“A Respect for the Past, a Knowledge of the Present, and a Concern for the Future”: The Role of History in English Education

This article argues that ELA teacher candidates and inservice ELA teachers need historical perspectives in their coursework and their practice. Using the life and career of Lou LaBrant, the authorexamines the value of placing current practice in the context of practice throughout the history of the field of teaching ELA. Patterns examined in LaBrant’s life and work include the historicaltension between bureaucracy and teacher empowerment, back-to-basics movements, the roles of research and progressivism in the field of literacy, and the relationship between educational andsocial challenges. Further, the article examines avenues for teacher educators to become more connected with the history of the field.