By: Sofia Gonzalez, Latinx Teachers Fellowship Alum

To be an educator is growing increasingly difficult. From the lack of representation to systemic racism and linguistic oppression, teachers need more support and recognition than ever. Let’s face it, teachers, especially Latino teachers, are undervalued and underestimated.   

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, it’s time we truly celebrate our nation’s educators by authentically amplifying the voices of Latino educators. This means causing big waves of change in policy and access, while regularly recognizing educators for the work, passion, and grit we see in classrooms year after year.  

As a long-time educator, I believe I know what should be changed to truly honor the work of educators. Here are three areas where Latino educators continue to feel a burden:  

• Latino educators are still paying the invisible tax: We are often expected to represent all Latino communities or provide translation without compensation as just some examples.  
• There are still so very few of us in classrooms and leadership positions across this nation, which creates an environment with little to no belonging, leaving us to find community outside of our day-to-day work.  
• The lack of upward mobility, fair compensation, and access to scholarships for advanced learning that continues to be an issue for Latino educators.  

As an alum of Latinos for Education’s Latinx Teachers Fellowship, I have experienced the benefits of having a network of Latino educators that encourage, support, and celebrate my identity as a Latina educator.  

When I joined the Fellowship in 2021, it was one of the most invigorating professional experiences of my life. I joined a family, a brother-and-sisterhood of like-minded agents of change who are doing transformative and healing work in their classrooms and in their spheres of influence. They are dedicated to this work for the sake of equal education opportunities for Latino students and to advocate for more support for the Latinx Educator.  

When I shared my personal story of pain, trauma, PTSD, and the loss of my students to gang and gun violence they wiped my tears, created a safe space for me, and told me never to apologize for my passion and deep wounds that shaped who I am as an educator. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they do the same for their students. 

This deserves adequate appreciation in the form of policy and practice change. The policy recommendations found in Latinos for Education’s Latino Action Agenda address these burdens and would correct many of the inequities Latino students, families, and educators face.   

Real policy change is what teachers need – we must go beyond words to support our educators. The agenda’s principles include addressing educator diversity, early childhood education, K-12 education, and higher education and would be a step in the right direction for our educators. 

I have recently joined the U.S. Department of Education’s School Ambassador Fellowship as the only bilingual/bicultural Latina and daughter of immigrants. I’m doing things I never dreamed of, and I believe that as Latino educators we, too, can unravel the dreams of our Latino students.  

As I have advanced in my career, I know I have a comunidad to lean on to continue in the work of equity. Our students need them, too.  

Let’s go beyond words and surface-level appreciation to real change – let’s create actionable solutions to help our educators not only stay in the classroom but unleash the potential of future generations.  

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Sofia Gonzalez is a proud Latina and Chicago-born educator with 15 years of experience in the high school Urban Education classroom. As a result of teaching in inner-city neighborhoods her entire career, she saw great disparities among at-risk youth and realized they were lacking fair access to resources and fair shakes. She became more than just a teacher and cut a new path of advocacy and justice work in education as a result. She is an education activist who fights tirelessly for her students and teachers of color on the margins. Sofia is a sought-after public speaker and is a fellow in spaces like Fulbright, Latinos for Education, Urban Leaders Fellowship, and the US Department of Education.