In recognition of teachers and teaching

As the first issue in the new year, this editorial and the following articles foreground teachers and teaching. While they approach the topic from different perspectives, all are united in suggesting that the current times for teachers and teaching are characterised by upheaval and change: the expressions in the article titles and abstracts include “new educational contexts,” “educational change,” “tumultuous times,” “recent disruptions” and “an increasingly dynamic and ever-changing global context.” Given these concerns about global flux related to factors such as COVID, mobility and dislocation, war, economic recession, policy resets, and institutional restructurings to name a few, we take the opportunity to revisit the role of teachers and teaching. This move aligns with our eight challenges that we presented to the field of teacher education research in 2020 (Biesta et al., Citation2020) and in recognition of the foundational and formidable role of teachers in our societies.