“I Wanna Be the Teacher I Never Had”: How Undocuteachers Experience Power and Precarity in California

• In Event: UndocuTeacher Pathways + Practices: Perspectives From California and Nevada

Abstract

As they straddle the worlds of immigration and education, UndocuTeachers remind us that teaching is a profound, political, and often precarious profession. Facing not only the inhumanity of an exacting immigration system, UndocuTeachers also must confront demanding working conditions as well as the increased policing of pedagogy in classrooms nationwide. Building on previous research focused on individual accounts (García, 2020), this report represents an attempt to more broadly speak to the diverse experiences and perspectives of current UndocuTeachers. The objective of the study is to determine the ways in which status influences their roles as teachers in California public schools.

Utilizing Castro’s (2022) multidimensional framework analyzing labor precarity for Teachers of Color, we specifically focus on how UndocuTeachers experience a form of hyper-precarity. In particular, we bring to light the structural and ontological forms of precarity that UndocuTeachers experience. As Castro notes, we know little about the actual work experiences of UndocuTeachers in schools. Despite having a pathway into the teaching profession, the interlocking forces of a racist immigration system and inequitable schooling conditions still leave them open to a host of challenges. Along with these obstacles, we also discuss opportunities for resistance and change that can further intersectional solidarity across other Teachers of Color.

The report draws from 16 interviews with current Undocuteachers and 9 interviews with future teachers in California. Their countries of origin include El Salvador, Guatemala, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, and Taiwan. Nearly all of our participants were first-generation college students or graduates and came from working-class backgrounds. The teachers we spoke to were able to take advantage of DACA during their college years, thereby also opening doors to employment as well. Semi-structured questions were meant to elicit testimonios, or self-narrated life stories of oppression and resistance that help build solidarity and inspire action.

Teachers reported that structural forms of precarity largely relate to the two-year timeline to renew DACA, the federal program that grants work authorization to UndocuTeachers. Due to these bureaucratic processes, teachers face interruptions in DACA work authorization that can be profoundly disruptive on personal and professional levels. School districts and ally organizations can demonstrate their support for these teachers by covering costly renewal fees and supporting them through potential lapses in work authorization.

In terms of the ontological experiences of precarity, UndocuTeachers discussed profound impacts on their wellbeing and mental health. Teachers experience a host of stressors, but also derive strength from their roles. The support they provide students may also reflect a form of cultural taxation. Aside from increasing access and support for mental health resources, policymakers can look more structurally to reducing job demands and ensuring that teachers have more voice in decisions that impact them. Professional development and teacher education can also incorporate humanizing approaches to support teacher growth and sustainability (Mawhinney & Baker-Doyle, 2023).

Author

• Esa Syeed, California State University - Long Beach