Job sharing their first year: a narrative of two partnered teachers' induction into middle school science teaching

This paper is a narrative of the induction of two middle school science teachers as partners in a job sharing arrangement. The partners began paired teaching in lieu of student teaching. The author retells the women's story of how they worked together, supporting each other in attempting to implement student-centered practices. His past experiences as a beginning science teacher guided his understanding of their story. Their mutual support in this story is likened to partners in a marriage. These two women mentored each other through the difficulties of their first year through ongoing dialogue on practice, supportive assistance, and modeling. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.