This counterstory (Delgado, 1989; Martinez, 2020) is based on field notes (Oct. 19 & Nov. 1, 2022) from our collective’s ethnographic project working with upper elementary Latiné learners and their transition to middle school mathematics. We see counterstories as a creative endeavor helping us in exploring the experiences of Latiné learners’ mathematics and our own narratives of navigating the whiteness of schools (see e.g., Cordero-Siy & Gómez Marchant, 2023; Gómez Marchant & Cordero-Siy, 2022). This counterstory highlights the brilliance of Anabel (a composite character) and the missed opportunity there was to learn about her life and mathematics. The actions of silencing shown in the counterstory promote an assimilative education (Urrieta, 2004) or subtractive schooling (Valenzuela, 1999) where mathematics is emotionless and ahistorical. Consequently, the education system maintains the whiteness of mathematics (Battey & Leyva, 2016; Martin, 2020). Counterstories help us in acknowledging how whiteness is part of learning mathematics, but also push us to reflect and reimagine possible actions and futures in our mathematics classrooms.
Gómez Marchant, C. N., Aguilar, A. R., Johnson, A. R., Gutiérrez, G. S., & Baniahmadi, M. (2024). A magical moment counting tires: A counterstory about missed opportunities. Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, 15(1).