The Courage to Teach, 10th Anniversary Edition: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life (Library Edition) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Parker J. Palmer (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Palmer's classic teaching manual builds on the simple premise that 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 all 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. 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 when we choose to live authentic lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A teacher, speaker and writer who contends that teaching is an integral part of all his work, Palmer now explores the spirituality of teaching....Palmer lays bare his own struggles in engaging prose, and his book is sure to inspire the educational community to think in new ways about its tasks. --Publishers Weekly

Recommended for all teachers, this book would be a valuable addition to professional and teacher education collections. --Library Journal

A profoundly moving, utterly passionate, and inspired articulation of the call to, and the pain and joy of, teaching. It is must reading for any and every teacher, at any level. --Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are

From the Inside Flap

"A profoundly moving, utterly passionate, and inspired articulation of the call to, and the pain and joy of, teaching. It is must reading for any and every teacher, at any level."
—Jon Kabat-Zinn author of Wherever You Go, There You Are

For nearly forty years, Parker Palmer has worked on behalf of teachers and others who choose 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 The Courage to Teach, which takes teachers on an inner journey toward reconnecting with themselves, their students, and their colleagues, and toward reclaiming vocational passion.

The Courage to Teach 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, deeply connected with their students and their subject. These connections are held in the teacher's heart—the place where intellect, emotion, spirit, and converge in the human self. Good teachers weave a life-giving web between themselves, their subjects, and their students, helping their students learn how to weave a world for themselves.

In a new Foreword and Afterword to this tenth anniversary edition, Parker Palmer reflects on a decade of movement-building during which he and his colleagues at the Center for Courage & Renewal have helped thousands of teachers and others restore identity and integrity to professional life. On the accompanying audio CD, Parker and his colleagues, Marcy Jackson, and Estrus Tucker, talk about the Center's on-the-ground work and share their hopes for this movement toward human wholeness and community. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio CD: 7 pages
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.; Unabridged library edition (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441700013
• ISBN-13: 978-1441700018
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,092,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PARKER J. PALMER is a writer, teacher and activist whose work speaks deeply to people in many walks of life. He is founder and senior partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His books include "A Hidden Wholeness," "Let Your Life Speak," "The Courage to Teach," "The Active Life," "To Know as We Are Known," "The Company of Strangers," "The Promise of Paradox," "The Heart of Higher Education," and "Healing the Heart of Democracy." He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, as well as ten honorary doctorates, two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association, and an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press. In 1998, the Leadership Project, a national survey of 10,000 educators, named him one of the thirty most influential senior leaders in higher education and one of the ten key agenda-setters of the past decade. In 2010, he was given the William Rainey Harper Award (previously won by Margaret Mead, Marshall McLuhan, Paulo Freire, and Elie Wiesel). "Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer," was published in 2005. In 2011, the Utne Reader named him as one of "25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World"--people who "don't just think out loud but who walk their talk on a daily basis." (See the Oct-Nov 2011 print or online edition.) He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transformative Ideas for All Teachers, March 4, 2008

By 

Margaret Golden "Associate Professor of Educa... (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, 10th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover)

Parker Palmer's wisdom is invaluable to all who teach. His ideas are both profound and revolutionary. The Courage to Teach leads us on an exploration of the paradoxes inherent in our living and our teaching. We are encouraged to "cultivate the capacity for connectedness on which all good teaching depends." Parker's words inspire us to live and teach authentically, and invite our students to do the same. This book is a must read for all who struggle to teach in a way that opens students' hearts, as well as their minds.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book For Our Time, September 25, 2007

By 

Georgia Weithe (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, 10th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover)

In his book,The Courage To Teach, Parker Palmer refers to the power of great mentors to "awaken a truth within us." By his own definition, he has mentored thousands of teachers over the past decade, guiding them toward their own truth, integrity and the courage needed to hang in there during this turbulent time for the teaching profession. This book is a must for everyone who recognizes, that there has never been a time when it took more courage to teach! Georgia Weithe, Educational Consultant

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone Who Teaches Deserves This Book!, August 17, 2007

By 

Robert A. Wood "chip" (New England,USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, 10th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover)

Do you have a favorite teacher? Someone who is working overtime to inspire your children? Someone who adds meaning to your life? Or perhaps you are a teacher who needs some deep inspiration and healing. This book is for all of us. For ten years Parker Palmer's writing has been the most powerful word-of-mouth best seller on the market. Don't wait to add it to your library! Chip Wood, M.S.W., Elementary Principal, Co-Founder, Responsive Classroom