This chapter presents some of the complex issues relating to the teaching/ learning of (emergent) pluringual children within the context of formal education. In addition to defining key concepts, the chapter exemplifies research findings by giving voice to the learner through the inclusion of short extracts from a personal testimony in which early education experiences in relation to plurilingualism are discussed. When the language(s), cultural codes and expectations at school differ from those at home, both teachers and learners can feel destabilized. Inadequate teacher education about plurilingualism leaves a void all too easily filled with misguided and unhelpful practiced language policies, fuelled by ideologies rather than research. This chapter discusses the consequences of language (de)legitimization, focusing on the complex dynamics and interplay of language, power and relationships. It examines how schools and their staff acknowledge and build on or ignore and impede plurilingual children’s knowledge and skills development.

Theresa Austin is the daughter of Japanese immigrants by her mother and African Americans by her father. Her history has led her to navigate between languages and identities that were attributed to her as she learned and developed the concept of a "wholistic imagined identity." She explains how the monolingual ideology in the United States has impacted her family life, preventing her from becoming a full member of the cultural groups of her choice.