes the ways in which cultural identity and language i mpact on these beliefs. It is evident from this study that depicting t eachers as belonging to specific cultural groups may inadequately repr esent tile complexity and diversity of teachers in aboriginal classroo ms. Individual personal histories nested in the sociohistorical issues of particular communities play an important role in creating teachers ' identities within, as well as across, cultural groups. We need furth er careful examination of the diversify of teacher beliefs and biograp hies if we are not to trivialize such a complex issue.