CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE - TENSION AND CONTRADICTION IN ENACTING THE PRIMARY GRADE CURRICULUM

The primary grades can be seen as an essential piece of elementary sch ool as well as an essential component of early childhood education. Bu t rather than being buttressed and supported by the strength of these two powerful domains, primary grade teachers often find themselves cau ght in the middle, and face a variety of challenges as a result. This article is a narrative case study of the teaching experience of a prim ary grade teacher who contends success. Fully with the competing profe ssional paradigms of early childhood education and elementary schoolin g. Though this is, in many ways, a success story, it is also character ized by conflict. Complex tensions arose from a mismatch between the t eacher's enacted primary grade curriculum and the expectations and des ires of her students' parents.