Making the invisible visible: Race, gender, and teaching in adult education

The purpose of this study was to understand how the societal position of Af rican American women affects their experiences when reaching mathematics to adults in postsecondary institutions. A qualitative research design used i n-depth interviews and classroom observations with 7 African American women teachers in technical schools and community colleges. The results were tha t the teachers' positionality affected their experiences by (a) producing a teaching philosophy based on a history of marginalization, (b) raising iss ues of credibility with students because of the teachers' race and gender, and (c) directly affecting their classroom interactions and teaching strate gies. It was concluded that there are no generic teachers but, rather teach ers whose experiences are affected positively and negatively by their posit ionality in society.