Classroom as Neo-National Microcosm: Teachers Learning to Disrupt Linguistic Microaggressions

Abstract

Neo-national ideologies are often associated with despots and political extremists. Yet, we argue that neo-nationalist discourses also manifest in everyday TESOL classroom interactions. In English-dominant contexts, teachers send potent messages about who does or does not “belong” in classrooms, largely based on racialized notions of English proficiency. These dynamics create a classroom microcosm where students are apprenticed into linguistic normativity and anti-immigrant sentiments, ultimately sustaining future generations of neo-nationalist rhetoric. In light of these dynamics, we believe that teachers can play a key role in disrupting normative, monolingual language ideologies in classrooms, but that they often feel underprepared to do so. In this brief research report, we present findings from our ongoing examination of TESOL licensure endorsement candidates responding to deficit-oriented microaggressions about multilingual learners in a simulated environment. Our results suggest teacher candidates have the desire to promote asset-based orientations around multilingualism, but are often unable to do so in real time. These findings have important implications for teacher education and the underutilized potential of teachers for disrupting deficit-oriented monolingual discourses that too easily turn into neo-nationalist ideologies.