“I’m Willing to Engage with Tough Stuff”

This self-study explores how an English teacher educator navigated moments of discomfort while teaching an undergraduate English course on resistance, power, and change. Course texts positioned these topics through issues of race, gender, and identity, all potentially problematic concerns given the USA’s current political and cultural climate. Data for the self-study consisted of the professor’s journal entries and course materials; a fellow teacher educator served as a critical friend. Three distinct themes emerged from analysis and discussion: navigating difficult topics; building community; maintaining authenticity in the classroom. In making sense of these themes, this self-study acknowledges the connection between discomfort and pedagogy. How and why discomfort is taken up in the classroom shapes students’ learning; as importantly, it also shapes educators’ pedagogy and authenticity.