“You Don’t Look Like A Professor”: The Traumas Encountered by An Instructor at A Canadian University

• In Event: Toward Trauma-Informed Care in TESOL: A Multimodal and Multisemiotic Approach

Abstract

The literature on race, racism, and language in the context of trauma remains scarce. English, with its colonial history and imperial legacy, has perpetuated the native speaker (NS) versus non-native speaker (NNS) dichotomy, a hegemonic construct that assumes a monocultural and monolingual perspective. Consequently, NNS teachers face significant challenges in teaching English, with issues of identity and legitimacy becoming central to these debates. The traumas experienced by NNS teachers are multifaceted, encompassing linguistic trauma (stemming from native speakerism, linguicism, and accentism), sociopolitical trauma (such as race-based discrimination), and professional obstacles (like hiring challenges shaped by the “native speaker only/preferred” policy).
This paper contributes to the broader discourse through an autoethnographic case study, detailing the traumas encountered by an NNS instructor at a Canadian university. The study examines the intersections of power, ideology, race, and language through a trauma-informed lens, focusing on issues of identity and legitimacy for NNS teachers in TESOL. Moreover, it employs multimodal storytelling as a method to both understand and heal the traumatic experiences of non-native English teachers. This approach allows for a richer, more nuanced exploration of their challenges and serves as a therapeutic tool for reclaiming their identity and well-being.
To elucidate the research problem, two conceptual frameworks were employed: Critical Race Theory (Ladson-Billings, 1999; Solorzano & Yosso, 2001) and Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital (Bourdieu, 1986) and legitimate language (Bourdieu, 1991). The methodology includes field notes, reflective journal entries documenting the instructor’s traumatic teaching experiences, and autobiographic interviews with six native and non-native English-speaking students, exploring their own struggles and perceptions of the author as their NNS instructor. Additionally, storytelling was used to capture and convey the complex lived experiences of NNS teachers.
The theoretical implications of this presentation call for a revisioned TESOL pedagogy and a broader acceptance of English as an International Language and World Englishes. It challenges postsecondary education to shift the discourse around language proficiency towards a pluralistic view of English. The applied significance lies in its contribution to higher education policy and practice, advocating for a trauma-informed approach that integrates culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining teaching methods. This includes countering deficit models, employing intersectionality to conceptualize trauma, and encouraging multimodal expression in TESOL research and teaching. Additionally, it promotes using new modes of teaching and learning, such as writing as a form of healing, to empower students to articulate their marginalized and suppressed voices.

By challenging the role of universities in perpetuating global hegemony, combating racism, and enacting justice, this trauma-informed care approach is both anti-colonial and anti-imperialist. It represents an act of reclaiming our bodies, minds, and souls, moving beyond mere service to capitalist production (Prabhu & Carello, 2022). The ultimate goal is for postsecondary classrooms to become spaces of healing, rather than sources of trauma, for NNS students and teachers, fostering remedy, repair, restoration, and justice.

Author

• Xiangying Huo, University of Toronto - Scarborough