Becoming a Critical Social Justice Special Education Teacher: A Diné Woman’s Perspective

<p>The purpose of this ethnographic narrative is to highlight my experiences as an American Indian educator navigating the field of Special Education. I express my deep underlying passion for teaching through a culturally responsive and critical social justice lens. As a Diné woman I recognize where I come from, my journey in becoming an educator, where I stand within my career field, and how I will strategically continue to thrive in many different settings. Upon writing this ethnographic narrative and completing CGU’s graduate program, a global pandemic (COVID-19) unexpectedly took place and disrupted our lives drastically. I also speak on behalf of these experiences as a student and an educator during the 2019-2020 school year. I conducted research and completed three case studies that highlighted unique experiences and perspectives from three of my focus students and their families. Data was collected from home visits, interviews, student work, personal interactions, assessments, and observations.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Education, MA

Level thesis:degree_level

Restricted to Claremont Colleges Master's Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Educational Studies

Year dc:date.available

2020

Author dc:creator

• Ortiz, Yoenesha

• Special Education
• Indigenous
• Social Justice Educator
• Navajo
• Education
• Indigenous Education
• Special Education and Teaching

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/190

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1209