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I am a multiracial, first-generation college graduate. My latina grandmother dropped out of school in the 3rd grade and moved with her 13 brothers and sisters to California, where she worked at a young age as she learned English. She went back to highschool when my father started and earned her diploma when he did! To this day, she does crossword puzzles daily and she is an award-winning artist. But her can-do attitude is rare and I'm afraid I was terrified starting college, especially after not going to highschool myself. Equity is perhaps my number one goal as an educator because I know what a difference it makes to be heard.
Reflections
Reflections
Where I was.
Where I was.
I was the only latina and mixed-race hire in the English department when I started 19 years ago. I immediately brought the Puente Program to campus and spent five years implementing the program. Many teachers (sometimes resentfully) called me "The Puente teacher" even though I still ran 3-4 mainstream classes while juggling all the responsibilities of running a program. I joined committees that were equity minded and used texts from diverse authors.
Where I am.
Where I am.
I have done a lot of outside reading on my own in the last few years. I'm a writer and have worked on projects about diversity. However, after passing the torch of the Puente project to another teacher, I have been less extensively involved in equity efforts on campus in a planned, centralized role. I learned through the Equity course that there DOES need to be buy in by colleagues and the college as a whole and I feel like the campus has transformed a lot in the last few years.
Where I'm headed.
Where I'm headed.
I am headed to the library this summer and getting all of the "More reading" suggestions in the Equity course so I hope I can still access it by then! I want to investigate intersectionality more, which I realize applies to me and I hadn't even known that term before the class! I am going to implement equity in EVERY course and what I like about the online courses is that everybody has a voice on discussion boards and in some ways, it may be less threatening to share online about this subject.
Teaching Philosophy
Teaching Philosophy
"I love teaching English because I get to read and teach stories but I also get to know your stories sharing time together. I also love my subject because it's really more than learning about grammar rules and nagging you about a thesis statement--we get to examine history, psychology, current issues and try to come to an understanding using what we know from our own lives. I can't wait to find out your unique perspective on what we study together. I need your voice in my classroom and many ears and eyes will be paying attention to your story."
My "Liquid Syllabus"
My "Liquid Syllabus"
Accessible to students on all devices without logging into Canvas!
When designing this, I reoriented my language to a more positive, encouraging and student-friendly tone.
In addition, I now have an entire orientation module students have access a week before classes begin and are required to complete by the first week of classes.
Many Resources
Many Resources
I include many videos that "walk students through" a new resource so that they will be more encouraged to use the feature. These types of resources offer students additional support to foster student equity.
Other examples
Other examples
Students have clear guidelines about offering respect to our diverse student body as well as instructors. They must read through the syllabus, watch interactive videos and consent to the course rules where they agree to specific ways of engaging.
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