Maestras, Mujeres y Mas: Creating Teacher Networks for Resistance and Voice

Abstract

This ethnographic case study documents the socialization of Chicana teachers entering the teaching profession within the past 5 years. As college students, they were actively involved in social justice issues. The belief system of these teachers is based on critical pedagogy, multicultural and antiracist education, and Chicano/a studies–the philosophical frameworks that encouraged these teachers to become change agents. Since entering the classroom, many have announced that they are leaving the profession. The study documents what these women encountered while teaching under the current restrictive environment and how they formed support networks along the lines of race and ideology.