Welcome to Arkansas Association of
Teacher Educators!
August 2021
Dear Arkansas Teacher Educators,
Welcome to the 2021-2022 academic year! This year, much like last year will prove to be a challenge with many opportunities for innovation, persistence, and adaptability. The last year and a half have proven to show that educators are working on the “front line.” As we know, teachers are essential to providing a quality education to our pre-service teachers through a pandemic, global climate change, and continued racial unrest. The work that all of you, as teacher educators do, is vital and continues to confirm the importance of quality teacher education in shaping a society that thrives through change as we work toward a more compassionate, socially just world.
I am honored to serve as the President of ArATE this year. I respect all of our members and the leaders of ArATE who have served before me. My goal in this position is to maintain the ArATE mission and provide practical solutions to the current challenges we are facing in the field. With that being said, in addition to our annual conference, ArATE will be offering a virtual Diversity and Inclusion webinar series. The series will include four-five webinars between the months of October- April. Our first session is scheduled for Wednesday, October 13 at 3 P.M. The topic is on Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education by Alex Shevrin Venet.
Alex Shevrin Venet is a former administrator, contributor to Edutopia, and teaches at a variety of universities in and around Vermont. She recently released a book on trauma-informed teaching. In the workshop, Alex will share the principles and guiding practices of equity-centered trauma-informed education, a framework which recognizes that school is inequitable for trauma-affected youth and inequity also causes further trauma. She will focus on what teacher educators need to know to support pre-service teachers, including important shifts in our thinking and in our practice.
ArATE will host our second virtual fall conference on September 24, 2021. Please visit our website to submit a proposal and renew your membership (including conference registration). The ArATE conference theme is “Educator Preparation for an Uncertain Future: Preparing Anti-fragile Teachers.” We are pleased to welcome Dr. John Hicks, the 2021-2022 President of ATE. Dr. Hicks will discuss educator preparation during uncertain times and the importance of preparing anti-fragile educators.
I appreciate the time and efforts from our current ArATE elected board members. They are essential in continuing the good work of the organization. If you are interested in serving, there are a variety of ways to do so at the state, regional, and national levels. If you have an interest in serving, please reach out to me.
For information on the ArATE Journal and submission deadlines visit our website. If you would like to volunteer to be a reviewer for the journal, please contact Dr. Susan Grogan at sgrogan@harding.edu.
The 2022 Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) will be held in Chicago, IL, February 11 - 16, 2022. Please visit the ATE website to learn more about the spring conference.
I am grateful for this community. Through the last few months, I have realized the importance of community and relationships on my overall well-being. I have enjoyed working with the board members to prepare for our annual conference and webinar series. This is a truly inclusive and welcoming group of dedicated educators working to improve teacher education. I look forward to seeing you at the conference and our webinar series this year. If you have questions, please reach out to me.
Click to view the President's
Welcome Letter as a PDF.