Leveraging Latino Teacher Identity as Culturally Sustaining Practice With Latinx English Learners

Abstract

With the number of minoritized K-12 students increasing, the teaching population does not reflect that diversity. There is evidence that minoritized teachers' identities positively influence minoritized students' academic achievement. However, research is needed to understand how minoritized teachers mobilize identity “sources” to benefit their students. This chapter explores a bilingual, Latina, ESL teacher's use of narrativized identity to provide counter-discourses for ELs. The findings contribute to minoritized and Latino teacher identity research and enriches the discussion of how teachers can use funds of identity as powerful pedagogical tools in the classroom to (re)negotiate negative narratives about immigrant students. This discussion can inform policies for effective recruitment and retention of minoritized teachers while also addressing the need for exploration of teacher identity and racial and ethnic identity in teacher education programs and professional development.