Despite the importance and the inclusion of teaching about religion in most national and state curriculum standards, especially in social studies curriculum, many public school teachers are not adequately prepared to how, and what, to teach about religion, in particular Islam. As a result, many teachers are left alone to sink and swim in their teaching. Drawing on Lee Shulman's concept of "wisdom of practice," I conducted a qualitative case study of a distinguished, experienced teacher, who taught world religions for thirteen years in a Michigan public high school, in an attempt to allow other teachers the opportunity to learn from her experience. Based on data collected from interviews, class observations, curriculum materials, and field trips to the local community mosque, this two-year long case study documented the journey of experiences that the teacher underwent to learn to teach, to construct a worth-knowing curriculum, and to make pedagogical choices--as these relate to teaching about Islam. Framed in Connelly and Clandinin's concept of personal practical knowledge, this study showed that the process of learning to teach, curriculum-making, and teaching is a journey of being, experiencing and doing, and growing and becoming. In a sense, both personal and professional lives are not separate boundaries but are in dialogical relations.
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