Racist epithets in the classroom: Unpacking attitudes to the N‐word in teaching English

Abstract Since 2020, there has been a growing discussion around the representation of Black lives in the curriculum, and their representation in the classroom. There is a need to examine the ways in which texts are taught in the context of race and empire. In a classroom context, which is concerned with teaching language as well as literature, racial epithets are a topic of analysis and discussion, but also carry the potential for harm for teachers and students of colour (Oluo, 2019). Drawing on data collected in a survey of secondary English teachers in England and Scotland in 2020–2021, this paper explores data relating to teachers' handling of the N‐word when it appears in classroom texts. One hundred thirty‐three respondents taught a novel containing the N‐word. Respondents were asked to describe how they handled the N‐word in the classroom, how students responded and how comfortable they were with this approach. Participants related choosing to read the word aloud, not to voice it, or to have classroom discussions to decide which approach to take. Respondents emphasised the need to directly address the word and its context, no matter what their decision on the word itself. The findings are reflected on through the lens of Inoue's (2020) anti‐racist reading framework.