During my doctorate in philosophy and education I (Cara) traversed across Teachers College from one third floor up and over to another between the Philosophy and Education department (where I studied) and Curriculum and Teaching (where I taught and had graduated with a masters in elementary education). Where my journey started with a foothold in teacher education, co-editor Tomas Rocha with similar commitments moved from philosophy towards practice with a deep commitment in practicing philosophy that matters in the world. 

That funny function of going up and down to move between third floors captures both the parallel and very different worlds one inhabits as a philosopher of education and a teacher. I think it is fair to say that this awkward, paradoxically intuitive and counter-intuitive, asymmetrical, and rewarding movement speaks to the maneuvers the authors of each chapter made as they worked to engage across the contact zones of teachers and philosophers. In introducing our book by locating us physically at Teachers College Columbia, where so many of our authors hail. I do so to honor this institution, David Hansen and Megan Laverty, and faculty across the college who sustained many of us in a journey that (against the norms of educational research) encouraged us to stretch across contact zones of philosophy and practice in pursuit of better acting in the world. 

Teachers and Philosophy showcases the potential of education practitioners and philosophers of education working and writing together. Following Mary Louise Pratt, this meeting space is referred to as a "contact zone," and contributors demonstrate the power and benefit of writing from this liminal space. Introductory and concluding chapters provide an argument for the value of bringing together philosophers and practitioners as well as tips for facilitating these interactions. Situated amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume grapples with the challenges that practitioners face around teaching controversial topics, crafting inclusive curricula, indigeneity, dis/ability, urban schooling, nature-based education, rural education, mental health, coping with feelings of anger, and more. Each chapter ends with suggestions for further reading or engagement, questions for reflection and discussion, and an activity that a class or reading group can move through together.