In this article, the authors explore how the social dynamics in a reading and writing event influence "who children are" (e.g., good readers, non-readers, leaders). The authors explore how the presence of English language learners (ELL) affects the distribution of symbolic capital (i.e., who has high status and prestige) in classroom social interaction, thus affecting the social identities available to the participants. The authors look beyond cultural and linguistic mismatch as reasons for which ELL students are often marginalized during literacy events. They argue that the issue lies in addressing the status that ELL students often have within the classroom community in relation to their non-ELL peers.