Why we need more Latino teachers
by Being Latino Contributors
visualphotos.com
When you think of a teacher, who do you see?
If you are like most people, you’re likely to imagine a middle-aged woman. If you think back on the teachers you’ve had in your K-12 education, most of your teachers fit that description, and furthermore, more likely than not, most of them were also white.
Because in all honesty, how many elementary-school teachers of yours were men or of a minority background? Consider yourself fortunate if you ever had a male teacher, let alone a minority male teacher. It’s unlikely you did until you pursued higher education.
That was the case for me, and lamentably, it continues to be the case for the youth of color in today’s classrooms.
The first time I had a male teacher was in middle school, and he was white. The first time I had a minority male teacher was in high school, and neither resembled me nor my family. They were white or Asian.
It wasn’t until college that I had male professors who not only looked like me, had Spanish surnames like me, but also were proud of being men of color. I almost could not believe it.
I was mesmerized by being in a learning environment of not one but multiple male professional Latino educators, who not only embraced their heritage, but also cultivated it in their students.
Along with my Latina professors, I could say to them, “I see myself in you,” figuratively and literally. The
