What courses do you teach?

I teach courses in the English sequence including English for Multilingual Students, English Language Skills, English I, as well as Applied Technical Communication and Food in American History and Culture.

How have your interests, research or experience led you to your field?

My interest in writing pedagogy stems from experiences with my parents as a kid. When I was in middle school, my parents would regularly ask me to proofread their work memos, help them draft some of their reports, and even write cover letters and resumes for my dad when he was in between jobs. The irony is that my parents’ schooling in the Philippines occurred primarily in English. Nevertheless, they were endlessly concerned that their English wasn’t “good enough.” During and after college, I extended these early experiences into informal classrooms and volunteer spaces teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at local literacy centers in Houston. It wasn’t too far of a leap after that to teaching English full time and then pursuing graduate studies in language and writing pedagogy.

Why I am proud to be part of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

I’m proud to be part of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community because of the rich traditions we have and our opportunity to share this heritage.

Describe one exciting thing that you are working on or is happening in your classroom.

In one of my current courses, Food in American History and Culture, my students are exploring the role that food plays in shaping personal, cultural and national identities. We examine how waves of different immigrant groups shaped food in America today while also uncovering how prevailing discourses surrounding the search for “authentic food” can often reify cultural stereotypes that are mired in narratives of “exotic” and “foreign.”

What is one interesting fact about you?

I lived in Japan for four years, first as an exchange student and then later as a teacher.

Share your favorite quote for this month.

“Remember: The rules, like streets, can only take you to known places. Underneath the grid is a field—it was always there-—where to be lost is never wrong, but simply more. As a rule, be more.” -Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

List of recent publications and other accomplishments:

• Racelis, J V.; Neal, D., & Bean, M. (2021). "Collaboration as Locus for Information Literacy Teacher Knowledge Development," Collaborative Librarianship, 12(3). 242-253.
• Racelis, J. V., Yang, Y. J., & Bommarito, D. V. (forthcoming). Making meaning with multilingual data: Examining two critical sites of translation. Doing Research Multilingually.