"Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) & The Personas Educadas"
One of my earliest career influences was Laura Rendón of University of Texas-San Antonio and Professor & Co-Director of the Center for Research and Policy in Education.
Growing up in Laredo, Texas within a LatinX family and community, her scholarly influence involves connecting education and research to real and authentic community/global issues, both providing the educator/researcher opportunities for their personal and professional development, while providing community organizations resources to move particular needs forward through research and advocacy. This is done in an intentional way where power is balanced and outcomes are mutually shared.
I was always attracted to her philosophy of "Sentipensante" (sensing/thinking) and her definition of the "personas educadas", or "the educated person", as shared in a 2011 journal article:
"We need to educate a new breed of personas educadas," she writes, "well educated, thoughtful individuals possessing a good measure of internal and external equity. These individuals are intelligent in a broad sense of the word."
"They are book smart, yet reflective and discerning; good critical thinkers and problem solvers, yet intuitive and perceptive; good decision makers who can act swiftly when necessary, yet keenly aware of taking risks that carry unforeseen consequences," she says.
"These personas educadas possess habits of the mind and heart," she continues, "They embrace reasoned thinking as well as emotional intelligence and diverse ways of knowing. They know when to act slowly as well as spontaneously."
Finally, she says, "They are deeply perceptive and judicious in their actions, respect all forms of life, and are concerned about matters of equity and social justice."
What a beautiful idea.
I value the phrase "diverse ways of knowing". Coming from working at a research-intensive university, I saw who controlled the research agenda and the prioritization of peer-reviewed journal articles as the only form of academic legitimacy.
I believe that there are so many more "ways of knowing" that come from Indigenous people and the beautiful cultures that make up the global majority, and that we need to do a giant shift on what "knowledge" is, to include that which doesn't always require methodological proof.
My idealized future involves one where being "personas educadas" is a valued professional trait. Where having a heart isn't seen as a weakness, but a strength.
Source: Rendón, Laura I.. "Cultivating Una Persona Educada: A Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Vision of Education" Journal of College and Character, 2011
Anne-Marie E. Fischer, BA (Hons), M.Ed., blends her passion for the written word with her vocation to create a better world through effective communications, education, and Community Based Research (CBR).
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