Abstract:

Teaching English is a non-neutral act situated within complex socio-political ecologies. This study investigates the shifting professional identity and agency of a transnational Filipina educator across two distinct contexts: a standardized Preparatory Year Program (PYP) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a teacher-education program in the Philippines. The research seeks to understand how institutional frameworks and cultural boundaries reshape the "Teacher-Self."

The study employs Critical Autoethnography to analyze the researcher’s lived experiences. Data were derived from "critical incidents," including the 2016 US election’s impact on Muslim students and the annual IELTS Band 7 requirement for job security in Riyadh. These narratives were triangulated with professional artifacts, such as standardized "safe" syllabi from Riyadh and critical pedagogy lesson plans from the Philippines. The analysis utilizes Norton’s (2013) Identity and Investment and Canagarajah’s (1999) Linguistic Non-Neutrality as theoretical lenses.

The findings reveal a significant "NNEST Paradox." While Riyadh’s institutional framework prioritized native-speaker pedigree and high-stakes testing, students explicitly preferred the Filipina instructor for her linguistic intelligibility and comprehensible L2 modeling. Furthermore, the study identifies a shift in classroom management from "Strategic Patience" (necessitated by the fear of retaliation and cultural segregation in Riyadh) to "Critical Intervention" in the Philippines. The research also highlights a hierarchy within the Non-Native English Speaking Teacher (NNEST) community, noting how the perceived "American-standard" proximity of Philippine English provides a different form of linguistic capital compared to other varieties.

The study concludes that teacher identity is a fluid, context-responsive performance rather than a fixed trait. It argues for the integration of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) into global teacher-education programs. By recognizing the value of the "Cultural Chameleon," teacher education can move beyond native-speakerism to support educators navigating varying degrees of institutional surveillance and democratic freedom in the globalized classroom.

Keywords:

Language learning, Teacher identity, Teacher education.