Transformative Latina Pedagogy: Rasquachismo as a Pedagogical Framework

This qualitative case study examined how the upbringing of five Latina educators shaped their teaching philosophies and relationships with students. Drawing on individual and group interviews with the educators (ages 34–57) and their 75-year-old mother, the study explored how intergenerational cultural knowledge informed ethical care in classrooms. Findings illustrate Transformative Latina Pedagogy grounded in rasquachismo as a framework of survival, resourcefulness, relational responsibility, and care. Three dimensions emerged: caring through culture, rasquachismo as community practice, and pedagogies of love. Participants used language, dichos, music, spirituality, and familial practices to cultivate classrooms grounded in belonging, respect, protection, and collective responsibility.