Abstract:
In the words of U.S. literary icon and civil rights activist Langston Hughes (1901–1967), we are reminded to “hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird.” When you were answering the vocational call, why did you choose teaching? An oft-recited response is “to make a difference to the lives of children and the communities we serve.”

At a more theoretical level, following the thesis of British sociologist Basil Bernstein, as literacy teachers, teacher educators, and researchers, we strive to uphold the three pedagogic rights to which our students are entitled: the right to individual enhancement, social inclusion, and civic participation. English curricula throughout the world demand nothing less. Yet, here we find ourselves, highly cognisant of the differences and divides that add both complexity and opportunity to our work. At the same time, we are navigating an era marked by prescribed lesson plans and the mantra of pedagogical consistency. As Shulman has long asserted, teachers’ professional knowledge bases consist of an amalgamation of knowledge of the curriculum, pedagogy, and students.

I draw on research focused on the teaching of English to advocate for the importance of recognising a fourth dimension: teachers’ knowledge of self — that deeply personal, often tacit understanding of one’s identity, values, and purpose. This knowledge anchors our practice, sustains our resilience as we embrace the teaching of difficult knowledge, and ultimately shapes the kind of difference we are able to make. And so, in holding fast to our dreams — of equity, of empowerment, of transformative education — we ensure that neither our students nor we become broken-winged birds. Instead, we soar.