Tag Archives: Latino American Teachers

Teachers who were Latino Americans, or who worked with Latino American student populations.

Educator Marta Moreno Vega Shares the Culture of Afro-Latinos

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There are many outstanding examples of teachers who share their expertise in arenas beyond the classroom. One of these teachers is Marta Moreno Vega, a junior high and high school history teacher who has devoted three decades of her energy towards exploring, celebrating, and sharing the culture of Afro-Latinos.

Marta was born on January 3, 1952, in East Harlem, an area of New York City that is predominantly Latino and Caribbean. The neighborhood is known as Spanish Harlem, and ethnically, Marta fits right in because she is descended from roots that trace to both Puerto Rico and the Yoruba tribe of West Africa.

Marta earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New York University, and upon her graduation she became a teacher of history and arts in education in New York City junior high and high schools. After a few years, she returned to the university. She earned her doctorate in African Studies from Temple University in 1995. Upon her graduation, Marta accepted a position as an assistant professor at Baruch College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, where she was employed until 2000. In addition, she taught at the Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 1976, Marta founded the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), a multi-disciplinary center located in East Harlem that is dedication to the integration of art, education, and activism to facilitate social transformation. To learn more about this organization, examine their website at CCCADI. She was also instrumental in founding the Association of Hispanic Arts, a New York-based
arts advocacy and public education organization.

In 2000, Marta published her first book, The Altar of My Soul: The Living Traditions of Santeria, which traces the roots, practices, and themes of the Santeria religion. In 2004, Marta published her second book, her memoirs of growing up as a woman of color in Spanish Harlem. The volume is entitled When the Spirits Dance Mambo: Growing Up Nuyorican.

For her efforts, Marta has been honored with the Crystal Stairs Award from the Association of American Cultures, and she has garnered the Mosaic Award from the Multicultural Council of New York City. To learn more about the amazing Dr. Vega, click on Encyclopedia.com or the NYU Staff Website.

Mary Elizabeth Post: Pioneer teacher in the Arizona Territory

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I enjoy sharing stories about talented and daring teachers who were also pioneers. One such teacher was Mary Elizabeth Post, one of the first teachers to work in the Territory of Arizona. In fact, Mary was only the fifth teacher in Arizona.

Mary was born on June 17, 1841, in Elizabethtown, New York. Her father was a carpenter, but he instilled a strong love of learning in his seven children. As a youngster, Mary attended Burlingtron Female Seminary. She was so proficient in her studies that she was landed her first teaching position in 1856, when she was only 15 years old.

In 1872, Mary traveled to the Arizona Territory by stage coach. The trip was rugged, and conditions in her new environment were rough. She established her school in a building that had formerly served as a saloon. Her lessons were sometimes interrupted by thirsty cowboys looking for an alcoholic drink.

Mary soon discovered, to her dismay, that regular attendance at school was not valued by either the students or their parents. Often the intrepid teacher felt forced to track down the truants and virtually drag them back to the school, much to the disgruntlement of their parents. To overcome the hard feelings, Mary ordered a collection of sewing patterns and taught the mothers how to sew new clothes for their children. The mothers were delighted with how fashionable their children looked, and, before long, Mary saw a marked improvement in her daily attendance. It didn’t take long for the dedicated educator to become an integral part of the lives of her students and their families, almost all of Mexican heritage. She was often invited to their family events and celebrations. “I was in love with my work, Mary once expressed. “I think I was born to be a teacher.”

In addition to her untiring work in the classroom, Mary was active in local women’s organizations, and she was an outspoken proponent of the women’s suffrage movement. Mary retired from teaching in 1912, at the age of 72. She became the first recipient of the Arizona state teachers’ retirement fund. Her pension was $50 a month. In 1918, this chalkboard champion and pioneer was awarded an honorary master’s degree from the University of Arizona in recognition of her humanitarian work in predominantly Spanish-speaking communities.

Mary Elizabeth Post passed away from natural causes in 1934. She was 93 years old. You can read more about this amazing educator at tucson.com in the article Western Movement: Mary Elizabeth Post.

Chalkboard Champion and Arizona math educator Joaquin Bustoz, Jr.

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There are many examples of brilliant educators who have offered their talents to improve high school instruction. One such educator was Joaquin Bustoz, Jr., a university math professor from Arizona who established an advanced placement program for high school students.

Joaquin was born on December 30, 1939, in Tempe, Arizona, one of five children born to parents Joaquin, Sr., and Ramona. His parents, who were farm workers, also worked for their local schools, and were so revered that the Tempe Unified School District even named one of their elementary school after the couple.

In 1962, Joaquin earned his bachelor’s degree in math from Arizona State University. Continuing his education at that institution, he earned his master’s degree the following year, and in 1967 he completed the requirements for his doctorate degree. After earning his doctorate, Joaquin became a professor of mathematics at the University of Cincinatti, where he taught from 1969 to 1976.

In 1985, Joaquin founded the Summer Math-Science Honors program for high school students under the auspices of the University of Arizona. Still in place today, the curriculum offers an advanced placement program that provides opportunities for under-represented students to study university mathematics and science while still enrolled in high school. He also devoted many hours to Native American students on the nearby Navajo and Pima Reservations. For his outstanding work Joaquin has garnered numerous awards. For example, President Bill Clinton awarded Joaquin the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, Engineering in 1996.

