I teach students from various backgrounds. I entered the field of teaching, specifically teaching rhetoric and composition, late in life. I’d had other work experiences before I re-entered college to complete my bachelor’s degree. Whether or not indecision about what course of study to follow led to the acquisition of a master’s degree in Composition Studies and later a doctoral degree in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English, I will not know; however, I find that my life’s experiences and former work experiences enrich my views of teaching. My initial incentive to return to school to become a teacher stemmed from issues at the local school attended by my own children. Problem solving, working in and with communities, and literacy education were good prompts for a person who today works with students from Native American, Mexican American or Chicano, and African American backgrounds. The doctoral dissertation on Transcultural Rhetorics underscore and enrich my work with these groups.

Despite the myths surrounding many of the cultures from which my students come, I find I must instruct them on collaborative learning that is a cornerstone to my belief in community work. My interests in social issues address many of the concerns my students have about their roles in the USAmerican society. These interests coupled with my understanding of various cultural approaches to rhetoric and community work help me to guide my students’ writing, learning, and other critical skills they must acquire as they straddle the cultures within the Arizona Contact Zone.

Increasingly, my scholarship and teaching draws from USLatina Writers because much of their work crosses the cultures, which influence their lives, work, and writing. I am planning future workshops for women who want to write their lives and cultures. Such a workshop would link my scholarship and teaching once again.