On the surface, it would appear that a classroom offers a universal experience. In reality, however, the individuality of human beings shapes this experience within a singular perspective that personalizes it into a unique story. This dissertation research project undertook to explore the concept of teacher knowledge as it applied to a particular community college instructor and how that knowledge was communicated to a particular developmental writing class. The collected data is reported through the narrative lens, offering a powerful collaboration of teacher and student stories intertwined through a shared educational experience. Upon entering their classroom, readers will hear the voices of the instructor and students, frequently offered in their original stateunvarnished, raw with emotion, and sincere.

Dr. Stallings is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Houston. A former classroom teacher, she now teaches pre-service and graduate courses in the field of Language and Literacy Instruction.