This article explores the student resistances that shape orientations to schooling. Drawing on a study of Latina/o youth, I examine how race and gender influence whether they perceive education as oppressive or useful in resisting oppression. The key lever that may alter their perceptions is how school and society treat Latinos differently from Latinas. This study shows how ethnography can inspire pedagogical practices that bolster urban students' resistances to the oppressive forces negatively impacting their education. (Contains 1 note and 1 table.)