“It's part of me”: Brazilian immigrant teachers' work in a global pandemic

Gabrielle Oliveira and Corinne Kentor

Gender, Work and Organization, 2023, vol. 30, issue 2, 710-723

Abstract: Even before COVID‐19, immigrant teachers who teach immigrant children in dual language classrooms were under a tremendous amount of pressure in their schools and districts. “I know what they are going through”, Elise, a veteran teacher from Brazil, disclosed during an interview when asked about her knowledge on children's lives. She was referencing her shared identity with her students. However, in a school where immigrant teachers were a minority and so were their students, the effects of a global pandemic further exacerbated the inequalities related to quality education for children. Scholars have pointed out that culturally knowledgeable and responsive teachers are especially important in education and care settings that serve children from immigrant families. These expectations grew exponentially since COVID‐19 hit in March of 2020. Participants in this research, Brazilian immigrant women who were teachers, toggled between their identities as they empathized, supported, and cared for their students. Elise, a Brazilian immigrant teacher with over a decade of experience and the mother of three young children of her own explained, “If before I felt I could barely help and care for my students under the pressure of performing and holding up the so called effectiveness of dual language programs, now I really feel like they (immigrant children) are out of reach. And it is on me. I feel like it is my responsibility”. With the purpose of shedding light on the ways in which immigrant Brazilian teachers understand their work as educators amid a global pandemic, this article addresses the following research questions: (i) How are Brazilian immigrant women who are teachers re‐signifying their work in light of a pandemic? (ii) How do their intersectional identities contribute to their understandings of their work?

Date: 2023
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