Students who are not part of the dominant culture need teachers that have a clear understanding of their role as cultural workers (Freire, 1998). Moreover, it is imperative that teachers who work with immigrant children become reflective about their ideology and how their belief systems impact their interaction with culturally diverse families. In order to help immigrant students acquire the necessary academic skills to succeed in our society, teachers must also be supportive and aware of the delicate and nonstatic process of acculturation, which children undergo as they interact with a new culture, language, or reality that may not be "in tune" with their previous experiences. In this article, we will hear the voices of four novice teachers, as they critically examine assumptions they hold about their most disadvantaged students, and as they strive for ideological clarity in their practice. © 2003 Human Sciences Press, Inc.

Ideological clarity Teacher education Immigrant students Ethnographic research

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