If It's Not Worth Saying in English, It's Not Worth Saying at All
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11575/jet.v42i3.52430Abstract
As a Teacher's Assistant at university and a sponsor of student-teachers, I have learnt that teacher education programs do include discussions and activities around diversity and social justice. What remains untapped are teachers' abilities to recognize their own prejudices. This paper starts as an autobiographical piece. It tracks my teaching experience in a multicultural school where nearly 40% of the student population is identified as English as a Second Language. It shows that language can be a factor more prevalent in triggering discrimination than skin colour and that all five senses can prompt prejudice. For example, speaking Cantonese or Mandarin even in the hallways has become unacceptable for some staff members. The second half of my paper makes recommendations on how new teachers can address their own hidden prejudices by involving their students in classroom activities and community projects that focus on social justice.
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