Speaking Their Truths: Teachers of Color in Diasporic Contexts

Abstract

This study explored the question: How do teachers of color in isolated, relatively rural contexts make sense of their teaching experience as marginalized people in their profession? From an initial survey of rural school districts in Wyoming, eight teachers were selected to participate in a qualitative study using in-depth interviews, observations, and focus groups. Through participants' stories, this study found that these teachers of color are supported and sustained because of encouragement from family and other adults, their self-identified natural teaching ability, the opportunity to be a role model for students of color, their potential to challenge racial-ethnic stereotypes, and their desire to bring a multicultural perspective to schooling. In contrast, participants identified two major challenges: (a) lack of support from colleagues and administrators, and (b) lack of sustained contact with other teachers of color. Introduction In the year 2000, the Rural School and Community Trust reported that 17 percent of all rural residents were minorities and 24 percent were school-age children. The federal mandate, No Child Left Behind Act, advocates for quality teachers in order to reform and improve education across the United States. The authors believe that the quality teaching advocated in this mandate reaches beyond classroom practices. It includes the representation of teachers across varying social identities in our communities' elementary and secondary schools. Pertinent evidence suggests that the presence of teachers of color not only provides students of color with role models but also increases the academic success of students of color (Dilworth, 1990; Dee, 2001). In addition, educators of color are more able to use culturally responsive communication (Dilworth, 1990) and are more likely to employ teaching practices and curricula (Ladson-Billings, 1993) that are compatible with diverse student populations. Thus, teachers of color are essential to reforming education for diverse student populations in rural, historically monocultural communities. Moreover, an education that is culturally responsive and that promotes practices and curricula that are compatible with diverse students will broaden all students' horizons through promoting critical thinking (especially seeing things from multiple perspectives) and through fostering an understanding of our nation's multicultural reality. Meier, Winkle, and Polinard (1999) cite academic increases for White students when they had teachers of color. Although the overall student population in Wyoming is decreasing, the number of the state's students of color is rising. As an indication of the influx of students of color into the state's communities, the Teton County School District in Wyoming had 50 students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes five years ago and 250 students in 2004. It is often teachers of color who are most likely to work with these new students in ways that ease their transition to English-language schooling. Another way that teachers of color constructively intervene to diffuse intercultural tension in rural educational settings is in serving as ethnic mediators who can identify the communication and behavioral differences of particular underrepresented students' communities (Irvine, 1989). Moreover, teachers of color may raise the level of multicultural awareness and lessen discriminatory practices at all three levels-student, educator, administrative-of the rural school system (Meier, Steward, & England, 1989). These and other benefits that have been the subject of documented research offer compelling reasons for a diverse teaching workforce in rural schools. The challenges to teachers of color, however, are especially daunting in rural communities. They include professional and social isolation, lack of discussion in professional contexts about diversity, and the absence of adequate mentoring. Such generalizations as these may belie the complexity of schooling. …