ELIZABETH ALVAREZ, PH.D.
In 1984, as an eighth-grade Latina, I stood in line outside my grammar school entrance door. I had no interest in entering the building. I knew my questions and curiosity would not be welcomed in my school. First, because I was Latina. Second, the teachers in this institution did not value questioning productive struggle and innovation in education. As I stood outside in line in my brown plaid uniform in my knee-high socks, I looked up at the sky. It was close to seven o’clock in the morning and the moon was as clear as it would be in the darkest night—a beautiful, round white moon with its familiar marks of shadow.
A Neglected Education
I am sure other days besides this one allowed me to connect with science, but this day is significant. I could not understand nor was ever taught by the teachers in this school why I could see the moon when it was morning. As the bell rang, I could not take the image of the moon out of my head. On that same day, my “science teacher” told me I was failing science. I had asked her what I needed to do to graduate. She said it was a long shot but perhaps teaching the class, the subject that I was failing, for two weeks. The irony. It was these words, which showed a lack of support, confidence, and reassurance that began my first taste and love of teaching science. If the moon can come out in the daylight, then I could teach the course that I was failing.
What I Know About Science
Here is what I know about science. Science relies on other disciplines. I also know that in science there is no right or wrong; there is, rather, proven or unproven. Therefore, I knew either it was proven that I did not know science, and that is why I was failing, or unproven and there was another reason I was failing.
I became a science middle school teacher in 1992. I was the only person of color at that middle school. Additionally, I was the only middle school teacher who spoke Spanish. The moon appearing during the day left me with questions, wonder, and curiosity that one teacher tried to stump or kill within me at the young age of twelve but instead sparked a fire to pursue a subject that I had thought was not meant for me. When speaking about science, there is a relationship between math and technology. Together, they produce the scientific endeavor and what makes their unity successful.
What I Know About Math
Here is what I know about math. Math relies on both logic and creativity. It relies on numbers that produce trends and patterns and looks for correlations and relationships. Therefore, scientists and engineers apply math to their own work and use math to solve problems. It is also known that the ancient Aztec empire invented math.
What I Know About Technology
Here is what I know about technology. Because of the beautiful relationship between science and math, technology was produced. It is through engineering that complex systems and tools have been developed. Likewise, it is through technology that science and math realize that there are endless possibilities. It was through technology that the Aztec empire built a large and powerful island of Tenochtitlan.
What I Know About Latino Students in STEM
Here is what I know about Latino students in STEM. There is a small percentage of Latinos who enter STEM careers, although opportunities in the workforce for STEM are growing every year. Based on the Hispanic & STEM report in collaboration with the Research Consortium on STEM Pathways, “Hispanic adults, historically underrepresented in STEM, continue to be an underutilized talent pool. They currently comprise 17% of the workforce overall but merely 8% of the STEM workforce.”
When I was in grammar and high school, I never had a Latino educator. This is significant. I also was exposed to only two science courses in high school. This was not an error but a choice made by others who were not my family. Latinos complete fewer STEM coursework in high school, making it difficult for them as they enter college to choose STEM as a career. This lack of exposure is one of the reasons why Latinos do not choose to move into STEM fields.
Student Stories
It was during my journey to getting my Ph.D. that I became immersed in my student’s stories in science. As a middle school science teacher, I learned the importance of dialogue and the power of storytelling. This was not something I learned in graduate school but from my Latino students. When we are born, we are born with so many questions, and as young children, we are constantly inquiring. We utilize the “why, how, and what,” and for many children, this is not encouraged but seen to be disrespectful. These questions are not followed with, “Let’s nd out?” or “I don’t know, but I bet if we look into it or test it out or do a little experiment, we will find out.”
We also dismiss their stories as not being relevant or connected to the world around us. Talking science means asking those questions. It means sharing our stories of what we do know so we can compare our stories and begin to see patterns and comprehend. I insisted that my students come with their stories and talk it through. How is it that a liquid can become a solid with heat or cold? My children brought their stories of their mom’s cooking pancakes and how heat solidifies the batter to make a pancake. They would share taking water and putting it in an ice tray to make ice.
These stories, along with allowing them to show me, began their love of the STEM world. STEM is dialogue and doing, two concepts that at times dissipate in particular schools as our children get older. This love of dialogue and doing must be cared for from a very young age. Exposure to STEM begins in the early years.
The Need for Latino Science Teachers
In my experience in leadership, if you go into any US school, it is unlikely that you find even one Latino teaching science. Children see this and begin to believe that this is not a subject or career for them when there is no representation in the school for the subject. I was always told by principals that I was a unicorn because not only was I Latina but I also spoke Spanish to support our emergent bilingual students. These children were normally self-contained and not departmental‐ ized because there was no bilingual Spanish-speaking science teacher. Many schools do not expose our emergent bilingual students to an endorsed science teacher. No wonder there is an achievement gap in STEM for Latinos.
There is also the ruling hand that occurs for our Latino students, the policing that occurs as they grow older, so schools keep order and management at the forefront rather than teaching and learning. Questioning is seen as defiant. I have seen this firsthand as a teacher. Students were good students if they sat quietly in their seats finishing their worksheets where they could find answers in a book rather than by talking among themselves. They are not to have agency, authority, or identity for themselves, particularly in science. Accomplishing work quietly in some subjects is easy. However, STEM becomes a challenge because it cannot be taught without the back and forth of language, making mistakes, asking questions, and making calculations. STEM is a social activity.
