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Teacher Retention In The Low-Income Diverse Community Of Immokalee, Florida, Ashley M. Buehler

Master of Education Research Theses

This qualitative ethnographic study explores the background characteristics and motivations of nine long-standing teachers in the small migrant community of Immokalee, Florida. Each teacher participated in a standard open-ended interview consisting of 55 questions. Common background characteristics exist among the teachers. The teachers are life-long learners, embrace challenges, possess a familiarity with their school context, and interestingly the majority of the teachers pursued another profession before becoming an educator. All the teachers communicated their love for the students and community of Immokalee, however, four dissatisfying factors emerged throughout the interview process these include: insufficient time, the negative perception directed towards …