OTL Book Club - The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life

Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 12:00 – 1:30 pm, 144 Purdy/Kresge Library (Simons Room) (Flyer, PDF)

Join us for the OTL Book Club, designed to offer faculty a chance to meet during lunch once a semester to discuss meaningful and interesting books. Our book this semester is, The Courage to Teach by Parker J. Palmer. According to Palmer, "If you are a teacher who never has bad days, or who has them but does not care, this book is not for you. 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. This book raises a question about teaching that goes unasked in our national dialogue—and often goes unasked even in the places where teachers are educated and employed. But it should be asked wherever good teaching is at stake, for it honors and challenges the teacher's heart, and it invites a deeper inquiry than our traditional questions do. In this book, Palmer discusses the inner life of the dedicated teacher and how that life shapes teaching and learning. According to Palmer, "Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse." To that end, he explores the inner landscape of the teaching self, and discusses three important paths that must be taken; intellectual, emotional and spiritual.

Join us as we discuss the implications of The Courage to Teach in our teaching lives at WSU and how we might explore our own lives as teachers to connect who we are with what we do. Registrants will receive a free copy of Palmer’s book prior to the discussion. Lunch will be provided for all attendees.

Space is limited to 10 participants, so reserve a spot soon and arrange to pick up your book by emailing Shari Robinson-Lynk at ShariLynn@wayne.edu.