This edited volume, Rekindling Embers of the Soul: An Examination of Spirituality Issues Relating to Teacher Education, fills the gap in scholarship by providing information about an understudied aspect of teacher education research. In an education environment that provides an increasing degree of standardization founded upon corporatized materialist values, the concept of spirituality and its importance in shaping the diverse identities of students and teachers becomes neglected. This volume offers ten chapters, which relate the spirituality to teacher education with regard to theory and research, instruction, and content. Both researchers and teachers will appreciate the insights that it offers.

The book is linked to the annual theme of the 2008 CAERDA International Conference with contributing authors serving as keynote speakers, invited panelists, paper presenters, as well as specialists and educators in the field. The book provides a most comprehensive description of and a theoretically wellinformed and a scholarly cogent account of teaching and learning Chinese in general and in the United States in particular. It examines a wide range of important issues in Chinese teaching and learning: current state in teaching Chinese as a Second Language (TCSL) in the United States, US national standards for learning foreign languages K-12, policy making about how to meet the growing demand for Chinese language and cultural education with regard to a national coordination of efforts, professional teacher training in terms of the quantity and quality of Chinese language teachers at all levels, promotion of early language learning, characteristics of Chinese pedagogy, aspects of Chinese linguistics, methods and methodology in teaching TCSL, techniques and technology in Chinese language education, curriculum and instruction in TCSL, cultural aspects of teaching Chinese as a Second Language, issues in Chinese pedagogy, development of Chinese as a Heritage Language (HL) and the issue of cultural identity for bilingual/multilingual learners (particularly bilingual/multilingual children), testing and evaluation in TCSL, Chinese literacy and reading, approaches to instruction and program design, etc.

In recent years there have been significant changes in education across the globe, largely as a result of changing demographics, technological developments, and increased globalization. Relatedly, the changing needs of societies and families, along with new research findings, provide new directions in early childhood education. Consequently, early childhood teachers today are faced with higher and more complex expectations to help ensure that their students achieve their full potential. Such expectations suggest that early childhood teachers should be professionals who are able to draw on a robust knowledge base in making educational decisions. It follows that teacher education programs should develop and implement innovative programs that can potentially enhance the quality of our future teachers. An awareness of pressing issues in the field of early childhood teacher education led the editors to develop this volume. The chapters in these two volumes bring together scholars from across the US and the globe who are interested in improving the quality of early childhood teacher education. The chapters present their experiences, perspectives, and lessons learned as they addressed some of the challenging issues concerning the education and preparation of future early childhood teachers. The various issues and perspectives from different states in the US or countries across the globe provide insights into current issues and dilemmas facing the field. The contributions of these scholars should inform the discourse on early childhood teacher education and help those who work with preservice teachers improve the quality of their work.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, grants eternal life to His sheep—not just a life reserved for the future but one that starts in the life we now. But how are we to understand this supernatural gift? What does it look like as Christ accomplishes his good work within us? In The Inner Life, Octavious Winslow examines what it means for believers to have the spiritual power of Christ living in them. After looking at how the Spirit of Christ lives in His disciples, Winslow carefully explains how our spiritual life is assaulted, struggles, and regains strength as we travel a difficult but blessed road to our heavenly rest.

This book provides new insights about the roles in which LGBTQ individuals contribute in society and various organizations. The literature is divided into two sections. Section one includes three chapters from higher education administrators, faculty and community activists. The chapters share personal narratives describing the life experiences of those who are often marginalized within academia. Each chapter provides personal and professional aspects of the authors’ lives. Section two includes four chapters which, shares voices of people whom are normally excluded from research. Each author’s identity is shared as an aspect of their research. The authors present a broad range of issues, challenges and concerns, supported by prior literature, organized around several broad topical areas and intended to fill the gaps in our knowledge about how LGBTQ leadership is engaged across multiple types of institutions and how the experiences affect the quality of life for LGBTQ individuals throughout the academic community. Their complex identities affect their research interests, findings, and interpretations. “Including the topics of leadership, LGBT issues, spirituality and race in one book is a miracle into itself.” - Lemuel W. Watson “The first thing I remember missing when I arrived on campus was the presence of other gender queer or transgender people.” - Shae Miller “My authority has been challenged in the classroom; as a queer/gender queer person I chose not to heed warnings that I should not come out to my classes” - Shae Milller “Being non-heterosexual in student affairs can leave administrators feeling marginalized and lonely despite the inclusive mission statements, diversity philosophies, ally trainings, and mottos they espouse.” - Joshua Moon Johnson “Many educators who serve within social justice roles put their own well-being aside in order to best serve students. Educators can only withstand a certain level of institutional, cultural, and individual oppression before they face burn-out and lose hope.” - Joshua Moon Johnson “I live at the cross-roads of my identities. As a South Asian/Desi, Queer man from a working class, orthodox Hindu-Brahmin family and being the first in my family to complete undergraduate and graduate degrees, I often find myself in spaces where I do not quite fit in.” - Raja Bhattar