ABSTRACT
Actor and Teaching Artist Andrés Munar discloses the conundrum of teaching immigrants at English-Only agenda school sites. This essay offers an intimate and creative portrayal of navigating school administrative demands with the actual needs of the community he teaches. Admittedly, Munar did not enter the schools with a “trickster” agenda, but of necessity became adept at circumventing a system intent on an English-only mandate. Here, Munar reveals clever ways to satisfy what many would argue are opposing agendas. With deep listening and honoring of their stories, Munar innately navigates the tensions that exist between administrative mandates and the needs of immigrant youth in the public schools of New York City. In an ironic twist at the end of this essay, the trick is ultimately on Munar as he learns there is not a one-size fits all approach to working with theatre and youth.
