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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Abstract
Over the course of history, various groups have challenged, banned, and burned texts out of fear and the desire to control the thoughts and beliefs of a populace. Dictatorial regimes such as Hitler’s Nazi-controlled Germany used “bonfires [to] ‘cleanse’ the German spirit of the ‘un-German’ influence of communist, pacifist, and, above all, Jewish thought” (Merveldt 524). Modern religious fundamentalism seeks to control a populace either through fear and indoctrination like the ultra-conservative, nearly-literal witch hunt of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series when religious leaders of various Protestant denominations feared that the hit young adult book series would teach impressionable minds actual witchcraft. One of the most famous and still frequently taught banned books is Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this paper the argument is made for the teaching of banned books by a case-analysis of Twain’s text that considers the historical context, positive and negative aspects of the text, the harm of censorship, the value of free speech, and how frequently-challenged texts promote critical thinking for students.
N. Grant Whitman 