“This is a Very Sensitive Point”: Bilingual Teachers' Interactions with Neo‐Nationalism in a Two‐Way Immersion Program in the United States

Abstract

Concurrent with the rise in U.S. neo‐nationalism is the growing influx of im/migrant children in the nation's schools. This article explores how a group of eight K‐3 Brazilian bilingual teachers in a Portuguese‐English Two‐Way Immersion (TWI) program in the United States interact with neo‐nationalist discourses pertaining to the theme of immigration. Drawing on recent theorizing about the intersections of neo‐nationalism, language, and bilingual education, this multi‐year ethnographic study leverages multiple formal interviews and informal conversations with TWI educators to understand their perspectives and classroom practices. We found that most of the interviewed teachers were keenly aware that their im/migrant students regularly shared complex narratives of immigration in their classrooms, at times during whole‐group instruction. However, these educators consistently evaded opportunities to engage in conversations about immigration with their students due to a range of perceived obstacles. The teachers also expressed willingness to eventually include a narrow range of “positive” or “neutral” images of immigration in their curriculum and instruction, which further decoupled issues of immigration from U.S. neo‐nationalism. Findings bear implications for language education researchers and practitioners since they indicate how neo‐nationalist discourses may shape elementary‐school educators' orientations and daily moves within bilingual classrooms designed to better serve racialized bilingual students.

“Speak English”: A Comment on English Language Instruction in an Era of Neo‐Nationalism

“…Morgan and Ahmed (2023) argue that making students' perspectives on nationalism prominent in course design enhances their confidence and sense of belonging. However, Lima Becker and Oliveira's (2023) study reveals that accomplishing this is not always easy and that educators grapple with how to discuss the complex immigration experiences of students and their families. Because teachers can play an important role in countering neonationalist ideologies by linking educational content or micro-level phenomena occurring in the classroom to broader social contexts, Yazan et al (2023) suggest that this link should be discussed early, during teacher training and education, while Hamid and Ali (2023) argue it is imperative that teachers take a critical approach.…”

“…-Statements by kindergarten students in a two-way immersion (TWI) classroom during a Presidents' Day lesson in 2019 (Lima Becker and Oliveira, 2023).…”