Desi Gurus of America: Sangeet Srikanth Highlights the Importance of Diversity in Teaching
“We all magically felt supported, knowing that we are not a ‘lone immigrant teacher’ anymore.” Today’s woman dreamer, Sangeet Srikanth, is an inspiring educator. Starting her journey at Boston University as the only South Asian female amongst 150- 200 students enrolled in her teacher training program, she has always believed in the important role diversity has in teaching. In her inspiring interview with Women Who Win, Sangeet shares her journey with Desi Gurus of Boston, an organization created to connect all South Asian teachers in K-12 schools in New England. She shares the organization’s future vision, how she empowers young women through her work, and her journey as an educator. Enjoy!
1. Tell us your story. You are passionate about education and diversity. What inspired you on your journey and made you the woman you are today?
My passion for teaching was inherited from my mother and growing up I always knew that I wanted to make a career in education that impacted young minds. Upon graduating as a Chemistry major, I enrolled in a B.ed program in 1993 in St.Xaviers Institute of Education & later taught in St. Teresa’s high school, Bombay. Since that day teaching has never just been a job, it is my lifestyle. This is where I can awaken curiosity in young minds, create everlasting impressions, build character, instill life values, make a difference and touch many souls. My desire to make a teaching career in the US, motivated me to take the GRE/TOEFL exams in 2000 & very soon I was here on the Boston shore in 2002 enrolled in a Masters programs at Boston University leaving my three year old back home with my family.
2. Tell us more about your journey with Desi Gurus of Boston. What inspired you all to start this amazing family of teachers?
Desi Gurus of Boston was created in 2017 to connect all South Asian teachers in K-12 schools in New England. My journey in BU started in 2002 as the only South Asian female amongst 150- 200 students enrolled in my teacher training program. It was hard enough as an immigrant with a different skin color, accent and style of delivering instruction, but I was so determined and focused on my vision ‘to teach’ that these obstacles did not slow me down. Upon graduation I was accepted as a full-time chemistry teacher at Newton North high school. There were too many cultural shocks along the journey, and I learnt to take one shock at a time and kept learning and adapting every day. Teaching in the US was unknown territory to Indian immigrants and there were only a couple teachers I knew in this profession at the time. As we connected to a few other teachers scattered around different towns we felt the need to create a closed knit community of our own and that lead to Desi Gurus of Boston Affinity Group. We all magically felt supported, knowing that we are not a ‘lone immigrant teacher’ anymore. Being a brown teacher in a community of non-POCs is not easy! Teaching is not for the faint hearted as the school culture that we all grew up in India was completely different. It is a very courageous step for an immigrant.
3. Based on your experience, why do you believe it is important to have more diversity in teaching roles?
In a country of immigrants, it is important to have diversity in schools because school is where values are instilled, tolerance is developed, and long-lasting impressions are created. An immigrant student that comes from a different country brings along with them a different culture, language background, food habits etc. For them to feel proud of themselves and take ownership of their identity, it is important to see immigrant adults in the teacher role. A teacher from a diverse background makes a lasting impression on immigrant students & students of color. Teachers of color help promote tolerance in the classroom by being an ambassador of racial and ethnic people. Students feel safe to have diverse teachers around. In my own experience many students of color at my school have expressed feeling safe to have me as a teacher or as a supportive adult of color. They have expressed that listening to my stories of my culture, hearing my struggles as an immigrant and watching me carry myself in a saree proudly to school every day makes them feel very connected and helps them in their own identity battle. I always tell my immigrant students to be proud of who they are, where they come from and never lose connections with their roots. Many Indian teachers and students have faced racism and micro aggressions in their respective educational community. But with more people of color, this will also help in removing negative stereotypes and inspire students to see teachers that they can relate to and will begin to create positive perception of all individuals.
4. How do you seek to empower women through your work?
Once our group was formed, we started having regular meetings, sharing our stories and struggles as immigrants that stood out in every way. Veteran teachers started supporting and working with young aspiring women of Indian origin to fulfill their dream of beginning a teaching career. For the last six years many Indian teachers have been able to get help in terms of understanding the different requirements of teaching license, learning the pathways of the different levels of license and applying for the same, information about other mandatory training required and also advancing in their professional path. Facing the job interviews, preparing to answer pedagogical questions are also some hurdles that are faced by immigrant teachers. Another big challenge is work visa for teachers. Not a lot of schools agree to hire a teacher whose work visa needs to be processed. I was lucky that Newton public schools sponsored my work visa & my family green card. Teaching contributes more to the society that any other single profession, so empowering South Asian women to become teachers in a foreign land will differently change a lot of social perceptions and issues.
5. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream with Desi Gurus of Boston? What would you like to do next with this organization?
The next big dream of our Desi Guru group is to increase the racial diversity in schools. Some veteran teachers plan to hold more educational sessions for newcomers to understand the path of getting into a teaching field. I am planning to attend some training sessions myself to understand the different requirements for licensing at different levels as things keep evolving at the dept of education. My future goal is to have information sessions for the Indian community to attend some of our meetings, support young women with all the steps needed to become a teacher and help achieve their dreams of teaching just as I achieved my dream. I am planning to connect with different social community organizations and hold training sessions and open houses for Indian immigrants who are passionate about teaching.
If you are someone with a desire to teach but find it daunting in a new country, please feel free to connect with me or any of the members of our Desi Guru group. We are all here to encourage and guide south Asians through their career in teaching.