How teachers' beliefs and pedagogical practices are impacted by the experience of being labeled as an English learner

Abstract This study explores how public school teachers who were classified as English learners (ELs) in childhood make sense of the EL category, and how their beliefs shape their work with students who are designated as ELs. One understudied context in the field of effective education for ELs is the experience of teachers who were personally impacted by the label. In this study, seven teachers tell how they discovered that they were labeled as ELs, describe their experiences as EL‐designated students, and explain how those experiences influence their current understanding of the EL label and shape their teaching. By examining these stories through the lenses of labeling, stigma, and sensemaking, the study informs the work of educators who advocate for and instruct students designated as ELs, as well as individuals who train preservice and in‐service teachers.