“Why did we never learn this?”: preparing educators to teach for justice and equity on days after

Abstract

This research explores teachers’ development of their understandings of teaching for justice and equity on days after critical current events, traumas, and tragedies. In particular, I ask: How, if at all, are teachers prepared to engage in Days After Pedagogy? How do their preparation experiences influence their feelings about utilizing Days After Pedagogy in their classrooms? Grounded in the theory of Days After Pedagogy and grounded in the literature on social justice teacher preparation, this qualitative study of more than 50 social justice oriented pre- and in-service teachers around the U.S. reveals four key findings about teachers’ (lack of) preparation to engage in DAP and the implications of this for equitable education in current and future classrooms.

Keywords:

• Teacher preparation
• preservice educators
• justice and equity
• days after pedagogy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 I include a brief description of each event for readers who may not be familiar. In doing so, I do not wish to reduce these complex tragedies to mere sentences and encourage readers wishing to know more to continue reading beyond this piece. In 1986, a U.S. space shuttle, the Challenger, exploded just after takeoff. Many children around the U.S. were watching the launch live and saw the tragedy happen. 9/11 refers to the coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and two other airplanes, which crashed into the U.S. Pentagon and in the state of Pennsylvania. Approximately 3000 people were killed. The aftermath of 9/11 led to widespread and unfounded Islamophobia and hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S. and was the stated impetus for the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the southeastern United States, including New Orleans, Louisiana. The hurricane caused levies to break in the area, and the hurricane and its aftermath killed over 1800 people and reflected a failure of the state to provide emergency services to primarily low-income people of color in New Orleans and surrounding cities. 2008 marked the election of Barack Obama, who made history as the first Black President of the United States. In 2014, a Black 13-year-old named Trayvon Martin was murdered near his home in Florida. His senseless murder and the subsequent trial and acquittal of his killer galvanized the Black Lives Matter movement.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alyssa Hadley Dunn

Alyssa Hadley Dunn is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut. Her research and teaching interests focus on the sociocultural and sociopolitical contexts of teaching and learning, especially in urban schools for social and racial justice.