Making narrative connections to renew our professional identities and ‘life politics’: Ivor Goodson’s role in challenging the neoliberal consensus

Our stories are saturated in culture, history, the political economy and society and it is difficult to see how our smaller life struggles are inter-connected with these grand narratives. We may struggle too to ‘remember’ other narrative connections; to bring back to a private and public consciousness ‘other’ narra- tives (such as stories of social solidarity and alternative models of teacher pro- fessionalism) that might help us re-frame our ‘life politics’ and empower us to stand for something and someone else. Ivor Goodson’s substantial work speaks to the power of ‘storying together’, particularly in these neoliberal times. In storying together, we are challenged to hold on to a meaningful narrative for ourselves; to decide ‘whose side are we on?’ We are challenged too to expand our ‘horizontal connections’ and value the work done in the ‘small spaces of education’. In speaking to our enduring capacity to share critical narratives, Ivor Goodson’s work remains defiantly courageous and hopeful.