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The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life [With CDROM]
"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 c...more
Hardcover, 248 pages
Published
August 1st 2007
by Jossey-Bass
(first published November 21st 1997)
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What I look for when reading a book about teaching is twofold; that it gives me ideas that I want to apply to my classroom, and it confirms the direction I have chosen in my life as teacher. The Courage to Teach supplied both.
Palmer clarified why we teach and linked that to why we learn. A good read for anyone who is a teacher or is thinking about becoming a teacher.
Palmer clarified why we teach and linked that to why we learn. A good read for anyone who is a teacher or is thinking about becoming a teacher.
Jul 28, 2007
Laurel
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Teachers and people close to them
The one complaint I have, even though this is a book I keep near me all school year, is that it's a little bit too "self-helpy/new-agey/mystical". But, that aside, it's helped me to be a more confidant teacher. Palmer talks about how teaching is a profession where you HAVE to be yourself or you won't have integrity. It's about letting who you are as a person inform your instruction. Once you've lost the ability to do that, it's impossible to do your job well. Full of anecdotes from Palmer's own...more
So I opted to take an online professional development class in which this book was the text. I really wanted to like the book and author because he is a fellow cheesehead. The first chapter was okay as it dealt with the ideas of what makes a great teacher, how your topic found you, passion, etc. Chapter 2 dealt with fears: fears we had as students (fear of failing or looking stupid in front of our classmates); fears we have as instructors (fear of looking stupid in front of the class or not bein...more
I agree with a lot of what Parker Palmer has written in this book. Teaching is not a magic wand; One can't just quickly conjure up a lesson without thinking of oneself, the subject, and the students' needs in the class. The book was extremely difficult for me to read. "We must find an approach to teaching that respects the diversity of teachers and subjects, which methodological reductionism fails to do." I had to reread and reread to figure out Palmer's meaning. Much of the book was written wit...more
I just completed rereading this book in order to give my current review as a response to the material. I was swept up in the author's ability to create a poetic essence that can be a foundation for practical ideas. This style kept me fascinated and eager to reread the book.
It seemed there was a "conversation" in reading this book which enabled me as a teacher/student to grow and expand my own inner core as Palmer encouraged me to dare to move into a dance with other teachers and learners, instit...more
It seemed there was a "conversation" in reading this book which enabled me as a teacher/student to grow and expand my own inner core as Palmer encouraged me to dare to move into a dance with other teachers and learners, instit...more
I am about half finished with this book. At some point I may go back and finish it but for now I am done.
P.J.P. shares some good ideas and wisdom -- I particularly liked how he spoke of having mentors for a long time and then not having any. He realized finally that he wasn't having them because he was no longer an apprentice and it was time for him to mentor others.
I am having some trouble with this book because from my viewpoint he is really talking about the holiness of vocation and not only...more
P.J.P. shares some good ideas and wisdom -- I particularly liked how he spoke of having mentors for a long time and then not having any. He realized finally that he wasn't having them because he was no longer an apprentice and it was time for him to mentor others.
I am having some trouble with this book because from my viewpoint he is really talking about the holiness of vocation and not only...more
This book teaches teachers how to teach like the teachers they already are.
"The personal can never be divorced from the professional. 'We teach who we are' in times of darkness as well as light." (pg. xi)
Consider a teacher's "heart-deep commitment that keeps them coming back to the classroom - their commitment to the well-being of our children." (pg. xii)
"But at other moments, the classroom is so lifeless or painful or confused - and I am powerless to do anythign about it - that my claim to be a...more
"The personal can never be divorced from the professional. 'We teach who we are' in times of darkness as well as light." (pg. xi)
Consider a teacher's "heart-deep commitment that keeps them coming back to the classroom - their commitment to the well-being of our children." (pg. xii)
"But at other moments, the classroom is so lifeless or painful or confused - and I am powerless to do anythign about it - that my claim to be a...more
2 likes · like · see review
Apr 02, 2011
di
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction-informative,
education
Palmer writes eloquently & honestly about the challenges of teaching, especially why the current debate will not lead to any meaningful change. While some readers may dislike the reflection & introspection that makes up this book (Palmer disdains "technique talk" or "quick fixes"), this book really helped me sort out my anxiety & baggage from my own imperfect & difficult seven years in the classroom. It helped me see where I "lost heart," & better, how I can gain it back agai...more
AGREE / DISAGREE
The whole idea of learning in community is new to me, but something I’ve been introduced to before reading this book. Our church, Life on the Vine, is a very community oriented church that has opened my eyes to that idea. I was, therefore, open to the ideas of the 2nd part of Palmer’s book which focused on learning in community. Our American culture places so much value on individualism that we limit ourselves incredibly.
I also found myself in agreement with the ideas he present...more
The whole idea of learning in community is new to me, but something I’ve been introduced to before reading this book. Our church, Life on the Vine, is a very community oriented church that has opened my eyes to that idea. I was, therefore, open to the ideas of the 2nd part of Palmer’s book which focused on learning in community. Our American culture places so much value on individualism that we limit ourselves incredibly.