Sadly, this talented and dedicated educator was killed on August 13, 2003, in an auto accident. He is interred at Double Butte Cemetery in Tempe.

You can learn more about this outstanding chalkboard champion on the website of the Mathematical Association of America by clicking MAA. You can also learn more about the advanced placement program he founded at ASU Summer Math Program.

 

Educator and Political Activist Jose Ferrer Canales

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The teaching profession abounds with talented and dedicated educators who have devoted their entire lives to their practice. Such is certainly the case with Jose Ferrer Canales, a high school Spanish teacher from Puerto Rico who was also an accomplished journalist, essayist, and political activist.

Jose was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 18, 1913, into an impoverished, working-class family. As a youngster, he attended Pedro G. Boyco Elementary School, and as a teenager, he graduated from Central Superior High School. Because of his family’s poverty, Jose worked to help support his family, even though he was still in school.

After his high school graduation, Jose enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico, completing the requirements for his bachelor’s degree in 1937. In 1944, he earned his MA in Arts. Jose accepted his first teaching position at a high school in Humacao, where he taught Spanish from 1937 to 1943. Once he earned his master’s degree, Jose was awarded a grant to continue his studies in Spanish and Latin American literature at Columbia University in New York City. While in New York, Jose taught Spanish at Hunter College.

In 1946, the veteran educator returned to his home island where he accepted a position in the Department of Humanities at the University of Puerto Rico. There he became actively involved in the island’s pro-independence movement. In 1949, when he was fired from the university because of his political activities, he relocated to the United States, where he taught at universities in Louisiana, Texas, and Washington, DC. After some years, Jose moved to Mexico, where he attended the National Autonomous University of Mexico, earning his PhD in Letters in 1952. In 1963, Jose was able to once again return to his home island and his position at the University of Puerto Rico. He pursued contributions to the field of education and the publication of numerous essays and journal articles until his retirement in 1983.

Because of his lengthy and distinguished career, Jose earned several prestigious honors. He was given the Journalist Prize from the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture in 1990. He was honored with the Prize of Honor from the Puerto Rican Athenaeum in 1994. He was also named the Humanist of the Year by the Puerto Rican Humanities Foundation in 1997.

This chalkboard champion passed away of natural causes on July 20, 2005, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. He was 91 years old. He is interred at Villa Palmaeras Cemetery in Puerto Rico.

Alice Bag: The Punk Rock rebel who became an elementary school bilingual teacher

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Throughout American history, there are numerous examples of exceptional educators who also exhibit talents in artistic endeavors. One such educator is Alice Bag, an elementary school bilingual education teacher who has also made a name for herself on the punk rock scene, author, and up-and-coming painter.

Alice Bag was born Alicia Armendariz on November 7, 1958, in the barrio of East Los Angeles. Her parents were impoverished immigrants from Mexico. As a youngster, Alice had few friends in school, and was often the target of bullies. She experienced the hardship of starting school without knowing how to speak English. This experience led her to become passionate about education, and especially about bilingual programs.

When just eight years old, Alice began her professional singing career. She recorded theme songs for cartoons in both English and Spanish. As an adult, she became the co-founder and lead singer of The Bags, one of the first girls punk rock groups to emerge from the Los Angeles area. The band, which was formed in the mid-70’s, was most active during the years 1977-1981, during which time they released their best-known singles, “Survive” and “Babylonian Gorgon.”

“Rock ‘n’ roll stands for rebellion,” Alice once explained. “and if you’re feeling disenfranchised, it gives you a voice.” Alice had much to rebel against. An abusive father, for one thing; a Chicano culture that favored males, for another; and on top of that, racial discrimination against the Latino community. Music gave her the opportunity to channel that rebellion. For her pioneering work as a Latina punk rock performer, Alice has been featured in the Penelope Spheeris documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, and a traveling Smithsonian exhibition entitled “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music.”

After the break-up of The Bags, Alice studied how to bake pastries with a French patissier, studied painting at a community college, started a daily blog and website devoted to the history of the LA punk scene, and authored two books. In 2011, Alice published her memoir, Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage: A Chicana Punk Story, which describes her childhood of domestic violence. The coming-of-age volume launched a reading and performance tour across the United States, and is also taught in university courses in the departments of literature, gender studies, and Chicano studies. Her second book, Pipe Bomb for the Soul, was released in 2015.

After Alice earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from California State University at Los Angeles, she began teaching in inner-city schools in LA using the name Alice Velazquez, her married name. Now aged 57, she has retired after twenty years in the classroom. Alice says her years as a teacher has brought a sense of clarity to the lyrics of her current songs. “I was quick to get in arguments and often get in fights,” she remembers of her pre-teaching years. “Working with children, I found that I couldn’t ever be angry at a child. If there was a problem communicating or reaching the child, I felt like it was my responsibility to figure out how to communicate what I was trying to say,” she explains. “I think I became a more effective communicator. I learned how to clarify my thoughts,” she concludes.

Alice Bag currently lives in San Diego with her husband and three children.