Acting Up

Fostering Joyful Teaching as Resistance in the American South and Appalachia

Edited by:
Todd S. Hawley, Kent State University
Adam W. Jordan, College of Charleston
Sonya Wisdom, Kent State University
Tracey Hunter-Doniger, College of Charleston

Call for Chapters

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
This book, composed of the accounts of teacher educators, is a companion text to Rebellious Education: Joyful Teaching as Resistance in the American South and Appalachia. Given that teacher education programs are disparaged as either diploma mills or out of touch with current teaching conditions and practices, all while facing increasing levels of legislative and curricular oversight, this book is designed to make direct connections between the joyful work of teacher educators, the pre- and in-service teachers they work with and their students’ subsequent enactment of teaching as an act of joyful resistance. Like the teaching profession, the American South and Appalachia are currently areas with juxtaposed narratives, both romanticized and villainized in popular culture. Here we honor the stories of teacher educators in the American South and Appalachia who enact purposeful pedagogical practices in increasingly challenging situations. Teacher educators are finding great joy in their work preparing teachers to embrace joyful resistance and recognize the power they hold to push back against the stereotypes and false narratives currently plaguing the profession. This book is written for teacher educators, with a purpose of providing a collection of accounts that offer hope and resilience to those working to make our schools a better place in geographic locations which often experience lower pay and less support. It is the hope of the editors that this book also serves as a tool to help motivate and sustain those working in teacher education programs as well as beginning and veteran teachers alike as it provides a community of voices against the ever-present message that teaching is not a profession worth pursuing. The editors invite chapter proposals that describe current pedagogical practices, working conditions and challenges juxtaposed with messages of persistence, resilience, joy, and encouragement offered by teacher educators working to position talented people to embrace teaching as an act of joyful resistance. In essence, we invite teacher educators to consider their purpose for their work and to communicate a story of their work to other teacher educators. Chapters may be submitted as essays, poems, works of art, or photographs.

TOPICS OF INTEREST:

• Example 1: Specific examples of the tensions teacher educators confront as they position teachers to embrace joyful resistance in classrooms across the American South and Appalachia.

• Example 2: Specific stories of purposeful pedagogical practices joyful teacher educators enact in college and university classrooms across the American South and Appalachia.

• Example 3: Coalition Building. How have teacher educators and community networks (Abolitionist Teaching Network, Learning for Justice, Village of Wisdom, state-wide organizing to promote the power of teacher unions or to fight for or against legislation in your state).

PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS:
Proposals should be made on one single-spaced page, and consist of your name and affiliation, email address, a tentative title, and an abstract (200-250 words). Please include an additional page with a brief biography (200-300 words). All proposals should be sent as a single Word file of 2 pages to Todd S. Hawley (thawley1@kent.edu) by November 15, 2023.

CHAPTER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by December 15, 2023 about the status of their submission and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters, ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 words in Times New Roman 12, double spaced text, inclusive of title, abstract, manuscript, and references, should be submitted as a Microsoft Word email attachment by April 30, 2024. Manuscripts should conform to 7th edition APA style conventions. See Author Guidelines. Graphics and images may be included.

Chapters should draw from the author/s own practice and educational experiences.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR PUBLICATION:
Abstract Submission: November 15, 2023
Notification of Invite to Submit Chapter: December 15, 2023
Submission of Book Chapter: April 30, 2024
Reviews of Book Chapter Manuscripts Sent to Author(s): June 30, 2024
Receipt by Editors of Final Draft of Book Chapters: August 30, 2024
Final Book Submitted to Publisher: September 30, 2024
Anticipated Publication: Spring 2025

Send all inquiries to Todd S. Hawley (thawley1@kent.edu)