Advocacy for MLLs: Am I Doing This Right?
We’re tackling all things ADVOCACY for my third installment of Disrupting the Monolingual Bias Series. I am so proud of this framework because it offers teachers of every personality type and at all stages of their career an entry point to see themselves as daily advocates for their MLLs. Speaking of daily advocacy, Linda Darling-Hammond (2015) argues for teachers to see themselves as everyday-advocates, as one among many stakeholders responsible for fighting for structural change in public education. Her ideas about advocacy align with best practices as articulated in Center for Applied Linguistics’ The Guiding Principles of Dual Language Education, especially in the fourth ‘critical consciousness’ pillar (Cervantes-Soon et. al, 2017).
In my interviews of over 20 Monolingual Bias Disruptors, I looked for patterns of advocacy skills across the data set. What sets these Disruptors apart and is there a way to confer these skills onto the next generation of Disruptors? I was also careful not to overlook softer, more “don’t-rock-the-boat” skill sets because those teachers are just as strong in their conviction to champion MLLs as their more outspoken peers.
Drumroll Please….
It’s my sincerest honor to introduce the 5 Disruptor Archetypes. As you read through, consider what style of advocate (or combination of the 5) will help you achieve your most urgent Disruption to the Monolingual Bias. And just for fun, read through to the very end to download a free handout with a “Which Disruptor Am I Quiz”
Want more ways to engage with this? Send this blog to your favorite group chat to analyze who’s the “Rebel Rouser” vs “Poet” and so on. Be sure to report back with your findings!
The Collaborator
“I like to think of myself as a team player, this helps build trusting relationships beyond those of us in the Bilingual Department.”
- Aditi, Director of Multilingual Learners, Winchester School District
Collaborators are skilled communicators, artful observers, and patient problem-solvers who build trusting relationships with people at all levels. They believe in multiple solutions and assemble coalitions to achieve them. They speak in team-based metaphors (see Aditi’s quote above). They are natural networkers who understand the value of wide-ranging connections.
In bilingual education advocacy, Collaborators leverage cultural understanding to identify and dismantle the Monolingual Bias. They are willing to play the long game with a high-status/influential actor (a superintendent or a veteran school board member) to chip away at their deficit beliefs while at the same time keeping an ear to the ground for promising replacements to those positions. According to my research, this archetype is strongly correlated with successful advocacy.
The Mediator
“You never know what personal stories or struggles someone else carries. If you can meet people where they are, you create a safe harbor for them to come around.”
- Lillian, you know who I am
Mediators are essential for MLL advocacy, acting as diplomats who embody neutrality and respect conflict resolution through artful dialogue. They are quiet optimists who strongly favor fair outcomes. They often ask questions, observe non-verbal cues, and track participation. A strength of the Mediator is awareness of their positionality: the identities and allegiances they hold are bracketed for the duration of the process. Stoic and self-aware, other parties can relax in the presence of a skilled Mediator.
In our field, Mediators can trace the roots of the Monolingual Bias back to certain memories, policies or people within the context of the Disruption. They avoid shame tactics, using gentle questions to uncover stakeholders' fears or anxieties around inequitable policies or practices. A Mediator is successful when someone who may seem like an adversary opens to the possibility of something new or different in the case of supporting MLLs.
THe Rebel Rouser
“I have no regrets…. Mostly I regret that I wasn’t more of a troublemaker, honestly.”
- Joey, an MLL Coordinator in a red state
There is no other archetype more recognizable in moments of advocacy than the Rebel Rouser. This Disruptor is bold and fearless, they typically have a record of infractions to their name alongside a few burned bridges along the way. They reckon it’s the price you pay for causing a little friction in pursuit of advocating for an MLL, overturning a harmful language policy, or mounting a campaign to remove a Monolingually Biased school board president. The Rebel Rouser embodies creativity and innovation- they can see beyond what currently exists and are voracious to make their dreams a reality… no matter the social or political cost.
Where advocacy in bilingual education is concerned, Rebel Rousers use their moral compass to sniff out linguistic injustices when others are more circumspect (Flores & Rosa, 2015; Cervantes-Soon et al, 2017). You’ll find them circling back with a staff developer, calling them out for neglecting to address linguistic modifications, or extending an IEP meeting when an EB’s mandated services are in jeopardy. Rebel Rousers who journal, mediate, or engage in any grounding practices are capable of moving mountains.
The Cheerleader
“I like to think of this work as my calling, to occupy that mindset. We are servant leaders, after all.”
Ricardo- Principal of NYC early childhood school
Thank God for our Cheerleaders. This archetype is often the face of the cause, they are dynamic public speakers who serve up hope and remind us of our shared humanity (Think of Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign promise, Yes We Can). Cheerleaders are barringers of hope and optimism (Snyder, 2002), and they occupy a mindset of possibility. Our Cheerleaders partner nicely with the Poets to craft narratives and metaphors that resonate with a more skeptical audience of burnt out teachers and allies.
Cheerleaders are like the Leslie Knope’s of the bilingual ed movement, bringing a disposition of “yes and” to the gnarliest of scheduling disputes, programmatic builds and School Board meetings (you need a Cheerleader to speak at your next SB election.) This archetype delights in listening to the myriad dialects and language varieties they hear on campus, is likely running your district-wide Spanish spelling bee, and leads the multicultural family game night for 5 years in a row. Cheerleaders are allergic to excuses and deficit discourses because they believe so deeply in a future where all MLLs thrive.
The Poet
“I have a lot of writing time to reconstruct core memories around my bilingual teaching journey, time for me to ask myself: what am I theorizing? What am I seeing?”
- Dafne, a rising star bilingual ed scholar
The Poet archetype is the high-EQ advocate who recruits metaphors, symbols and their emotions to empower emergent bilinguals and coworkers alike. This archetype- the creative, intuitive, listener and deep feeler- advances any advocacy movement in their ability to spin language and emotion to achieve the group’s desired outcomes. Think Gloria Anzaldúa, Sandra Cisneros, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin. They help with the visionary work of the Cheerleader and feel the pain of the Rebel Rouser. Some may be surprised to see this archetype in a framework for advocacy- but the scholarship (Anzaldúa,1987; Muhammed, 2019) and my own research reliably highlights how art, writing and emotional intelligence are fundamental skills in pursuit of Disrupting the Monolingual Bias.
Poets feel linguistic injustices and are quick to clock patterns of microagressions, although they won’t necessarily engage in the moment. While not all Poets are introverts, they tend to keep their thoughts private. In their journaling, readings and private conversations among trusted allies, there are kernels of wisdom worth exploring. Poets who exercise a bit of gumption and model a collaborative spirit are a must-have on any advocacy team.
