R&R Labs – Sara Matano – Show Notes

This week’s revolutionary is Sara Matano. Sara currently lives and works in Portland, OR and teaches high school social studies, doing all she can to bring a feminist lens to the center of her work. Originally, Sara is from Argentina; her family immigrated to the United States when she was still young. She’s spent her life straddling borders and barriers, always feeling like an outsider no matter who she was with. Even after she intentionally lost her accent, there would always be small tell-tale signs that she was “different” than those around her.

In this episode, Sara and I discuss the surge of racism post-9/11, how school systems “groom” students into nationalism via “team spirit,” and how Sara incorporates feminism into her teachings every day. She gives a powerful insight into what the future for teachers looks like, and what steps everyone needs to take to get there. This is a conversation that you won’t want to miss.

Some Questions I Ask:

• Tell me about your childhood. Where did you grow up? (1:16)
• What do you carry with you from your childhood into your adulthood? (12:29)
• Did you intentionally lose your accent? (16:52)
• How has your dynamic sense of belonging and not belonging transferred to your professional life? (21:43)
• Tell me about your favorite movement that you study. (36:14)
• How do you make curriculum gendered as a high school teacher? (44:40)
• What advice do you have for someone who wants to concretely impact the world? (49:02)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Sara’s childhood experience immigrating to the U.S. (1:23)
• What Sara’s experience as an immigrant in the U.S. public school system was like. (14:57)
• How language, color, and “team spirit” contributes to social status and nationalism. (17:12)
• How Sara reacted to the racism surge as a result of 9/11. (24:40)
• How Sara brings gender as a tool of analysis into the classroom. (46:33)
• What to expect from the next generation of teachers. (1:00:13)

Host: Jillian Foster

Guest: Sara Matano

Resources:

Women for Women

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