Chapter 7: “Why We Must Continue in the Journey”: A Conversation Between Two Literacy Educators

“[M]y life has been a story of the redeeming social and emotional value of public education. Education has been my defining moment, my mission, my goal, and my odyssey.”

The phrase “lifelong learner” can be overused with little interrogation of how it is enacted and maintained for a fulfilling, giving, and thrilling life for teachers and students. However, in recent years, an emphasis on the multiple literacies humans possess—from cradle to grave—further advance the concept of remaining a learner and thinker throughout one’s life. In this chapter, we as two literacy educators present a conversation on the multiple beliefs, narratives, and perspectives we possess and how we use these to mediate our own identities in being and becoming lifelong learners among our students and teaching colleagues.