During the most recent KATE Pages Open Write, Nathan Whitman took some time to pen a poem about what KATE is, for himself and others.
Read the poem on the Kansas Association of Teachers of English blog KATE PAGES.
LuAnn Fox awarded KATE’s Steve Maack Distinguished Educator Award
This past weekend, at the 2024 KATE Fall Conference, longtime member, LuAnn Fox, was awarded the Steve Maack Distinguished Educator Award for her continued devotion to the profession of English education.
Thank you for a lifetime of incredible tenacity and enthusiasm, LuAnn! This award is well deserved. Congratulations!
To read the speech and learn about LuAnn Fox, visit KATE PAGES.
Column: Perspectives from the President (2024)
Last year, I presented a reflection via a football analogy. It was a somber reflection and one whose tone I hoped would not carry over into this year’s perspective. Luckily, I was partially right. Unlike the past two years of 1,700 and 1,800 teacher vacancies as we entered summer (Educate Kansas, 2022-2023), this year, only 1,600 educational vacancies exist (Educate Kansas, 2024). However, this number still speaks to the educational crisis that Kansas—and to be fair, the United States—finds itself a part of. Is this the start to a downward trend? We can hope.
Column: Perspectives from the President (2023)
Abstract
KATE President Nathan Whitman, who doesn’t watch football, provides an analogy to the 2022-2023 school year using football terminology in an attempt to reflect on the state of education in Kansas. Will it be a touchdown or a fumble? Read on and find out.
Review: A Means of Living, Seeing, and Teaching through Haiku
Abstract
Co-Authors: Nathan G. Whitman, Beth Gulley, Lori Muntz
Natalie Goldberg’s Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage Into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku was reviewed by several Kansas Association of Teachers of English members who participated in a book study. Goldberg’s text is applicable not only for one’s own creative pursuits, but it is also valuable for instruction of haiku in ELA classes and social-emotional activities. No matter where one is on their life or pedagogical journey, there’s something for everyone to unpack from Goldberg’s text.
How KATE Celebrates Black History Month
Black History Month is an annual celebration of African American achievements and contributions to society. It is a time to reflect on the struggles and triumphs of black Americans throughout history and to honor their legacy. In honor of Black History Month, organizations like the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE) have been working to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in education through various initiatives and activities.
Column: Perspectives from the President (2022)
Abstract
KATE President Nathan Whitman provides personal and general educational reflections and insights into the 2022 school year, including an overview of educational fads in government, a statistical snapshot of trends and problems in teacher retention – including censorship, happenings within KATE’s programming for educators, and a call to action.
Gay, Feminist Witches: Or, Why Americans Fear Inclusive Libraries & Curriculum
With lists in hand, the search underway, we scoured the library for the book for her research project. Now, our school library wasn’t large – barely a shoebox of a room, and yet the text eluded us. Right before the bell was to ring, my student approached me. “Mr. Whitman, is this it?” she asked. I looked at the call number: it was, but the title was off. On the computer print off, the title read Famous Writers: Willa Cather. The cover looked to match, but the spine told a different story: Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians: Willa Cather. It was then we realized what we held in our hands: censorship, erasure of LGBTQ+ identities in our school.
The Time to Support and Advocate for LGBTQ Students and Educators is Now
When I became employed at my first and present job as an English teacher in 2012, I knew that I was in for a culture shock. I had graduated from a 6A KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association) division high school of more than 2,000 students, and now I was going to teach in a 1A school of a few more than 200. However, upon having one of my first meetings with a school employee, I realized that Burrton was in for an equally stark culture shock from me.
Poem: Eros I On
This person you see is a shadow
of the man he wants to be,
of the man he cannot become
because no matter how he chisels his heart
into Galatea’s likeness, stone
erodes, cracks
on the smoothest faces.
N. Grant Whitman 