Through narrative inquiry methodology, Kelli A. Rushek (Miami University), Saba Khan Vlach (University of Iowa), and Tiphany Phan (Cedar Rapids Community School District) examine the story of “Nora Huynh,” a Vietnamese American early-career English Language Arts teacher navigating the challenges of anti-racist teaching in the Midwest. Using storytelling as both method and meaning, the researchers explore how Nora develops a critical praxis, a cycle of reflection and action aimed at transforming inequitable schooling.

Narrative inquiry, which centers lived experience through storytelling, helps reveal how Nora’s teaching journey unfolds across time, relationships, and place. Her story shows how radical love, a term drawn from bell hooks and Paulo Freire, means teaching with courage and compassion while confronting fear and racism. Nora experiences “cycles of love,” moving between fear, fearlessness, and bravery as she challenges Eurocentric curriculum, supports students of color, and teaches all her students to question systemic inequities.

This work reframes early-career teachers not as inexperienced but as powerful agents of change. It highlights how critical praxis and radical love are central to anti-racist education, especially for teachers of color navigating predominantly white institutions.

Faculty authors: Kelli A. Rushek, Miami University
Keywords: narrative inquiry methodology, early career teacher, anti-racist teaching, critical praxis, radical love, Asian American educators, English Language Arts
Publication details: English Teaching: Practice & Critique (2023). “Experiencing the cycles of love in teaching: The praxis of an early career Asian American ELA teacher.” https://doi.org/10.1108/etpc-08-2022-0099