Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
confrontative; forces contemplation; brings freedom, January 9, 1998
Palmer's book, ostensibly about education and learning, contains truths that call one to introspection regarding the whole of life. The book has definitely influenced me to change the objective and methods of my teaching. But its value in my personal life cannot be measured. Palmer's teaching regarding the communal nature of truth and the necessity of obedience to that which is learned forces deep introspection. What words of knowledge have I let fall to the ground in my search for the next great idea or intellectual stimulant? Introspection on this matter brings me to understand that entering troth with knowledge frees me to live simply, in community with mankind. Dave
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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must readperiod., December 2, 1998
By A Customer
This book appears to be a teacher-oriented book, but it is in fact a book for those interested in knowing themselves better, which then is integrated into their teaching. Palmer deals with life seen through the eyes of truth, which includes teaching. This book not only helped my teaching, but also my faith, my knowledge of myself, and how to really interact with others. This book has reshaped how I think about life and teaching. Good teaching comes from our personal development, and you cannot separate them in any way.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Teaching with a gentle spirit, February 10, 2005
I have long been a fan of Parker Palmer, from his work on teaching and vocation to his work on spirituality - his volume 'Let Your Life Speak' is one of my regular 're-reads'; his book 'The Courage to Teach' is also an important piece of my personal vocational discernment. This book is a 'new event' in my life; originally assigned as part of a class, it has already become part of my 'necessary' books.
I recognise myself in some of the pages here, both as a teacher and as a student. Palmer combines ideas from theories of education with ideas from theology, spirituality and vocational discernment. I do sense myself falling into the 'must get an A' mode in many of my classes; Palmer writes that this is fairly typical of the Western intellectual paradigm. He draws an example from the film 'The Day After Trinity', about the makers of the first atomic weapons, and how they were goal-oriented to such an extent that they didn't take time to reflect on the greater ramifications of their work - the work itself and progress toward the goal (here an 'A' constituted a workable, fission bomb) was all that mattered. One of the downsides of letting to part of the educational experience go in favour of a less target-oriented, graded approach (not really addressed in his writing) is that the rest of the world does look to this - will others interpret the 'C' on my transcript from my undergraduate days and realise as I did that that particular class was more valuable to me than any other?
Palmer states that our quest for knowledge derives from two sources, curiosity and control. Palmer argues another source, however, beyond these two, and that is love. 'This love is not a soft and sentimental virtue, not a fuzzy feeling of romance.' It is one that incorporates curiosity and control aspects, but serves as a deeper connection to the world in which we live. Palmer quotes Thomas Merton, who stated that the purpose of education is relation to the world in authentic and spontaneous ways.
Just as relation is important for education, knowledge and truth are also held by Palmer to be communal in nature. Palmer argues against various 'objective' models that often fall short of the mark; there is room for the individual and the communal in his formulation, but this is something that must faithfully interact in relationship with each aspect and with each other. Palmer argues against simple objectivism (telling the world what it is) and simple subjectivism (listening to no one but ourselves), and calls for obedience - an admittedly unpopular word, Palmer acknowledges. Obedience has roots in understanding and in listening; taken from this angle (and realizing that obedience is not a blind virtue here, but rather a monastic virtue such as the Benedictine vows of obedience to authority, which is again an authority different from typical forms in the world).
Palmer urges teachers to be conscious of their styles and the kind of learning space they create. He states that there are three characteristics of learning space that must be attended to - openness, boundaries, and hospitality. Openness means removing barriers to learning, be they physical, psychological, or spiritual. Boundaries, however, are important; boundaries should not be barriers, but should serve to keep things on track and relevant. Hospitality is vital, and an element we've let fall away in the modern world in many respects - how welcome are new ideas? New people? New methods? Palmer states that hospitality is both an ethical and epistemological virtue.
Palmer's final chapter is crucial for those who will be teachers; those with good professional technique can only be made more effective by the kind of personal development and reflection that comes from the development of practices that Palmer derives from spiritual practices in the long history of Christianity and other religions. Humility, discipline, practicing silence and solitude - these things can 'recharge the batteries', so to speak, of any teacher.
While some critics have stated that Palmer's ideas of teaching and formation are really only applicable for liberal arts or religious-themed instructors/instruction, I would differ with them. I once had an astronomy professor and a mathematics professor, each of whom would draw the philosophy, history and deeper meanings of their subjects in at every level so that their lectures and conversations were not simple mechanical presentations. I once heard of an organic chemistry professor who began the semester by saying, 'this semester, we are going to explore the psychology of Carbon'. What a wonderful way to present the subject! These people got it - there was great love in their teaching and their care for their material, and it showed.
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