From Chanclas to Tacones: Our Testimonios as Bilingual Teacher Educators

• In Event: Cultivando maestr@s bilingües: Testimonios on Highly Effective Bilingual Teacher Preparation Programs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Abstract

1.Objective: In this paper, we share our testimonios as teacher educators at an HSI who have prepared bilingual Latinx undergrads for 15 years. Our objective is to inform other teacher educators about “what works” in our context in the hopes that others can adopt similar practices in their local setting.
2. Perspectives: We draw upon our own critical encounters throughout our careers as well as on the necessary partnerships with organizational stakeholders to effectively produce bilingual teachers. Parts of our testimonios also highlight the results of our research on bilingual teacher preparation across the years which encompasses afterschool technology clubs for bilingual children and families, preservice bilingual teachers’ language ideologies, and the training of critically conscious bilingual educators both in and out of the university classroom. Our praxis has relied heavily on a social justice education framework and on the notion that educators must develop “political and ideological clarity” (Bartolomé & Balderrama, 2001). While our testimonios are based on a particular time frame, it should be noted that the bilingual-bicultural teacher preparation program housed at our HSI has been in operation for over 30 years.
3., 4. Methods and Data Sources: Using Chicana/Latina testimonio methodology (Delgado Bernal, Burciaga & Flores Carmona, 2012), we recount our experiences of shaping curricula and creating signature field work experiences for the 650+ teachers we have prepared in the last 15 years.
5. Results: Preliminary analysis of these testimonios indicate that a key factor in enacting our teacher-educator work involves establishing a genuine pedagogy of acompañamiento (Sepúlveda, 2011) where we “walk alongside”our undergraduate students. Such acompañamiento is bolstered by our own participation with our teacher candidates in afterschool projects/clubs as well as at local/state political rallies; and providing consejos to the largely female student body in our program as they transition from chanclas to tacones, from undergrads to professional bilingual educators.
6. Scholarly significance: Because the field on bilingual teacher educators at HSIs is still nascent, our paper on testimonios⁠—and this panel on cultivating bilingual educators⁠—contributes to both the knowledge production and practice of better serving bilingual teacher candidates. And as more universities with teacher preparation programs begin to reach HSI status (their student population equals 25% Latinx or more), it becomes imperative to share testimonios of best practices and ongoing challenges.

Authors

• Patricia Sanchez, The University of Texas - San Antonio

• Lucila D. Ek, University of Texas at San Antonio