Gender, Race, and Class in the Lives of Today’s Teachers

Book excerpt: This volume explores the professional experiences of a vast array of educators through a series of research essays that focus on the interplay of gender, race, class, and sexualities as well as how these dynamics influence the educators’ teaching. The volume illuminates this interplay not only in traditional classroom settings, but also in non-traditional contexts such as prisons and juvenile detention facilities, family education, dual-language immersion programs, early childhood education, and higher education, including teacher training programs. The concluding chapter, written by the editors, provides general recommendations for recruiting and retaining a more diverse teacher workforce worldwide. From autoethnographies to pláticas, testimonios and in-depth interviews, this qualitatively rich volume offers powerful and timely insights about the experiences of teachers who are too often overlooked. Gilda L. Ochoa, Professor of Chicana/o Latina/o Studies This illuminating book centers educators’ intersectional subjectivities and lived experiences, bringing to life the radical possibilities of transformative education. It is a much needed resource for anyone invested in understanding and advancing education as a catalyst for equity and social justice. Lorena Garcia, Associate Professor of Sociology & Latin American and Latino Studies