We’ve crossed a line: A philosophical examination of systemic implications surrounding SBAE teachers’ attempts at boundary setting

Abstract

This philosophical paper situates the system of School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) in light of teachers’ attempts at boundary work. We define the system of SBAE through a Social Ecological Resilience approach, particularly by examining publications in the Journal of Agricultural Education (JAE) from 2021 to explore what SBAE demands of its teachers. Having worked with SBAE teachers over the last three years as they have struggled with attempts at boundary ownership, we question what this personal struggle indicates about a broader system. We argue for a bounded system by which respect for boundary ownership is reciprocated as an expected norm. We conclude by situating solutions oriented around the factors of Social Ecological Resilience theory. This work engages individuals across the system, rather than just the teachers, toward systemic accountability and transformation.