Divided No More...

I find it wholly appropriate that in the last chapter of the book and in the final throes of a busy and informative semester, I have had an epiphany of sorts reading chapter 7 that not only helps me find purpose in my vocation as an educator, but a more clearly focused lens by which I may look through for the ultimate goal of my doctoral research.

The great part is that my "movement" is driven by the same goals as the Catholic church I work for and go to school at for my graduate work. This movement is very simple. We are to help the poor and the marginalized. In our case it is within the realm of education.

I initially thought my movement, both in reading the first half of the chapter and in my Masters studies, was more aligned with the "inquiry-based-student/subject-centered-collaborative-constructivist" movement trying so desperately to break through to high schools and undergraduate "weeder" college courses. I suppose it still is when looking at the pedagogical methods that best serve the poor and the marginalized but my focus is more clear regardless.

The final page of our chapter sums up my feelings quite nicely:

"As we find our place in the movement, we will discover that there is no essential conflict between loving to teach and working to reform education. An authentic movement is not a play for power. It is teaching and learning writ large. Now the world becomes our classroom, and the potential to teach and learn is found everywhere. We need only be in the world as our true selves, with open hearts and minds" (Palmer, 2007, p. 190).