ABSTRACT
Through a series of vignettes that illustrate part of her learning trajectory, the author discusses the importance of the affective and ideological dimension in learning and teaching literacy in additional languages. She reflects on her experiences first as a student of English and French and then as a language teacher of Spanish. The narrative argues in favor of perceiving language instruction as a mode of offering tools for meaningful communication instead of limiting it to a set of rules and vocabulary. In addition, it highlights the importance of prior experiences as a student in the process of developing an identity as a teacher. The author triangulates her experiences in a variety of school settings that favored specific methodologies and privileged a monolingual approach to language teaching. She compares their respective strengths and limitations to develop her pluriliterate teaching practice.
