The (invisible) work of Dual Language Bilingual Education teachers

The shortage of Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) teachers is uncontested. Yet while we have focused on recruiting and preparing DLBE teachers, we have neglected exploring how to retain currently practicing DLBE teachers. This article presents a small-scale study of one aspect of DLBE teachers’ work – the selection and creation of curriculum materials in languages other than English. All six of the teachers interviewed for this study lack sufficient materials in the language in which they teach. To fill the gap, they translate English resources as well as create original material. None are given additional planning time and most state their administrators are unaware of the time they spend developing curriculum materials for their classrooms. Using an “invisible work” framework originally conceptualized by second-wave feminists, this study highlights the manner in which DLBE teachers’ bilingualism is perceived to be their natural way of being and therefore translating becomes an expected part of their job. It also highlights the importance of taking a critical look at the additional burdens DLBE teachers have in their work so that we ensure they do not lead to teacher attrition in a field where the teacher shortage is at crisis levels.