I also found myself in agreement with the ideas he present...more
May 02, 2009
Sue
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
professional-teaching-general
Parker Palmer is one of my favorite authors and people. I had the privilege of first meeting him in Wisconsin when I invited him to speak to the graduate learning community I was teaching. He spoke to the group, then traveled to a small book store, Buffalo Books, in Montello, Wisconsin to do a book signing for us.
My next meeting with him was a few years later at a "Courage to Teach" workshop in Kalamazoo, MI. I will never forget his image and advice of helping and supporting others. He describe...more
My next meeting with him was a few years later at a "Courage to Teach" workshop in Kalamazoo, MI. I will never forget his image and advice of helping and supporting others. He describe...more
Palmer's major insight is the importance of attending to the emotional needs of both teachers and students. Teachers enter the profession of education for a reason, and that reason typically has nothing to do with money, fame, or adequate yearly progress. So how can we achieve our true professional goal--to educate students--in environments that reward other, secondary goals--grant money, publications, or high test scores? It's an important question, and Palmer holds it throughout the book with...more
I read this book this spring and forgot to add it. I'm thinking of it now because it comes up ALL THE TIME when I am writing papers or talking about teaching. Initially I was skeptical because Palmer is a motivational speaker and earns a living 'motivating' teachers, but by the end of the book, I really was inspired to approach the task of teaching in an honest, vulnerable, meaningful way. He addresses the many fears that teachers and students harbor, and ways to deal with (and not avoid) them....more
Apr 20, 2011
Kathleen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
books-i-need-to-buy
it's really easy, teaching at a party school, to get extremely frustrated with the students. it's easy to see them as disengaged and uninterested in learning.
however, this book encourages teachers not to do that. he encourages teachers to take stock of their own bullshit. he encourages teachers to think about what they are doing to disengage their students. he says that good teachers are good people and teachers must develop themselves by noting their strengths and weaknesses. he reminds teacher...more
however, this book encourages teachers not to do that. he encourages teachers to take stock of their own bullshit. he encourages teachers to think about what they are doing to disengage their students. he says that good teachers are good people and teachers must develop themselves by noting their strengths and weaknesses. he reminds teacher...more
Even though this is a book geared toward those in higher ed, I still found sections applicable to the elementary teacher.
Some of my favorite thoughts:
"We teach who we are." ~p.2
"Teaching holds a mirror to the soul." ~p.3
"Good teaching requires self-knowledge." ~p.3
"Technique is what teachers use until the real teacher arrives." ~p.6
"The more one loves teaching, the more heartbreaking it can be." ~p.11
It is essential to teach from an "undivided self." "In the undivided self, every major thread o...more
Some of my favorite thoughts:
"We teach who we are." ~p.2
"Teaching holds a mirror to the soul." ~p.3
"Good teaching requires self-knowledge." ~p.3
"Technique is what teachers use until the real teacher arrives." ~p.6
"The more one loves teaching, the more heartbreaking it can be." ~p.11
It is essential to teach from an "undivided self." "In the undivided self, every major thread o...more
I have had this book on my shelf for the past year or two, and I am very glad that I did not read it until now. I needed to have taught for five years, and grappled as I have grappled, to be moved into the unique subject areas that Parker addresses in this book. I appreciated how much I could relate to his fears, his triumphs, his understanding of gifts and their limits, and the idea of the great things. I read this voraciously, excited to hear another teacher expressing things that I have thus...more
I really liked most of Palmer's ideas but the prose was not very interesting. I thought the text got a bit redundant and his real-life examples boring to read. Maybe I had issues because I struggle to read many education philosophy type books but I had a lot of trouble connecting with the book. There are many powerful insights and I do think it's important to discover your inner self and conduct yourself with integrity, but I felt like oftentimes Palmer kept repeating some of the same ideas over...more
Despite this book being written for educators, it was first recommended to me almost a decade ago by a Christian educator in the congregation I was serving. A few years ago a ministry colleague loaned me her copy (and I'll finally be getting it returned to her).
There is good material that I can apply to the church and ministry and specifically to the teaching function of the pastor. Reading the book opened my eyes to some things I was doing incorrectly while also giving me insight into how to do...more
There is good material that I can apply to the church and ministry and specifically to the teaching function of the pastor. Reading the book opened my eyes to some things I was doing incorrectly while also giving me insight into how to do...more
Mar 10, 2009
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
box-313-history-biographies
from the library computer
2007
"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, some...more
2007
"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, some...more
Palmer is a little bit gushy about the great ineffable glory and torment of being a teacher, and I found myself skimming vast swaths of the book. However, I did find several important points to that I am trying to integrate into my thinking about teaching.
One is a frank acknowledgment that teaching is scary, that we can be so desperate to be liked by our students and to get them to learn that we can lose track of our own identities. We should not become over-invested in technique. Not every tec
...more
I have read and re-read this wonderful volume--both on my own and in conjunction with educator colleagues from several schools. I have highlighted and re-highlighted many passages. This book really bears re-reading well. To me, that attests to its lasting value.
