Navigating the Zeitgeist: An Examination of Language Teachers’ Emotion Labor During Social and Political Crisis

Teachers’ and learners’ values and points of view are part of the deep personal contact and meaning-making transactions. Teaching foreign languages to adult learners through a communicative method implies constant exchange of thoughts and opinions in the classroom on current social and political events. This article explores emotions of ten English teachers from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan who teach English as a Foreign Language to adult learners in offline and online group and individual classes. By examining their emotions in interaction with students who have opposite political views and discuss sensitive topics in class, the study contributes to a better comprehension of an array of teachers’ emotions, roles and teacher identity. It also demonstrates how online classes and individual classes become arenas of heated debate because of students’ opposing views on current political situation. It offers new insights into the lived experience of teachers and demonstrates how students’ views can affect teachers’ sense of insecurity in class, especially amidst social unrest, ultimately impacting teacher identity.