UCLA

Amid high teacher turnover in disenfranchised neighborhoods, teachers who were raised in, live in, and teach in these neighborhoods demonstrate unwavering commitment to their students. Eight teachers from a major metropolitan city in the United States participated in 45–60-minute pláticas to discuss the joys, challenges, and needs of teaching in the neighborhood they grew up in, live(d) in, and teach/taught in. The data was analyzed using narrative inquiry approaches, from which portraitures of the participants were developed. The study found that teachers with a robust understanding of the sociopolitical context of the neighborhood and positive human relationships with people in their neighborhood intentionally chose to teach in the neighborhood they grew up in to provide dignity-affirming and liberatory education opportunities for their students. The teachers in this study do so by developing their students’ social consciousness, addressing socio-emotional needs with compassion, and fostering academic aptitude. While the study identified the forces that drive teacher commitment and longevity in the workplace, it also identified the need for educational leaders to adopt servant leadership strategies to implement effective strategies to support these teachers.