ABSTRACT
The “ethic of care,” according to Sander-Staudt, is built on the “motivation to care for those who are dependent and vulnerable, and is inspired by both memories of being cared for and the idealizations of self”. Research on teaching behaviors that make a difference to student learning implies that good relationships with students and the ethics of care are important practices of teaching. However, these are not overtly stated, “possibly because the concepts are nebulous and more philosophical than pragmatic”. The impact of one’s teaching practice on students is revealed through meetings with former students who remember interactions, unrelated to content, that left an impression on them. Under the auspices of our ethnic/cultural identities and being situated at an Hispanic-Serving College of Education on the US/Mexico frontera, work, create, and reinvent ourselves and our world. The chapter shows that cultivating a caring and agentive classroom ecology is foundational for students’ success.
