Journal of International Social Studies, v. 10, n. 1, 2020, pp. 1-2 Corresponding author: rapoport@purdue.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 1 From the Editor: Global Pandemic: A Painful Lesson for Social Studies Educators What happened? How was it possible? Where did it come from? Who is to blame? Quarantine is a perfect time for reflection. At first glance, this pandemic has very little to do with education and educators. Schools and universities have moved classes online, and we begin to hear opinions that in a time when nonessential businesses are closed, so-called “nonessential” classes should be cut from emergency curricula. This is dangerous, particularly in a time of global crisis. Now, when the economy is at a standstill, the importance of what we as social studies educators do is becoming more evident. Paradoxically, this global pandemic has become a real test of good citizenship. You are a good citizen if you help your elderly neighbor or those in need in another town, state, or nation. You are a good citizen if you find ways to keep working in these challenging circumstances. You are a good citizen if you actively demand that elected officials demonstrate their leadership qualities instead of empty demagoguery. You are a good citizen if you simply stay at home instead of meeting with friends. In a time like this, good citizenship becomes essential and even life-saving. In no other time do we realize the meaning of the term global interdependence. And I am concerned. I am concerned that there are people who will scapegoat other nations instead of demanding real leadership in their countries. I am concerned that we may hear more and more calls to isolate ourselves, to lock national borders, ignoring the very premise on which this nation was built. I am concerned that, here and there, we see public figures who use the current situation to call for a halt to democratic processes and promote the idea of temporary authoritarian measures; temporary has a tendency to become permanent. This global pandemic is also an ominous sign of how the lack of global citizenship education is detrimental to our globalizing society and how urgently we need it in curricula. “One of the most painful lessons of this crisis is the extent to which America cannot or will not identify with Chinese pain,” tweeted Emily Rouhala, who covers foreign affairs for The Washington Post. “Every horror that is happening here happened first in Wuhan. We covered it. Many people did not care.” Imagine if people in the U.S., Italy, or Spain did care! mailto:rapoport@purdue.edu http://www.iajiss.org/ Journal of International Social Studies, v. 10, n. 1, 2020, pp. 1-2 Corresponding author: rapoport@purdue.edu ©2012/2023 National Council for Social Studies International Assembly http://www.iajiss.org ISSN: 2327-3585 Page 2 This pandemic will teach people many lessons. The most important lesson for social studies educators will be the importance of powerful and transformative citizenship education that addresses the needs of a global community. In this issue, we publish works of scholars and researchers that represent four continents. Omiunota Ukpokodu (University of Missouri-Kansas City) writes about the lack of preparation for global competence and the development of a global perspective among social studies teachers. Oluseyi Matthew Odebiyi and Cynthia Sunal (University of Alabama) analyze contemporaneous historical documents that demonstrate the complexities in meaning-making processes in the indigenous social practices in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Servet Üztemur (Gaziantep University, Turkey) investigates the mediation role of fear of negative evaluation in the context of social studies courses. Melissa Mitchem and Yeji Kim (Teachers College, Columbia University), Hanadi Shatara (University of Wisconsin, La Crosse), and William Gaudelli (Lehigh University, Pennsylvania) examine how teachers and administrators enact global education at two schools in the New York City metropolitan area. Moshood Babatunde Lawal (Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Nigeria) analyzes to what degree social studies teachers in Nigeria are ready to teach security education themes. Suzanne Macqueen, Ruth Reynolds, and Kate Ferguson-Patrick (University of Newcastle, Australia) compare the assessment of cultural competence data from the research literature with findings from an earlier study of American preservice teachers and discuss significant differences between the two cohorts. Another researcher from the University of Newcastle, Gideon Boadu, explores history teachers’ conceptions about historical objectivity and whether or not their reasoning resonates with their classroom practices. Barend Vlaardingerbroek (American University in Beirut, Lebanon) calls for special attention to human rights education in elementary schools, particularly in developing countries. The use of technology to explore economics within the C3 Framework is discussed in the essay by Jennie M. Carr (Bridgewater College, Virginia) and John Kruggel (James Madison University). In an essay by Juan Manuel Walker and Kim Barker (Augusta University, Georgia) and Cody Cruse (Harlem High School, Virginia), the authors advocate, through research and personal experiences, for an inquiry approach to teaching social studies and other disciplines in all grades. Enjoy the reading. Stay safe. Anatoli Rapoport Editor mailto:rapoport@purdue.edu http://www.iajiss.org/