TeachingInColor FINAL DIGITALPages - Flipbook - Page 12
teacher (neither male nor female). As a Hispanic female,
this fact is disturbing. When all you see in education
and positions of power are white females, you begin to
subconsciously believe that whiteness is the standard to
which we should aspire.
It wasn’t until my first graduate experience at a
HBCU that I reached an awareness of that thinking
and how faulty it was. It was then that I started sharing
my story and being involved in affinity groups and
mentorship opportunities.
As a teacher of color, what are some of your biggest
challenges? How have you overcome them?
The non-instructional weight that has a heavy impact
on mental health: being the only person in the building
that knows the culture and the tax of having to
represent your entire culture; being the only person
in the building that speaks Spanish and having the tax
of being forced to interpret for others; doing double
the work of an English speaker and Spanish speaker;
experiencing various anti-immigrant sentiments and
other microaggressions in the workplace.
Solutions include advocating for anti-bias training in
the workplace, being more intentional about finding an
outlet for stress, and finding community.
What is some advice you receive that has helped
you in your teaching career?
“Make your haters your motivators.” You will not be
embraced by all, and that’s okay. But if you stay true
to yourself and remember your why, you can make it
through all those hard days and come out on the other
side victorious.
As a teacher, what is one thing you can’t live
without?
COFFEE!!! Hot, iced, large or small – coffee is my love
language.
