(Re)engaging Our Ethical Commitments and Becoming Activists in Our Own Backyards

In this manuscript, I provide an example of what activism in your own backyard may look like in institutional contexts using Foucault’s notions of ethics. To this end, I report findings from a two-year study conducted in my own science methods courses with two cohorts of pre-service teachers. Through a critical autoethnographic lens, I recount a synthesis of struggles and successes that illustrate what happens when one’s ethical and professional commitments to work for social justice intersect (collide) with the urgent need to address opp(regre)ssive practices in our own programs. Suggestions for how to be an activist in our own backyards and how to (re)engage our ethical commitments through a praxis of self-care are also provided.