Methodology This ethnographic study (Heath & Street, 2008) focused on literacy and dat was colelcted from seven participating K-2 teachers. Data consisted of (a) twenty-one in-depth interviews (b) twenty classroom observations, and (c) collection of documents (e.g., school newsletters). Data were transcribed and analyzed in relation to the theoretical framework. Field notes and interviews were coded openly and then focused coding was used to identify what themes and patterns emerged to create categories. Findings Key findings showed the intertwining of language and identity in practitioners’ narratives and practices. This piece explored the linguistic backgrounds of Dual Language teachers on the borderlands which were shaped by country of origin and languages, schooling experiences, and transnationalism. Data illustrated how teachers constructed different identities for themselves when they used language in different contexts. The national origin of the seven teachers was almost equally divided between Mexico and the US. When the teachers talked about their country of origin and the languages they grew up with, they also self-identified as Mexican or Mexican-American. Three teachers, Miranda, Felicity, and Marisol described themselves as Mexicans, two of them having been raised and schooled entirely in Mexico and one schooled in the U.S. who communicated in Spanish at home. The four teachers who self-identified as Mexican-Americans, Andrea, Diana, Cassandra, and Marissa had Mexican parents and had been schooled in the U.S., and for two of them the language of communication at home was Spanish and for the other two it was English. Regarding schooling experiences, three of the seven participating teachers, Andrea, Diana, and Miranda were enrolled in transitional bilingual education programs in the U.S. during elementary school. There were two U.S.-based teachers, Cassandra and Marissa, who did not receive any type of bilingual education instruction. Felicity and Marisol received their elementary and secondary education entirely in Spanish in Mexico. Transnational teachers have the ability to go back and forth to the country of origin. In Jimenez’s (2000) study about how identity influences language and literacy development, results indicated transnational students and teachers were influenced by their experiences. Two focal teachers, Andrea and Marisol like some of their students, were part of cross-border families (Greenberg & Vélez, 2008) themselves. For Risager (2006), to understand how the teachers’ linguistic resources have been formed, it is imperative to study at the micro-level how various languages and language varieties are used and mixed in the ongoing interactions taking place.

Conclusions and Implications Within the context of the U.S.-Mexico border, bilingualism and biliteracy are the result of countless meaningful experiences with two languages. Some of the meaningful experiences that are particular to border residents and were embedded in the participants’ linguistic identities, included having and visiting family members living in Mexico, for example Spanish-speaking grandparents and siblings, like in the case of Diana, Andrea, and Cassandra. Another common practice was to live on the Mexican side of the border and attend school in the U.S., either as a child or as an adult, as experienced by Andrea, Felicity, and Marisol. In the case of Marisol, for a period of time she lived in the U.S., but kept commuting to Mexico to work as a school teacher. Language learning, language use, and ideas about speakers of a given language are strongly shaped by the family environment, and schooling, and whether one has a closer connection to Mexico or the U.S., or easily navigates between both worlds. The linguistic practices of Mexican-origin Latina dual language teachers on the border illustrated the dynamics of structure and agency. Social approaches to language education research have reconceptualized language identities as multiple, dynamic, and contested. This study illustrated how identity development is an important outcome of language learning, and the context where this learning takes place. The linguistic identities of the seven bilingual teachers were reflected in their pedagogical practice within a dual language setting. The teachers constructed different identities for themselves when they use language in different contexts. The intersections between language, literacy, and identity were central to the study. This study suggests that bilingual educators benefit from preparation and practice that incorporates the full range of teachers’ language and literacy repertoires. Individual and collective stories can better inform bilingual teacher preparation and practice.