Palmer Foreword and Introduction

As I began reading this week, I came across the second paragraph of the foreword where Palmer says "my Buddhist friends tell me this is not a good way to live" and I thought of Patrick reading this at the same time in another room far away from me with one eyebrow slightly raised while thumbing Rosary beads. (just kidding:)


Some of the statements in the foreword really had me thinking back to my days as a public school teacher though. When Palmer talked about the ever increasing emphasis and obsession with educational externals (p. xiv) such as the standardized testing of No Child Left Behind, it brought back many awful memories of days spent dealing with my special education students trying to cope with the unrealistic expectations of the standarized tests and the unsympathetic principal who couldn't understand why my kids were "bringing down her test scores." I swear those test scores were all that lady cared about in her professional life. It definitely created a situation where there was the same "lack of trust" Palmer touched on (p. xvii) when discussing trust in schools.

It was a bit of a paradox though when Palmer used Byrk and Schneider's research to justify relational trust in schools when their research used the very same standardized tests as a measure of achievement that Palmer was discrediting only a couple of pages earlier.


Finally, it brought back many of the "keepin' it real" moments with those incredible middle school children I taught in the beginning of my career when Palmer referred to the child in the "Emperor's New Clothes" that "do not care what graduate school you attended, who chaired your dissertation committee, or how many books you have written, but they quickly sense if you are real, and they respond accordingly" (p. 7). It took a great deal of patience but those years contained some of the most rewarding experiences of my life and without them I would not be the teacher I am today.

The Joy of Vulnerabilities

There was a particular quote from our readings this week that reverberated in the back of my head somewhat like hearing a perfectly played chord on a guitar: "The more attuned we are to the needs of our students, the more unsure we are of what they or we actually achieve." (p. 63) I've often had thoughts similar to this statement as I try to differentiate learning for students in my freshman biology class that range from freshly diagnosed LD all the way to gifted students that will someday have a courseload of 4 AP classes. As I strive to meet them all in the middle, I often become much more aware of both the need to remediate for my LD students while simultaneously providing extension oportunities for the gifted students that otherwise may become bored and disinterested. Situations like these often have me looking within to examine exactly what they are getting out of the class and "what I'm actually achieving."

The image above is the first thing that popped into my head as I was digesting both the "vulnerabilities" of chapter 6 and the "joys" in chapter 7 and the dilemma posed above. What I was able to figure out from these chapters was that the very same vulnerabilities discussed in the readings are often (ironically) the fuel for the "joyous" fire that burns within all of us as educators and administrators. When Durka said "The journey of life is full of surprises. Sometimes they are joyful, but at other times we want a little more direction" (p. 74) I immediately thought of the uncertainty we often face in educational settings like the one I mentioned above.

Through it all though, we are blessed to work in such an amazing field. Despite the vulnerable situations we put ourselves in every day, the joy that results from our situational uncertainties is able to provide a fulfilling inner AND outer journey. Gloria summarized my opinion best when she stated "We realize that we do what we do because we feel called to do it. It is for us a source of joy. And we give thanks for it." (p. 80)

Because we care... Durka Pgs. 39-59

As I began our readings for the week, I was again drawn into Durka's stance on the benefits of generative and transformative learning and learning spaces. While I agree wholeheartedly that this type of learning is an incredible tool for creating honest and open learning environments I'm left with some questions.

I would like to ask Durka how it's possible to ready our students for the environment they'll be facing as undergrads at various universities around the world without the large amount of transmissive teaching that is currently necessary to "cover the material". Should we not cover the material fully? Is it not ironic how very little generative and transformative instruction they'll receive at the undergraduate college level? She does a great job of showing the true benefits of transformative and generative environments, but I'd like a little more concrete advice on exactly how to implement the practices while still giving the students the material, tools, and knowledge they'll need to compete and succeed when they become freshmen at very competitive universities.

Gloria's discussion of "style" and later in the readings of being "moral counsel" and caring for our students also threw me into a reflective state. When she quoted Kierkegaard (1941) as saying "teaching is not a question of making true utterance but of uttering the truth in such a way that students want to embrace it" I immediately thought of the great teachers I've had in the past that pulled me in with their caring and honest style.

When Durka said "the extensiveness of our caring for the well being of our students is a measure of the richness of our own spirituality" (p. 51) I thought she summarized much of the moral, caring, and spiritual knowledge we've had in our course to date. I hope to use that mantra to reach out to my students who need it the most the same way the rabbi "ascended to Heaven" when helping the old woman and her sick son (pgs.53-54).

Response to Durka Readings

There were many parts of Durka's book that activated both the memory and creative centers in my brain. The first thing that struck me was her mentioning that 15 years of teaching are 15 totally different experiences. While I agree with that, I simultaneously disagree with her assertion that we should "throw out our plan books" at the end of each year. I feel there is a fine balance to be struck between starting each year fresh and realizing the unique aspects of each new class, but in my opinion it would be foolish to just throw the plans from the previous years away.

I was also thrown into "deep thought" when Durka quoted Palmer and began speaking to our topic from last week's reading on transmissive vs. generative/transformative learning. I can totally see the transmissive aspects of my school in full gear as many of my colleagues "train" the incoming freshman to be socialized into our "way of life", act well-behaved and under control in the classroom, and sit there quietly as we "pass information" to them.

To be "troth-ful", I was intrigued to learn that the root of being a tutor or "paedagogus" was literally to be a 1-to-1 aide/slave. I found it ironic and very strange that ancient teacher-aides were slaves. Hmmm...

I also enjoyed reading about Sylvia Ashton-Warner's classroom and how she used creativity to combat destructiveness. As a former special education teacher, I was able to relate to the usage of inquiry-based pedagogy to engage highly destructive students in fun learning activities.

Finally, the graduate student's reflection of their father not only reminded me of my own father, but many of the "old school" teachers I've worked with over the last decade.

What is Spirituality?

Spirituality is the life-fuel that keeps my attitude positive and energized in my daily workings as an educator. It's hard to "define" or quantify spirituality, but I see it every day. I see spirituality in my students, my colleagues and my administrators. It becomes apparent through the small acts of kindness each of those different groups give to each other every day. Through teaching, learning, coaching, tutoring, helping, cleaning, composting and many many more, I see true spirituality shining through.