Embracing Multiple Modalities While Holding Space for Productive Struggle

This chapter describes the journeys of two educators before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our stories illuminate our positionalities, perspectives, and instruction. Through these descriptions, we have discovered the value and shared capacity for embracing challenges in the midst of drastic, unexpected change and adapting to shifts in education in humanistic, holistic, and sustainable ways. Our exploration of the pandemic's impact on our own and our students' identities and teaching practices illustrates a continued need for educators to elevate culturally responsive teaching and intersectional approaches with authenticity and resilience. We highlight theoretical and historical underpinnings, significant implications, and practical applications for teacher educators as we acknowledge and respond to sociopolitical changes resulting from personal reflection and reflexivity; in doing so, our aim is to underscore the complexity and individuality of teacher educators' voices and experiences but also the solidarity needed to empower those in the profession as we move forward.