Russian-speaking Immigrant Teachers in the United States: Arts-informed Inquiry into Experiences and Beliefs

One of the challenges that concerns educators today is how to improve education of diverse student population including immigrant children. Teacher education programs around the United States have made enormous efforts to prepare pre-service and in- service teachers to work in diverse cultural environments. Much attention has been paid to the development of courses that prepare future teachers to understand diversity. At the same time, many studies claim that teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds constitute a useful resource. This book is an inquiry into the experiences and beliefs of six Russian-speaking immigrant teachers about the role of a teacher. They were all brought up and educated in the former Soviet Union and arrived in the United States at different times after 1991. Their experiences of living in Soviet times shaped the beliefs that they brought to the United States. Encountering new people and cultures and adjusting to the new environment, they were developing their identities and changing their beliefs. The book will be of interest to scholars, graduate researchers, teachers and teacher educators, and immigrant teachers.