Karen Walker, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor

A Conversation with Dr. Walker

What would you tell a student who is thinking about attending A&M-Commerce?

Choosing a university is one of the biggest decisions you will make, so don't take it lightly. A&M-Commerce is a great choice for someone who wants a quality education at an institution focused on students. Get involved! Attend athletic events like football, basketball, and even pickleball! Join one of the 140 student organizations. Get the support you need at the Academic Success Center. A&M-Commerce is a small, friendly place that embraces diversity and seeks to transform lives. Come join us!

What draws you to your discipline?

Early childhood experiences from birth to age eight provide the foundation for future learning, behavior and health. In 1986, Robert Fulghum wrote a book titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” which encouraged sharing, being kind, cleaning up after oneself and living a balanced life of work, play and learning. Jean Piaget told us “Play is the work of childhood.” And Mr. Rogers elaborated on this by saying, “For children, play is serious learning.”

I hope my work inspires learning through play and the recognition that early years shape children's success in school and life. I am proud to be a teacher educator because teaching is the profession that prepares all other professions.

Tell us about a project you are currently working on or recently completed.

I am working with two colleagues on an edited book titled “Voices of Early Childhood Educators: Conversations About Change in the U.S. South” with an anticipated publication date of December 2024. The book’s publisher is the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA), formally known as the Southern Association on Children Under Six. SECA has been committed to addressing issues that impact young children in the South for 75 years, including advocating for social justice and working toward equity for all young children and their families.

Educational Background

• Ed.D., Early Childhood Education; Reading, University of North Texas, 2014
• M.Ed., Special Education; Early Childhood Education, University of North Texas, 1995
• BBA, Finance, University of North Texas, 1989

Awards and Honors

• Award of Excellence, Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, 2018

Research Interests

• Play
• Early literacy
• Young children with special needs

Professional Associations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• Texas Association for the Education of Young Children
• Southern Early Childhood Association
• National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
• International Play Association
• Phi Kappa Phi, Chapter 230

Selected Publications

• Walker, K. & Harris, S. (2022). Sara Smilansky. In Geneser, V. (Ed.). Scholarly snapshots: Affirming the importance of a child's right to play. Rowan & Littlefield Publishers.
• Walker, K. (2022). Making the most of teachable moments. Teaching Young Children, 15(2), 23-25.
• Montemayor, A. & Walker, K. (2021). Preparing generalists early childhood teachers to work with culturally and linguistically diverse children who have special needs. In Riojas-Cortez, M. (Ed.) Diversifying pedagogy in early childhood teacher preparation programs. Rowman & Littlefield.