Sustaining Latinx Educators During COVID-19 Through Endarkened Epistemologies

• In Event: Academia Cuauhtli: Crafting an Architecture of Authentic Cariño

Abstract

Study Purpose & Significance
This case study examines teacher sustainability during COVID-19 through the lens of theories in the flesh (Hurtado, 2003). The case speaks to factors contributing to the systematic pushout of teachers of color and provides recommendations aligned with “counter-spaces” outside the typical settler colonial spaces within academia (Godina-Martinez, 2010; Wong & Fernandez, 2008).
The study has important implications for equitable policy and organizations. Teachers of color face significant obstacles entering the profession (Carter-Andrews et al., 2019) and encounter hostile working conditions, including low salaries (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017); unsupportive administration (Ingersoll, May, and Collins, 2019); and pressures to “teach to the test” (Tye & O’Brien, 2002). Teacher attrition is costly in terms of finances (Learning Policy Institute, 2017) and the achievement of students of color (Dee, 2004).
Theoretical Framework
This study utilizes Hurtado’s (2003) theories in the flesh to examine approaches utilized by Latinx educators to counter pushout. This framework unites attributes of feminists of color, including the questioning of “data,” incorporating spirituality, reconstructing through political action, and recognition of fragmented social identity. The theory was chosen because of the political nature of the research site and the activism of its Latinx feminist educators.
Methods & Data Sources
Data for this study comes from excerpts of platicas with 12 Latinx, critical educators that were recorded throughout the 2020-2021 school year. These platicas were situated in the context of Academia Cuauhtli, a Saturday cultural revitalization program for Title I Austin ISD Spanish-speaking students and families (Valenzuela, 2019). We chose to utilize case study methodology which allowed for in-depth study of a specific context with real-world impact and deep engagement with theory (Given, 2008).
Results
COVID-19 intensified pushout factors present in K12 systems, yet Academia Cuautli specifically sustained teachers by providing endarkened epistemological spaces for emotional and spiritual healing from the particular trauma of COVID-19 while cultivating applied, political, and reconstructive visions for the Latinx community in Austin. Teachers simultaneously shared the trauma of their realities as Latinx teachers alongside visions for a reimagined educational purpose. For example, one teacher shared,
My only vision is to keep [my students] alive and healthy, keep my family and I healthy, and their family healthy… We are in an emergency period and nobody [in the district] is registering it like a state of emergency. They are giving us new things to do, new programs to use, and new exams to give.
Another teacher shared,
[Cuauhtli is] different from all the things that we do during the week.
I think this space gives us a place where we reframe what education is. Like, education is not just all the [state standards] - did I master them all? It's like que somos haber de me familia, de mi casa de mi cultura?
These reflections for personal healing result in clarified visions for education and political action. In solidarity rather than isolation, the teachers work together to create culturally sustaining curriculum and practices which translate into their district work. In sustaining their Latinx communities, the teachers also sustain themselves.

Authors

• Maria Unda, The University of Texas at Austin

• Lauren M. Shook, The University of Texas at Austin

• Lizeth Lizarraga