Garbanzos de a libra: The Community Cultural Wealth of Male Bilingual Teachers

Abstract

Latino males are “effectively vanishing” (Saenz & Ponjuan, 2009, p. 54) from the United States higher education pipeline, a phenomenon clearly evident in the K-12 and postsecondary levels; they have become an ultra-minoritized population. Saenz and Ponjuan (2009) expound various theoretical and socio-cultural explanations for this enduring and distressing trend facing Latino males. In particular, the lack of male teachers as young Latino boys traverse their compulsory education is problematic as representation is critical for persistence and mentoring. As the number of Emergent Bilingual students is now 10% of the U.S. student population, the need for increasing bilingual male teachers is more important than ever. Increasing the representation of Latino male bilingual teachers in primary grade levels, can help ameliorate the leaks that Latino boys, particularly Emergent Bilinguals, encounter in the educational pipeline. Utilizing a narrative inquiry approach this study focused on the experiences of six Latino male bilingual elementary education teachers in the Southwest United States.