Letter from the President

Kudos to the contributors and editors for producing such an outstanding issue of GATEways. Your talents, diligence, and commitment are much appreciated! GATEways is aptly named, as it is a gateway to improving teaching and learning. Presenting your scholarship at our annual conference is another way to make an impact.

The Georgia Association of Teacher Educators (GATE) convenes its 2023 annual conference at the Jekyll Island Club on October 12 and 13 under a pall of orthodoxy cast by those who desire to bring about a chilling effect to our work. Efforts to regulate classroom speech about race, class, gender and cleansing standards of words such as diversity, inclusion and bias are all intended to silence voices that yearn for a more just and equitable world for children. But we will not be silent.

Georgia teachers endure low pay, prestige, large classes, over-testing, wasted time, staff shortages, resource scarcity, lack of support, disinterested learners, lack of discipline and many more challenges. The time for handwringing has passed Now is ripe for all stakeholders to join in a conversation to restore the profession in our state.

Although these issues loom large in our discourse, there are so many others that need our attention. More knowledge about instruction, as well as promoting physical and mental well-being, are needed. Innovations in technology, clinical practice and assessment must be on the agenda. Hearing from educational leaders from all stripes is essential as well. The 2023 conference theme, Enlightening, Investing and Reclaiming Power in Adversarial Times, is a call to action. Guided by the conference strands below, decide how you can contribute to the conversation:

Strand 1: Enlightening, and Awareness: Policies and Practices for Advocacy.

Strand 2: Investing in Ourselves for Resistance.

Strand 3: Reclaiming Agency: moving from fear to freedom.

Strand 4: Engaging in Good Trouble.

Strand 5: Navigating Digital Equity and Landscapes.

Become a part of the legacy, consider submitting your manuscript for publication in GATEways, and be sure to keep engaged with GATE. Together we will make a difference.

Sincerely,

Don Livingston President, Georgia Association of Teacher Educators (GATE)