Listening to teacher lore: The challenges and resources of Korean heritage language teachers

In this paper, we present a study on the experiences of four Korean heritage language teachers in the United States, specifically the challenges they face and the resources they draw upon for their teaching. We situate our work within the conceptual framework of teacher lore (Ayers & Schubert, 1994) that accentuates the importance of putting teachers at the center of teacher knowledge. Our findings point to the importance of positioning heritage language teachers as bearers of funds of knowledge (Mercado & Moll, 1997) and to the importance of listening to their voice.

Research highlights► Heritage language teachers face challenges as educators but they also possess resources. ► Heritage language teachers’ challenges include, lack of appropriate materials and professional development opportunities, as well as parents’ ambivalent attitudes. ► Their resources come from observations of each other and the children. ► Heritage language teachers should be positioned as bearers of funds of knowledge. ► Teacher lore, stories of teachers, by teachers, promotes teacher reflection and helps increase the visibility of minority teachers.