One of my favorite excerpts, for instance, is this one (which falls on pp. 107 - 108 of Courage to Teach):
"When we are at our best, it is because the grace of great things has evoked from us the virtues that give educational community its...more
One of my favorite excerpts, for instance, is this one (which falls on pp. 107 - 108 of Courage to Teach):
"When we are at our best, it is because the grace of great things has evoked from us the virtues that give educational community its...more
Jan 27, 2011
Melissa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Any teacher who may have lost their way.
Recommended to Melissa by:
Dr. Duerr
This book helped me reflect on my role as an educator in the movement for educational reform. It gave me insight to why we as educators cannot turn our backs on the changes and mandates going on around us because we are too much a part of it all to think that not speaking up and doing our own thing is effective enough. Policy makers need to be reminded, more likely they need to be informed, that good teaching boils down to teachers' disposition, integrity, and passion for subject matter and stud...more
This was an assigned summer reading for my new teaching job. That's right, I said teaching job! After a decade I will be back in the classroom part-time. As for the book, I think the author has a lot of valid and interesting points, my issue with it is that his discussion of them became so esoteric and abstract that I often had a hard time wrapping my head around them and visualizing how I wiould put them into practice in a concrete way. I would have liked more real-life examples.
This is the definitive, must-read book for anyone who teaches. Palmer views teaching as a courageous act of being vulnerable in front of a group of people, but being willing to be vulnerable is what makes someone an outstanding teacher. We don't teach well from behind "masks of professionalism." Palmer was a college-level professor, so the book is a little more geared toward teachers of adults and young adults, but still valuable for anyone who teaches.
If you like Palmer, or if you like his style, then this book is up your alley. If you don't like Palmer, but like drawn out anecdotes and poor metaphors, then this book is also for you. If you like facts, concrete ideas, and information on what actually makes a good teacher, this book probably isn't for you. If you got the anniversary edition with the CD, and like staying awake, then this book and CD combo is definitely not for you.
Nov 18, 2007
Kate
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
teachers of any age student
Shelves:
reading-in-an-ongoing-manner
Palmer's wisdom urges you to know yourself as a teacher, and to be aware of the things that may cause you to burn out or, as he puts it "to lose heart." It speaks to me and I recommend it highly for teachers. Even so, this type of book takes me a long time to read--I find these wise, well-worded, spiritual books meaningful and important, but it's difficult to muster up the motivation to sit down and read them.
Here's a passage that I found meaningful today: "In unguarded moments with close friend...more
Here's a passage that I found meaningful today: "In unguarded moments with close friend...more
Jun 17, 2009
Lizette Valles
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
teaching-teaching-resources
How can I develop the authority to teach, the capacity to stand my ground in the midst of the complex forces of both the classroom and my own life?
Power works from the outside in, but authority works from the inside out.
Authority is granted to people who are perceived as authoring their own words, their own actions, their own lives, rather than playing a scripted role at great remove from their own hearts. (All quotes from pg.34)
I know God is the author of my life and He directs my path. This pa...more
Power works from the outside in, but authority works from the inside out.
Authority is granted to people who are perceived as authoring their own words, their own actions, their own lives, rather than playing a scripted role at great remove from their own hearts. (All quotes from pg.34)
I know God is the author of my life and He directs my path. This pa...more
This book resonated in my heart more than nearly any book I have ever read, but with a caveat. While the themes Palmer discussed resonated with my heart, I didn't always find the specific example or the writing to be on par with the "truths" explored. The key truths for me were: Teach out of identity and core not technique. Fear and alienation are the enemies of effective teaching. Greater truths are often paradoxes. Trying to resolve paradoxes too quickly short-circuits learning. The tension fr...more
Some interesting ideas, but he is also a bit too abstract for me at times. One of his central themes seems to be how fears (teacher fears and student fears) can combine to prevent learning from happening. He encourages teachers to see their craft in a very unique way and shares some pretty raw failures from his own teaching life to make his points. I think this is a good book for teachers looking for fresh ideas and/or teachers who are feeling a bit beaten up.
I'm partial to Parker Palmer for several reasons ~ he's a teacher, he lives in Madison, he's humorous, honest, charming and a Quaker.
I especially appreciated his willingness to share his inner most feelings about his periods of severe depression. He helped me better understand clinical depression ~ its pain and its gifts.
I especially appreciated his willingness to share his inner most feelings about his periods of severe depression. He helped me better understand clinical depression ~ its pain and its gifts.
A very personal and introspective book about what it means to be a teacher and how to teach from inner strength rather than from weakness and competition. I want to reread this book every few years. It is the kind of book that will have different messages for me at different stages in my journey as a teacher.
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Parker J. Palmer (Madison, WI) is a writer, teacher and activist whose work speaks deeply to people in many walks of life. Author of eight books--including the bestsellers Courage to Teach, Let Your Life Speak, and A Hidden Wholeness--his writing has been recognized with ten honorary doctorates and many national awards, including the 2010 William Rainey Harper Award (previously won by Margaret Mea...more
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“Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.”
—
29 people liked it
“If we want to grow as teachers -- we must do something alien to academic culture: we must talk to each other about our inner lives -- risky stuff in a profession that fears the personal and seeks safety in the technical, the distant, the abstract.”
—
8 people liked it
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