A Delicate Balance: The Clandestine Work of Bilingual Teachers of Bilingual Children in English-Only Borderlands Classrooms

Abstract

This qualitative, phenomenological study is based on a set of interviews at the Mexico-U.S. border where legislation restricts teachers' use of students' home languages in schools. These interviews, after open-coding analysis, demonstrate that teachers exercise their professional judgment in spite of mandates to the contrary, forcing a choice between their professional well-being and the children's linguistic needs. State laws and district policies necessitate that teachers seek back-door methods to promote bilingualism for Spanish-speaking students. The teachers participating in this study explain that they have to conceal their efforts to promote biliteracy among Spanish-speaking students. This decision is not without consequence, however, as teachers report a great deal of anxiety and self-censorship inherent in the delicate balance between teaching well and following the laws and policies that they see as antithetical to their best practice.