What We Carry in Trust

This autobiographical essay explores how migration, family, heritage language and classroom practice have shaped my understanding of language and English teaching. Reflecting on experiences of linguistic inheritance across three generations, I argue that language is not simply transmitted but entrusted. Through memories of my father, observations of my daughter, and encounters with students in secondary English classrooms, I consider how disciplinary language can either extend or displace students’ own voices. I suggest that teaching English is not merely the transmission of knowledge but an act of stewardship, helping students discover that their own language is worth beginning with.