Course opens door to lives, learning across borderlands

SThe introductory educational credential course focuses on social and cultural history as it affects the way students learn. Alonso added even more depth to the traditional course by having some ENFT students embedded in her class for half the semester. She said, “I thought the exchange would be a great bridge to work across the borderlands,

Francisco Herrera Castellanos’ final class project is a photo of a man bearing heavy baggage reflecting both the challenges and culture students bring to their education.

to exchange ideas.”

It became a profound learning experience for students and teacher alike. The exchange stands out as a beneficial side effect of classes moving to virtual platforms due to COVID-19. It is something Alonso hopes to continue in the future.

For SDSU Imperial Valley students whose lives straddle the border, Alonso’s course provided a path through ter

rain both familiar and foreign. Armed with what they learned, the students took deep dives into their cultural and educational experiences that shine in stunning multimedia final projects they submitted.

Alonso’s class is but one of the compelling courses that make up the educational credential program, which has been a key focus of SDSU Imperial Valley since its inception some 60 years ago.

A digital self portrait Alma Medina created as her final project reflects the isolation and frustration she felt trying to learn as a new junior high school student in an English-speaking class.

Alma Medina

Students interested in the SDSU Imperial Valley educational credential program for 2021-22 have until March 3 to apply for admission.

Alonso said the exchange grew out of a summer meeting with Susana Fuentes, then director of SDSU Imperial Valley Professional Studies, who mentioned ENFT’s interest in a collaboration. In Mexico, individuals who want to teach attend

Dr. Lluliana Alonso

a teacher training school, or Normal, for four years. Those students are called “docents” until they graduate as teachers.

“At first, it was like learning a new academic language, even for me,” Alonso said. “A lot of time was spent clarifying preconceived notions on both sides.”

And accommodations were made in deference to the course design on either side of the border. For instance, Alonso’s students received a grade for their work while the 15 embedded docents were recognized for their attendance as volunteers.

Yet almost all the students were surprised by the introduction to Chicano studies, which is fundamental to the social, cultural and political history of education that Alonso’s course covers.

“I wasn’t that knowledgeable before,” said SDSU Imperial Valley student Alma Medina Santiago, who plans to teach math. “I was very surprised to see segregation was alive for all races and minorities.”

Yet in her final project, she vividly portrays being left out of learning when her family moved to Calexico and she entered junior high school with limited English skills. Her digital self-portrait depicts her trying to absorb meaning from the words of an English-speaking teacher and being left with only questions.

With what he learned from delving into Chicano studies, student Francisco Herrera Castellanos, who plans to teach in elementary school, said, “I want to be the one to empower students to feel love for their culture, to understand there is nothing wrong with being different.”