Empowering All Who Teach: A Portrait of Two Non-Native English Speaking Teachers in a Globalized 21st Century

Abstract

One of most prevalent issues surrounding English education internationally is the differentiation between Native English-Speaking Teachers (NESTs) and Non-native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs). What is sometimes termed the "Native speaker fallacy" is the notion that in order to be a proficient teacher of the English language one must either be a native speaker or possess native like fluency (Phillipson, 1992). This position is furthered by Hollidays Native Speakerism (Holliday, 2006) which suggests that within the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) there is an assumption that NESTs are better equipped to teach English language learners due to language proficiency and Western teaching methodology. Today, instructors who are native speakers of English are more sought after on the international market than their non-native English-speaking counterparts. NNESTs have less access to employment, fair wages and job security due to the perceived differences in language ability (Barry, 2011). The distinction between the two classes of teachers underscores the belief that NNESTs are often treated as second-class citizens (Braine, 1999). Subsequently, when employers and colleagues note the differences between English variety and dialect NNESTs' social and teacher identity in the classroom may be jeopardized (Varghese et al., 2005). The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic case study is to explore the socio-historical lives of two NNESTs living in the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, this study is concerned with the way in which two NNESTs perceive their social and teacher identity in relation to being bilingual speakers teaching English. This study attempts to explore in a non-dichotomous fashion the manner in which these two actors describe and interpret their roles and positions as NNESTs.