Editors ’ Overview and Insights

Overview & Insights

FROM THE EDITORS

Dear Readers,

As we were involved in the final processes of putting this issue together, our country—our world— was rocked by events in Uvalde, Texas. Sadly, mass shootings are much too common (witness Buffalo, New York, just ten days earlier), but this one—THIS one—hit home in a way others perhaps have not. As always, there has been the kneejerk reaction to “DO SOMETHING,” and almost everyone has a pet solution. But perhaps, this time, we just need to spend some time doing what Dr. Shelbie Witte suggested on her Twitter feed: “Sit with it.” We need to give ourselves time to grieve, to ask the why and how questions, to look inside ourselves and determine to what extent we share responsibility for where we are as a nation, that this can happen over and over again. Dr. Tim Rasinski took the time to post a staggering list of school shootings on Facebook, most of which we are not even aware of. We don’t pretend to have the answers, but we know that the solution must be multi-faceted and must be the result of deep, unhasty thought processes over time that involve all community stakeholders.

In the meantime, given the frame and focus of this journal, we would like to focus on the teachers of Robb Elementary for a moment—not just the two who died literally placing their bodies between the shooter and “their kids,” but the surviving teachers, the ones who will go back into those classrooms in the fall, despite their own emotional turmoil, and pick up where they left off. We can get some idea of what they are experiencing through a Sandy Hook teacher, Mary Ann Jacob, who reported years later after the Sandy Hook shooting, “When those of us who survived went home later that day, the first thing we had to do was be strong for our own children, several of whom also survived the shooting that day . . .” (Kleinman, 2018, n. p.). But what comes next?

Susie Ehrens, a Sandy Hook parent whose first grader was completely traumatized by the events she experienced, wanted the best teacher she could find for her daughter to begin second grade. She found her in Abbey Clements, teacher-survivor, who herself reported, “the aftermath of such tragedy is larger and darker than you might imagine. I had to do something to be part of the solution” (Kleinman 2018, n. p.); Clements went on to become an activist in a gun-violence-prevention group but also continues to teach. “Educators teach peace and nonviolence. We teach

conflict resolution by talking out problems. This is gun violence prevention too,” she said. Ms. Ehrens reported that after many varied but less than successful approaches to alleviate her daughter’s anxiety, “In the end, beyond family, it was the love of Mrs. Clements, a teacher, that softened my daughter’s heart and opened her mind. In so many ways, Mrs. Clements brought my daughter back to us” (Kleinman, 2018, n. p.).

So now, as we “sit with it,” we are pondering, what should we do? Our thoughts turn to Dr. Sue Parsons’ column in this issue. Dr. Parsons has focused a timely column on children’s books related to immigration and refugees across the world, and we can’t avoid making the connection to Uvalde and its proximity to the border. The likelihood is high that some of the children, perhaps even some teachers, affected by the tragedy were indeed refugees and/or immigrants. Toward the end of her piece, Dr. Parsons offers a bulleted list that we share below, which seems to take on new meaning in the aftermath of Uvalde, as we ask how we can help, how we can support traumatized teachers, students, and families.

Children, especially, are at risk, needing protection for a safe and productive future. Hope is a powerful, resilient force, as is love. Speaking out and listening to others is an important step in bringing change. Education offers hope but is hard to come by. All human beings are valuable. We can do better.

Our initial intention was to begin this overview with a brief discussion of the feature article by Dr. Timothy Rasinski. When we learned that he would be the featured speaker at our Oklahoma Literacy Association Conference in April, we invited him to write a piece for us, and he graciously agreed. Dr. Rasinski’s engaging writing offers us an overview of his new book with co-authors David Paige and Chase Young, Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading. You certainly will want to delve into this one!

We are also thrilled to share with you an article by Dr. Dana Oliver, based on her award-winning dissertation. In “The Becoming of Teachers as Passionate Readers: What Makes the Difference?” Dr. Oliver reports on her findings from qualitative research with preservice teachers that reveal what did or did not encourage them to become passionate readers. Some powerful implications will be found in this article.

In our third feature article, Dr. Holly Rice reviews research related to ebooks and print books to provide guidance to teachers in making research-based classroom decisions as to when or whether to use which. We believe you will find the discussion informative.

Our Teacher-to-Teacher article for this issue discusses using read-alouds to focus on and teach students about social justice issues. Dr. Nicole Pearce and Dr. Jill Davis offer background for the concept and detailed guidance for teachers to follow. There are additional resources included as well. Our Professional Development book review is offered in this issue by one of our editors, Dr. Maribeth Nottingham. She shares a down-to-earth, practical book that provides a research-based rationale for incorporating graphic novels in classrooms for all ages and then guides teachers with step-by-step instructions for how to do it.

All of our columnists are represented in this issue; we’ve already mentioned Dr. Parsons’ excellent collection of children’s books on immigration and refugees. Dr. Linda McElroy presents an intriguing amalgamation of two research articles related to teaching language with science instruction through literature. Newly minted Dr. Shelley Martin-Young is back with an interesting connection of poetry to technology and hints there is more to come. Finally, Dr. Julie Collins reviews education bills that were passed during the current legislative term and provides insight on the Oklahoma Future Teacher Scholarship and Employment Incentive Program. All in all, a very full issue that we hope you enjoy!

Barbara McClanahan, Maribeth Nottingham, Susan Morrison

Reference

Kleinman, Loren. (2018). 6 Sandy Hook survivors on healing, faith and forgiveness, 6 years later. Huffpost Personal. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sandy-hook-shooting-survivorsanniversary_n_5c12ca97e4b0860b8b5c99a6