Kansas State University

Teachers teach during good times and bad

Submitted by Patrice Scott

A recently published Kansas State University College of Education research journal contains a salient — and timely article — examining the role of teachers during World War II, and the parallels to today's COVID-19 pandemic are striking.

"Wartime Teachers: Stories from the Front" appears in this month's edition of Educational Considerations and was co-authored by Rachel K. Turner and Eliel Hinojosa Jr., faculty members at Texas A&M. The journal was edited by K-State College of Education Associate Professor Kay Ann Taylor.

Todd Goodson, professor and chair of the department of curriculum and instruction and Educational Considerations' executive editor, noted that teachers provide a semblance of normalcy for students during remarkably difficult situations and are known for turning water into wine. 

"Times of societal upheaval present opportunities for all of our institutions to change in response, and those changes ripple forward through systems," Goodson said. "Just as teachers responded during WWII to meet their students' needs, today's teachers are finding ways to stay in touch with and educate students without access to their classrooms and buildings." 

Other articles include:

• "Necessary Nerve Fatigue" by Todd Goodson, K-State College of Education professor and chair of the department of curriculum and instruction. 

• "A Critical Historical Examination of Tracking as a Method for Maintaining Racial Segregation" by Todd McCardle with Eastern Kentucky University.

• "The Quest for Education: Racism, Paradox, and Interest Convergence in the Life of George Washington Carver" by Ron Wilson and Kay Ann Taylor, K-State faculty members.

• "Understanding the Perpetuation of Inequalities in Brazilian K-12 Public and Private Schools from a Historical Perspective" by Ana Lucia Mendonca, K-State College of Education doctoral student.

• "Turning White: Co-Opting a Profession through the Myth of Progress, An Intersectional Historical Perspective of Brown v. Board" by Jennifer L. Martin and Jennifer N. Brooks with the University of Illinois Springfield.

• "Experience Informed Philosophy" by Tegan W. Nusser, K-State College of Education doctoral student.

• "A Critical Look at Women's Role in Physical Education and Sport in the 1930s" by Mark Ellner, K-State College of Education teaching assistant professor.

• "Vanessa Siddle Walker: Honoring Keepers of Knowledge by Using Their Stories to Improve Education" co-authored by K-State faculty Melissa Holmes, Eileen Wertzberger, Kay Ann Taylor and Lori Goodson.

Educational Considerations is a leading peer-reviewed journal published at the College of Education at Kansas State University. Now in its 44th year, the publication features outstanding themes and authors relating to education.