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This article explores how K–12 educators navigate the intersections of identity, pedagogy, and politics in increasingly restrictive educational environments. Drawing from data in a larger qualitative study, we examine how teachers’ positionalities shaped by race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic background, and lived experiences influence their decision-making, classroom engagement, and resistance strategies. Grounded in theoretical frameworks of identity formation, positionality, and intersectionality, this research shows how educators balance personal beliefs with professional responsibilities. Through narrative inquiry, we trace how teachers respond to institutional surveillance, legislative constraints, and sociopolitical backlash while seeking to create inclusive and justice-oriented classrooms. These findings reveal that teacher identity is not only a source of vulnerability but also a powerful tool for resistance, with educators engaging in strategic and embodied forms of advocacy despite rising pressures. Teachers use their personal histories and social identities to inform pedagogical choices, navigate constraints, and support students in critically engaging with power and inequity. This research contributes to the broader discourse on critical pedagogy by centering teacher voices and emphasizing the political nature of teaching in today’s classrooms. Ultimately, the study highlights that teaching is not neutral but deeply relational and political, requiring ongoing reflection, courage, and resistance.
Kheirkhah et al. (Thu,) studied this question.