As someone who does not identify or represent any of these, it is worrisome because it makes me question if there is a place for me long term and therefore it is a question my students also ask themselves. Where am I? How do I fit in? What is my place? Am I lesser than? Can being culturally relevant and diverse be part of American culture and education?

This would helpful if schools trained teachers on the background of their students in their community to better serve them. Also if they had a school wide policy to educate and include Heritage Months as part of curriculum and school culture to show case the diversity of students and staff. Sometimes I feel I carry the burden of teaching culture at my school or just Latino culture as a minority teacher and someone how cares about the history and background of my students.

This questions what is being produced and who benefits and or profits form this narrative. Who will keep them accountable if the content is not culturally relevant and responsive to all ethnicities?

I agree and try to promote this in my Spanish class. I want them to be knowledgeable and competent in the Spanish language but also culturally competent by understanding the importance of choice of words, audience and social norms. And at the same time question social order by being aware of their place at school and in the world and hopefully continue to choose to be a global citizen valuing cultural diversity and being multilingual.

This reminds me of my experience as the oldest of immigrant parents from Mexico and learning English through school. My elementary school wanted to put me in ESL in the 1990 but my mother refused because she did not want me to be viewed as unintelligent or deficient. She told me years later that she knew I would figure English out and did not want me to be treated or viewed differently because I only knew Spanish. Not only this but at home we were only allowed to speak Spanish because my mother would say that in the U.S. to assimilate you have to leave a part of who you are, your culture and heritage and we were Mexican and always would be. For someone who was new to the country and had little education she understood this concept and how I would be perceived and she did not want that to hold me back or influence how I viewed myself. This way of thinking is very damaging to students academically and personally.

This is my concern and continual goal as a Spanish teacher because a language has no value without speaker and without context which includes culture. I am a first generation Mexican American and Spanish was my first language. I try to incorporate culturally sustaining pedagogy because the language includes speakers from 21 Spanish speaking countries and not just Mexico. I understand my limitations because my experience is dependent on my identity as a Mexican and to only include my culture and experience is lazy, selfish and reckless. How can I effectively incorporate the diversity of the Spanish speaking populations in an authentic and respectful manner? How do I educate myself to be able to incorporate culture in my pedagogy long term?

Yes! This! Exactly! History is never objective because it is written by the victors and the true consequences are many times masked by their success. Social Justice includes recognizes the accomplishments as well as the darkness of it and how it has and continues to affect certain people years later. And as educators we can continue to teach a particular narrative that benefits some or include others involved to provide a holistic picture no matter how ugly it may be.

Her version of what "social justice" is, seems to be a general norm and a blanket vision of "respect and value" all which can be to a certain extent a cliche. I think this is a beginning and the right idea but justice implies an active approach requiring constant education, awareness and providing opportunities to allow those that are marginalized to be portrayed authentically and realistically. Also social justice seems to be promoted as a minorities issue which isolates and creates a rift, almost like a "us vs them" mentality.