The Courage to Teach Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life

by Palmer, Parker J.

• ISBN13: 9780787996864
• ISBN10: 0787996866
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-08-17
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

"This book is for teachers who have good days and bad and whose bad days bring the suffering that comes only from something one loves. It is for teachers who refuse to harden their hearts, because they love learners, learning, and the teaching life." Parker J. Palmer [from the Introduction]For many years, Parker Palmer has worked on behalf of teachers and others who choose their vocations for reasons of the heart but may lose heart because of the troubled, sometimes toxic systems in which they work. Hundreds of thousands of readers have benefited from his approach in THE COURAGE TO TEACH, which takes teachers on an inner journey toward reconnecting with themselves, their students, their colleagues, and their vocations, and reclaiming their passion for one of the most challenging and important of human endeavors.This book builds on a simple premise: good teaching cannot be reduced to technique but is rooted in the identity and integrity of the teacher. Good teaching takes myriad forms but good teachers share one trait: they are authentically present in the classroom, in community with their students and their subject. They possess "a capacity for connectedness" and are able to weave a complex web of connections between themselves, their subjects, and their students, helping their students weave a world for themselves. The connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts the place where intellect, emotion, spirit, and will converge in the human self supported by the community that emerges among us when we choose to live authentic lives.BONUS: Includes an audio CD featuring a 45-minute conversation between Parker Palmer and his colleagues, Marcy Jackson and Estrus Tucker from the Center for Courage & Renewal. They reflect on what they have learned from working with thousands of teachers in their "Courage to Teach" program (www.CourageRenewal.org)and with others who yearn for greater integrity in their professional lives.

Author Biography

Parker J. Palmer is a highly respected writer, lecturer, teacher, and activist. His work speaks deeply to people in many walks of life, including education, medicine, religion, law, philanthropy, the public sector, and social change. Author of seven books, including the bestsellers Let Your Life Speak and A Hidden Wholeness, his writing has been recognized with ten honorary doctorates and a number of national awards. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Tenth Anniversary Edition

Gratitudes

Introduction: Teaching from Within

The Heart of a Teacher: Identity and Integrity in Teaching

A Culture of Fear: Education and the Disconnected Life

The Hidden Wholeness: Paradox in Teaching and Learning

Knowing in Community: Joined by the Grace of Great Things

Teaching in Community: A Subject-Centered Education

Learning in Community: The Conversation of Colleagues

Divided No More: Teaching from a Heart of Hope

Afterword: The New Professional: Education for Transformation

Notes

The Author

The Center for Courage & Renewal

About the CD

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.