Apoliticality is a feature of the white habitus
While some writing teachers and scholars claim to eschew issues of culture and politics in their classroom and interactions with students (Van Valkenburgh, 2021, page 20; Danielewicz & Elbow, 2009), others assert that language assessment especially and teaching in general are inherently cultural and political activities (Inoue, 2022, page 71). This tendency to view our actions as non-political is described by Inoue as “white blindness”, which is
an inability to recognize that we are controlling the rules of a racialized language game that allow us to win, asking (racialized) others to play, knowing that many cannot follow very easily the rules we’ve made that help us win, and by default make sure they lose, because as long as others keep losing, we win.
This blindness combined with the power of faculty and administrators to gatekeep racialized bodies through a system of remedial coursework and non-standardized assessments is particularly dangerous.
Ideological neutrality in education only serves to support the current dominant ideologies.
Education is never ideological neutral.
ESL students are being ideologically trained to accept their position as low-wage workers
Apoliticality is a white habit of mind.
All grading systems are political because of the inherent power dynamics.
It is dangerous to ignore the ideologies inherent in TESOL.
Ideological neutrality in education only serves to support the current dominant ideologies.
Education is never ideological neutral.
ESL students are being ideologically trained to accept their position as low-wage workers.