I dreamed of teaching English overseas. Then I learned its colonial history.

After finishing my undergraduate degree in 2022, I became certified to teach English as a second language. It seemed like a compelling way to make money while exploring the world. I planned to teach in eastern Europe, but reconsidered as Russia’s war with Ukraine dragged on. Instead, I opted to teach online and returned to grad school, still hoping to teach abroad one day.

My master’s degree program in educational policy studies changed my perspective. I learned how education can be weaponized to make certain worldviews seem superior.

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As Ali Fuad Selvi writes in Teaching English as an International Language, today’s linguistic landscape is “built on the foundation of a dark colonial history that has seen English spread at the expense of other languages.”

In other words, learning English is not a neutral opportunity. It carries centuries of power imbalance.

In Canada, this dynamic has played out in my own family’s life. I’m very proud of my identity as a Mi’kmaw woman and have worked hard to understand the effects of colonialism on my family, including the ways we express ourselves and relate to each other. Across the territories now known as Canada, the English language was weaponized as a tool for colonization and extraction.

Language loss has taken many forms, from the violence inflicted on Indigenous children in residential schools for speaking their languages to the painful decisions of many Indigenous families who did not pass on their mother tongues, believing this would help their children survive in a colonized world.

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Worldwide, English is often prioritized as a path to social and economic mobility, while Indigenous and local languages are sidelined. In Canada, 75 percent of Indigenous languages were endangered in 2021. These languages carry ways of understanding the world, including knowledge of the land, relationships and community — which English, shaped by western imperialism and individualism, has replaced.

This legacy also affects who gets hired to teach English and how it’s taught. Many foreign countries prefer white, native-speaking teachers, limiting opportunities for local educators. But students bring cultural contexts that may differ from those of their foreign teachers, making it harder for international educators to provide lessons that feel relevant. Local teachers, having learned the language themselves, often understand their students better.

Despite these challenges, the demand for international English teachers is rising. In 2020, the TEFL Academy estimated that 1.5 billion people worldwide were English language learners. A recent report predicts the global market for English language training will grow by 6.6 percent a year through 2030.

Alongside grammar basics and lesson plans, aspiring international English teachers need to learn about cultural sensitivity and their responsibilities as visitors in the communities where they teach. Humility and a willingness to learn, not just teach, are essential ingredients for creating a decolonized classroom. As we reckon with the harmful legacies of colonization, this approach is more important than ever.

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Aubrianna Snow is a writer and educator living in Edmonton.

This article first appeared in Broadview’s May/June 2026 issue with the title “Classroom Colonialism.”