Future Teachers of Color Organization

This project aims to organize a group of racial and social justice oriented future K-12 teachers of Color at the University of Washington to discuss and address issues of race and racism as they relate to education. Aware of the pushback they may receive as future teachers with racial and social justice goals, undergraduate students of Color at UW will engage in a student-driven critical third space to prepare themselves to enter white-dominated institutions that have historically been unsupportive of transformative, anti-racist, and culturally sustaining frameworks. Through bi-weekly meetings per quarter, our goal is for future teachers of Color to build a community and network of racial and social justice oriented peers, to practice navigating deficit language and ideas about communities of Color, engage in peer-to-peer mentorship, and to cultivate practices of community engaged and justice-oriented educators. Since most attention and support has been given to students who are already in a teacher preparation program, this project focuses on undergraduate students of Color (Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander) to support their transition into teacher preparation programs and school placements. This proposed project is also being supported by the faculty mentorship of Dr. Django Paris and the Banks Center for Educational Justice. 

Sustainable Development 

Goal #3: Good Health and Well-Being 

Through the creation of a Future Teachers of Color (FTOC) organization, we are seeking to create a space aimed at sustaining the lives of future teachers of color. Early career teachers of Color often experience burnout as a result of the demands of becoming acclimated to the field while simultaneously experiencing a cultural tax (Padilla, 1994) within the profession. By establishing networks of support and cultivating practices of critical care for oneself and one’s growth as an educator, through the FTOC organization we will take a proactive approach to prioritizing the holistic health and wellness of future teachers of color and preventing the mental and physical health effects of burnout. 

Goal #10: Reduced Inequalities 

By creating a FTOC organization for undergraduates at UW, we seek to not only encourage students of Color to pursue careers in the field of teaching, but to also address barriers that may make it difficult for them to do so. Despite there being rich histories of teaching and learning in all racial and ethnic communities (Paris and Alim, 2017), the teaching profession in the U.S. historically and currently is dominated by White educators. In an effort to reimagine the demographics of the teaching profession as more reflective of student demographics, FTOC will offer resources to support undergraduate students of color in pursuing teaching careers. We will use the broad network of K-12 teachers, teacher educators, and organizations that center teachers of color (i.e. the Institute for Teachers of Color, EduColor, etc.) we are connected with across the U.S. to support this effort. However, having access to Seed Grant funding would also allow us to provide mini scholarships to undergraduate participants to cover application, exam registration, and other related fees that can be financial barriers to enrolling in teacher education programs. 

Goal #16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions 

The creation of a FTOC organization is an endeavor in creating a co-designed chosen space (Moore and Paris, 2021) of consent-based learning where pursuits of educational justice are central. By creating a space in which future teachers of color can build community and learn and grow as critical educators, they will be positioned to enter into their future schools/institutions of teaching as agents of change and advocates for peace and justice, as it relates to race, gender, sexuality, disability, and class.