Sustained academic growth of the Mexican population in the public schools ofthe Rio Grande Valley of Texas has precipitated a need for new and innovative ways toeffectively educate English-language learners (ELLs). In place of common external factorstypically used such as attendance, socioeconomic status, and test scores to address ELL’slearning, this study uses the lived educational descriptions of ELL teachers, who were onceELL students, to mine for new instructional insights to promote ELL student learning. Tothat effect, discourse analysis was utilized to ascertain the identity(s) of ELL educators, whowere once ELL students. The convergence of the N-Identity and I-Identity leads to a third,albeit just as important D-Identity that provides much needed insight for school directors,curriculum facilitators, administrators, and educators who teach ELL students every day

• Educational experiences of ELL educators: searching forinstructional insights to promote ELL students’ learning