ABRIENDO PUERTAS (OPENING DOORS) THROUGH WRITING

Abstract

A Latina college professor describes the family history-writing project she uses in her reading/language arts teacher preparation course. The project provides opportunities for Spanish bilingual teacher candidates to gain greater understanding of their cultural selves and to consider ways to successfully deploy that new insight as teachers in their own classrooms. As a sample case, she presents that of a young gay Latino teacher candidate whose increased self-knowledge and insight allow for enhanced confidence and perspective in his role as a writer and future teacher. The case study explores how the family history-writing project impacts the teacher candidate's negotiation of sexual identity and the role of heritage language as he struggles to establish himself both as a teacher and an out gay man. Also examined are the features of this university classroom environment that provided him with the necessary safety and support to engage in his writing for real life purposes. Inferences are made on the transformational power of writing and ways to open doors to new personal and professional understandings through writing.