What We Imagine, We Become: Preparing Minoritized and Multilingual Justice-Centered Educators

• In Event: No Matter How Bleak: Teachers Learning and Living a Justice Praxis

Abstract

Objectives & Research Question
Potawatomi scientist, Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013) writes, “Imagination is one of our most powerful tools. What we imagine, we can become” (p. 184). Kimmerrer’s work is instructive for teacher education as discourses about joining the field are flanked by deterrents and worsening teacher shortages. Many university teacher education and federal programs are attempting to address shortages, especially for schools in low-income communities of Color. Yet, administrative mandates are abruptly halting gains in diversifying the teacher workforce. While anxieties about federal funding cuts persist, existing programs remain. Multilingual/Minoritized Educators Networked-learning and Development (MEND) is a program designed to recruit and sustain teachers of Color, centering wellness and providing financial support to participants. Research questions included: 1) What are the experiences of MEND participants pursuing their teaching credential? and 2) How does MEND’s focus on community, wellness, and material support reimagine teacher education?

Theory
This paper uses Solórzano’s (2019) conceptualization of Critical Race Theory in Teacher Education (CRTTE) to guide study design and analysis as it provides an “explanatory framework that accounts for the role of race and racism in teacher education” (p. 108). We intentionally center the “experiential knowledge” of participants. We also draw from Ethnic Studies and translanguaging pedagogies to critically understand the multiple histories and honor the linguistic repertoires of MEND participants (Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2015; Lee & Garcia, 2020).

Methods/Sources
Through a case study of a federally funded teacher education program, this paper draws on three years of data, including individual interviews, teacher reflection memos and video recordings, and critical professional development evaluations. The study’s site is unique, consisting of undergraduates set to pursue teaching credentials, all of whom are multilingual/teachers of Color from Ethnic Studies or Liberal Studies undergraduate majors. We braid storytelling with autoethnography (Chang, 2016) to place value on the knowledge of teacher educators of Color alongside MEND participant experiences. The data form a portrait reflecting the potential of a teacher education program designed to recruit and sustain teachers of Color.

Findings
Our study presents how one federally funded teacher diversity program intentionally built partnerships with Ethnic Studies departments and existing bilingual authorization programs. We maintained an explicit focus on ensuring MEND participants’ teacher identities were rooted in Ethnic Studies, critical multilingual education, and trauma/informed pedagogies. Findings contribute to the field toward: 1) Identifying ways multi-pronged supports sustain future classroom teachers of Color and 2) Approaches prioritizing humanization, community building, and wellness with racial and linguistic justice praxis in teacher education.

Significance
This paper contributes to the field by centering the experiences, material needs, and wellness of teacher participants. Our study documents an innovative pathway for teacher education through what we refer to as “Intersectional Teacher Education.” We put pressure on the often individualistic nature of teacher credentialing to amplify the importance of community and wholistic care. Our hope is that we can and must prepare teachers to “imagine” and “become” the teachers our futures demand, especially for multilingual and minoritized teachers.

Authors

• Edward R. Curammeng, California State University - Dominguez Hills

• Minhye Son, California State University - Dominguez Hills

• Sara Jasmin Diaz-Montejano, University of California - Los Angeles