The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Palmer, Parker J., PUBLISHER: Jossey-Bass, "This book is for teachers who have good days and bad -- and whose bad days bring ong>theong> suffering that comes only from something one loves. It is for teachers who refuse to harden ong>theong>ir hearts, because ong>theong>y love learners, learning, and ong>theong> teaching life." -- Parker J. Palmer from ong>theong> Introduction] For many years, Parker Palmer has worked on behalf of teachers and oong>theong>rs who choose ong>theong>ir vocations for reasons of ong>theong> heart but may lose heart because of ong>theong> troubled, sometimes toxic systems in which ong>theong>y work. Hundreds of thousands of readers have benefited from his approach in ong>THEong> COURAGE TO TEACH, which takes teachers on an inner journey toward reconnecting with ong>theong>mselves, ong>theong>ir students, ong>theong>ir colleagues, and ong>theong>ir vocations, and reclaiming ong>theong>ir passion for one of ong>theong> 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 ong>theong> identity and integrity of ong>theong> teacher. Good teaching takes myriad forms but good teachers share one trait: ong>theong>y are auong>theong>ntically present in ong>theong> classroom, in community with ong>theong>ir students and ong>theong>ir subject. ong>Theong>y possess "a capacity for connectedness" and are able to weave a complex web of connections between ong>theong>mselves, ong>theong>ir subjects, and ong>theong>ir students, helping ong>theong>ir students weave a world for ong>theong>mselves. ong>Theong> connections made by good teachers are held not in ong>theong>ir methods but in ong>theong>ir hearts -- ong>theong> place where intellect, emotion, spirit, and will converge in ong>theong> human self -- supported by ong>theong> community that emerges among us when we choose to live auong>theong>ntic lives. BONUS: Includes an audio CD featuring a 45-minute conversation between Parker Palmer and his colleagues, Marcy Jackson and Estrus Tucker from ong>theong> Center for Courage & Renewal. ong>Theong>y reflect on what ong>theong>y have learned from working with thousands of teachers in ong>theong>ir "Courage to Teach" program (www.CourageRenewal.org)and with oong>theong>rs who yearn for greater integrity in ong>theong>ir professional lives.