Educating Latino immigrant students: The phenomenon of teaching Latino immigrant elementary students in Indiana

The purpose of this study was to explore one Indiana elementary teacher's perceptions of her Latino immigrant students as they become English-language proficient by providing an in-depth analysis of a 4th and 5 th grade teacher at a local school. Findings are based on interviews with the focus teacher and with the personnel she works with such as the school principal and the Title I lead teacher (Intervention Program lead teacher); classroom observations---the focus teacher's and the ESL tutors'; online documents; field notes, and researcher's journal. Through an interpretive (hermeneutic) phenomenology methodological framework complemented by a culturally responsive pedagogy framework analysis a deeper understanding of how an elementary teacher teaches Latino immigrant students and the personal and professional experiences that help her prepare for teaching and working with a population of students who differ in language, culture, and customs is presented. Findings from this study have also provided a proposed culturally and linguistically responsive profile of a teacher of diverse students. Such a profile takes into account that a teacher of diverse students---Latino immigrant students in this case---not only must possess content knowledge, students' knowledge, and cultural knowledge but he/she also should strive to cultivate a set of qualities developed through self-analysis and reflection .