The same year my son began kindergarten was the same year I started teaching high school. After completing a Ph.D. in Education in 2015, instead of working in higher education as I anticipated, I was called to teach Ethnic Studies in high school classrooms to be in schools that sometimes feel like the “Mexican Schools” I teach about from the 1940s. As Teaching Tolerance has documented in these Mexican Schools, “Many Anglo educators did not expect, or encourage, Chicano students to advance beyond the eighth grade. Instead, the curriculum at the Mexican schools was designed, as one district superintendent put it, “to help these children take their place in society.”
Tag: academia
When Ethnic Studies is Under Attack…
When Ethnic Studies is Under Attack... By Irene Sanchez Xicana Ph.D. When Ethnic Studies is under attack, you remember we've been here many times before. You carry the lessons of the past to act with the wisdom that has been passed down. This is not the time to turn away from our elders or dismiss … Continue reading When Ethnic Studies is Under Attack…
The Myth of Meritocracy
The Myth of Meritocracy By Irene Sanchez The scandal Operation Varsity Blues has many talking about corruption in higher education recently, but it exposes something many of us already knew was there. The unchecked privilege reserved for the wealthy of this country is nothing new. There are front doors many of them walk through such … Continue reading The Myth of Meritocracy
3 P’s of Graduate School Applications
3 P's of Graduate School Applications By: Xicana Ph.D. I know I have a lot of my critiques of the academy and elitists and will continue to have them and write about them, but that is precisely why I wanted to go to graduate school to begin with. I wanted to subvert the system. I … Continue reading 3 P’s of Graduate School Applications
Stop reinforcing the status quo inside or outside academia
Stop reinforcing the status quo inside or outside academia By Xicana Ph.D. The ivory tower as a whole doesn’t uplift anything, but those who reinforce it. It reinforces existing power. The status quo. A lot of folks within it do too. A lot of people who preach social justice do it every single day. Let’s … Continue reading Stop reinforcing the status quo inside or outside academia
The Importance of “Staying Rooted” in These Times
The Importance of "Staying Rooted" in These Times By Irene Sanchez (Xicana Ph.D.) Remembering who I am has meant for me to remember my roots. Our roots are what hold us steady no matter what may come our way. They remind us to keep growing up and if we need a reminder of how strong … Continue reading The Importance of “Staying Rooted” in These Times
The Struggle Continues: Thoughts on Transformative Education
The Struggle Continues: Thoughts on Transformative Education By: Xicana Ph.D. I became a high school Latinx Studies teacher this year and in doing so it made me think back to all the years I dedicated in school to learning about education combined with what I have learned from the classroom that is the world. I … Continue reading The Struggle Continues: Thoughts on Transformative Education
Your Brilliance Can’t Be Measured By Degrees: A Xicana Writer’s Reflection on Two Years Since Finishing a Ph.D.
Your Brilliance Can’t Be Measured by Degrees: A Xicana Writer's Reflections on Two Years Since Finishing a Ph.D. By Xicana Ph.D. "You don't build bridges to safe and familiar territories, you have to risk making un mundo nuevo, you have to risk uncertainty of change. And nepantla is the only space change happens. Change requires … Continue reading Your Brilliance Can’t Be Measured By Degrees: A Xicana Writer’s Reflection on Two Years Since Finishing a Ph.D.