My Goal As a Principal
As a principal, I was determined to make sure my children would be exposed to science at an early age. I also knew that STEM was in our blood. Our Mayan ancestry was the first in many scientific discoveries between about 300 and 900 AD. We excelled in astronomy, agriculture, engineering, and communications. The Aztecs built Tenochtitlan. Talk about engineers building a remarkable island city! They are known to have developed mathematics, their own calendar, and contributions to medicine.
Our children as young as five were entering science fairs and knew the scientific method, a method that I use to this day as a leader. By the time they reached middle school, my Latino students were competing every year in competitions and winning. This exposure allowed them to pursue further coursework in high school feeling prepared and ready to conquer further post-secondary coursework. If children are not encouraged or exposed early on, which is the case for many Latino students, they begin to doubt their interest, their passion, and their capabilities, although it is in their blood.
There is an equity issue when it comes to how we are exposing our students. It starts with the lack of Latino science/STEM educators as well as preparation and connection to STEM, the resources needed for our schools with BIPOC students, the importance of seeing bias within assessments, and the lack of family and school connection, even more when there is a language barrier. There is a need to allow dialogue and kinesthetics for STEM coursework for Latinos.
My Goal As a Superintendent
As a superintendent, I already see the need to support the good work. I currently have one Latino teacher and two Black teachers in my middle schools. None of them teach STEM. I have no Latino K–5 teachers and only two Black K-5 teachers. There are other factors that I have not discussed yet. One that I see to be a challenge is the support for social-emotional awareness that our BIPOC students receive versus their white counterparts. It is important to address this, as I see the need in my district. It is most evident because of the pandemic, but it has always been there.
The well-being of our children and what occurs at home, as well as the relationship children have with their educators, contribute to the confidence level Latino children feel with STEM. This is a definite need where a social-emotional curriculum should be embedded within the curriculum. The need for teachers to begin to understand and build relationships allows students to begin to love learning.
The Day My Life Changed
The day I saw the moon during the day and learned I was failing science was the day I knew I would be a science teacher. I taught two weeks the way I wanted to be taught. The way I needed to be taught. I allowed my classmates to touch objects and questions. Why? Because I wanted them to have two-way conversations where they pushed each other’s thinking. I engulfed myself in reading research so that I could share this with them and allow them to compare, connect, and understand.
I graduated with a D in science, but I knew all along that science was in my blood. From that day, I was determined to make sure other children like me would pursue their questions and use Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to make sense of the world around them, such as the moon being out during the day. The Mayans and Aztecs exposed their children at an early age and understood the relationship they would have with STEM and what could and would be created and developed.
My Love for STEM
I raised two children with my love of STEM, and they too fell in love with it; both entered the medical field. It was not pushed or forced upon them; rather, their curiosity was encouraged and nurtured. I have seen it with my students, both as their teacher and as their principal. By allowing them to make mistakes, go back to the drawing board, and do it all over until it is proven or not proven, the love begins to grow and further questions arise. Let us follow in our ancestors’ footsteps and allow our Latino students to rediscover their connection and relationship to STEM. We will see them thrive because, like me, it is in their blood.
About the Author
ELIZABETH ALVAREZ, PH.D.
Dr. Elizabeth Alvarez was born and raised in the Southwest Side of Chicago. She is a first-generation Mexican and first-generation college graduate. Additionally, she received her B.A. at the University of Illinois at Chicago in Education and minored in Psychology. She continued with her education by completing two master’s and a Ph.D. through the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction that focused on narrative, race, and science pedagogy. The title of her dissertation is Rabbit on the Moon: An Urban Mexican Curriculum Story. Liz began her career as a teacher in the Little Village Neighborhood in Chicago. She taught for thirteen years teaching upper grade science. She was privileged and honored to serve as principal for six years at John C. Dore Elementary, a pre-K through eighth-grade elementary school in Chicago’s Clearing neighborhood where she led the school to level 1+ status.
An Administrator
Prior to being an administrator, she coached district principals in math and science and was an adjunct professor at Concordia University. She is active with the Network of Hispanic Administrators in Education for Chicago Public Schools, a member of the Illinois Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and current president of ALAS, 2019 cohort of the Superintendent Leadership Academy of ALAS, a 2015 Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago and Corwin reviewer for book proposals.
A Dreamer
She is a member of the CPS DREAMERS Fundraiser supporting DACA students to achieve their college dreams, and she is one of the founders and board members of the Latino Leadership Pipeline that coaches and supports Latino leaders as they work to become future leaders in education. Her past role was serving as Network 8 Chief of Schools in Chicago Public Schools supporting eighteen schools (predominantly Latino) where she moved schools from 30 percent to 70 percent where they achieved growth and attainment along with preparing students for college and career readiness.
She was awarded the Chicago Mayoral Award for Level 1 Principal 2012 and 2013, Independent School Principal Recognition 2015 by Chicago’s mayor, Chicago’s Top 23 Latina Leaders in Philanthropy and Government for 2017 and 2018, and the 2018 Latina Leader Award by Chicago Latino Network.
A Proud Superintendent
Additionally, she is currently the proud superintendent of Forest Park District 91. She is the first female, Latina, and person of color to lead the district and one of four Latina superintendents in the state of Illinois. However, her proudest title is the mother of two great children, Natalia and Caleb. As a leader, she encourages staff, community, and students to achieve greatness in all they do and take pride in their school climate and culture. More importantly, she aims to instill a sense of belonging with a developed understanding of social-emotional learning driven to make schools safe learning environments so that learning is at the forefront and increased student achievement is inevitable.
