TeachingInColor FINAL DIGITALPages - Flipbook - Page 22
a few down to keep the others (maybe at the time “more
What do you consider the value/
essential” ones) in the air, so that you can stay juggling long
impact of having a teacher of color?
enough to see if the ones you set down are worth picking
The value and impact of having a
back up again.
teacher of color has never changed; we
This is a weekly and daily re-evaluation of what’s
just went through a period following the
priority to keep in play, but I’m thankful to know deeply that
Civil Rights Movement in which teachers
I don’t have to, nor can I, do it all at once.
and schools of color were pushed out
in order to secure resources for our
What does your dream
students in white school settings and
classroom look like?
systems.
In a lot of ways, I get to see
The importance and unique value
parts of it now in my classroom
of an educator of color remains the
space with the community of
same: our deep knowing of culture, of
students I get to see every
generational wisdom, of community roots
day — it’s them who make up
and connection; how we speak, share
the “good stuff.” But I’d also be
and lead with compassion, honesty,
lying if I said I didn’t have major
accountability, strength, resilience, and
dreams on curating the best
hope for a new day. These are all part
kind of learning space for my
of the legacy of educators of color who
students if I had the funds and
have come before us, that I get to live
resources.
into now.
I would have a bigger
My identity as a mixed race and linguistic
space with big windows; lots
Afrolatina educator allows me to bring
of plants; more collaborative
the attitude and lessons I’ve been
capacity with desks and chairs
formed and grown by in the past to my
that actually fit my students
own kids now. Together, my historically
and can move easily; more simple natural colors that mirror
marginalized students and I get to
our environment, but also allow us to continue to grow our
re-member learning, love and life as a
collection of art, words, and functional classroom tools that
daily revolutionary act of recovery of
mirror the cultures of my students and myself. I think at
our histories and narratives. We get to
the high school level we forget that they’re both kids and
show up a little more as ourselves; have
young adults — we need a space to gather in a circle on a
grace for when that’s really hard to do;
giant carpet with beanbags, but also to do innovative and
communicate while we work through
relevant skill-building on computers that mirror the version
the struggles and ideas; and lean on the
of our world they’re about to jump into.
safety of seeing ourselves in each other,
I have this dream of building a mini-stage to use for
over and over again.
when we read plays or have poetry slams. Though students
are grown in a lot of ways and need space to exert their
What is one thing you would tell an
own autonomy, creativity and leadership, they also still
aspiring teacher of color?
need snacks, probably use a nap, and time to be outside
While the world does need you, you
in nature (couldn’t we all?). I do what I can to bring these
also need you. You cannot lose yourself
things in to where I can make do with what I have, but I stay
for the sake of trying to be the best teacher: for the best
dreaming about the space where it could all happen!
teacher you can be is always, absolutely tied to your
capacity to ebb and flow living life as your Whole “Self.”
It can be easy to give it all away, especially knowing
we do this work for good reason in our communities — but
the work cannot get done at all, much less done well, if we
