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Latinx students are a growing demographic in postsecondary English classes, but the majority of research on them and on the faculty who teach them is based in the US Southwest at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The purpose of this study is to describe some of the pedagogical and extracurricular considerations of faculty who teach Latinx students in two community colleges in the Midwest in order to support these students, especially in developmental courses. This study draws from qualitative data collected at two community colleges, Mann College and Kinsella College (pseudonyms). This exploratory study provides recommendations for the kind of professional development that faculty may need in order to support Latinx students, the importance of understanding students' myriad identities, and the ways political forces may shape students' experiences.
Prologue
Rosanna was nineteen years old and attending Kinsella College (a pseud- onym) in Iowa as a first-time student. I interviewed her in the fall 2020 semester, and Kinsella's TRIO program advisor was present, who translated most of the interview from English to Spanish. Rosanna attended Kinsella with the hopes of becoming a paramedic. Her intention was to get a degree that will enable her to get a secure job quickly; then she intends to work while pursuing a bachelor's degree. Rosanna worked a second shift job at a local heating and cooling equipment factory, so her weekdays were hectic. She woke up around 8:00 in the morning, showered, and arrived at the Kinsella campus by 9:00. She attended classes in the mornings and returned home for nap. She worked from 3:30 in the afternoon until 1:00 in the morning. If she had homework, she stayed up until 3:00 in the morning working on that or found chunks of time in between classes and work to finish her assignments. She worked to pay her own way through Kinsella so her parents-particularly her mother-did not have to.
Rosanna was enrolled in a lower-level ESL course as well as a leader- ship development course at Kinsella. In many ways, her college experience speaks to trends in the literature on community college students, specifically Latinx students. She spoke to the important support she received from her mother in particular as she goes to college. Rosanna worked full-time or nearly full-time while attending school...