To Teach as We Are Known

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors outline the ongoing dialogues, thought processes, and pedagogical moves they make as two seasoned colleagues of color attempting to enhance the cultural competence of students through a critical multicultural education course offered at a public university-based teacher education program. They document how we address many enduring moral, ethical, and epistemological questions through their practice that are unique to educators of color working at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). They frame the work within the literature on diversity and social justice pedagogy and link their own work to the broader well-documented challenges faced by many educators of color at PWIs. They tackle the thorny concept of cultural competence, offering their professional understanding of an admittedly contested topic. They draw on spirituality to ground the “heart and soul work” they undertake that enhances their own critical consciousness as it is continually nurtured in dialogic relation to their students.