The European Educational Researcher

Educators Must Be Activists: Advocating for Muslim Students

Terri L. Rodriguez 1 2 * ,
Laura Mahalingappa 3,
Megan Evangeliste 4,
Lauren Thoma 5
1 College of St. Benedict2 St. John’s University3 Duquesne University4 Pittsburgh Public Schools5 Apollo High School* Corresponding Author
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The European Educational Researcher, Volume 1, Issue 2, October 2018, pp. 117-131
OPEN ACCESS VIEWS: 990 DOWNLOADS: 382 Publication date: 15 Oct 2018
ABSTRACT
As educators interested in supporting linguistically and culturally diverse learners, we have had to view our roles in different ways since the presidential campaign and the election of Trump. In this article, two teacher educators and two in-service ESL teachers in the U.S. reflect on our various experiences working with Muslim students and preparing teachers to support Muslim students in the current socio-political context. We discuss these experiences with the goal of suggesting some priorities in teacher education. Ultimately, to prepare teachers to be effective teachers for Muslim students requires them to go beyond being culturally responsive to becoming advocates and activists. This advocacy and activism necessitates a push against the cultural norms of Whiteness that dominate U.S. teacher education.
KEYWORDS
Linguistically and culturally diverse learners, Teacher advocacy, Muslim students, Social justice teaching
CITATION (APA)
Rodriguez, T. L., Mahalingappa, L., Evangeliste, M., & Thoma, L. (2018). Educators Must Be Activists: Advocating for Muslim Students. The European Educational Researcher, 1(2), 117-131. https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.123
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