Ch V: Teaching in Community

Creating a space for learning in a community of truth is vital to effective teaching and involves a lot of carefully orchestrated skills. I found this concept perfect to read and reflect upon before school begins in a few weeks. As we plan for a lesson we need to be careful that all the necessary ingredients for the lesson such as the topic, materials, time frame, etc. don't smother our learning space. I loved the phrase that our course should be defined as "more engaging that engorging". Providing readings with substance but providing gaps where they can think their own thoughts is sometimes difficult to balance. I think you want to lead them to understanding the concept and also leave them hungry with questions that will spur them to find out more information about the topic. This can be a difficult balance with so many levels of students in our classroom. When one may be hungry the other could be stuffed! I think at times this is when whole and small groupings are effective. We could also take a general topic and assign groups to research an element of it and then they all report back to the class. That leaves everyone a bit hungry.

I also appreciated his thoughts on questioning techniques. Again, you are searching for the happy medium between closing the learning space by asking basic comprehension questions and opening up too much space where there aren't any boundaries to frame the question and you lose your students. There is definitely skill with good questioning and for me it took time to develop. Taking a question and turning it around into a community dialogue, engages everyone and allows freedom of expression to occur. It gives students the opportunity to listen on a deeper level that if they were just listening to the teacher. We need to carve out that time for community dialogue. It actually is an excellent informal assessment tool for the teacher. You can see engagement of students by their participation and their responses will reveal the level of thinking skills that are operating. Lifting up and reframing what students are saying is another tool to assess comprehension of the concept. Good questioning requires attentive listening...another paradox!

Ch 4: Knowing in Community

I loved the circular diagram representing the community of truth. Just looking at it you can see the listening, sharing, responding, reflecting patterns of communication occurring. Learning occurs as all these processes are happening with open minds and hearts willing to absorb it all, digest it and maybe even change their preconceived notions about an idea. As Palmer states, "Openness to transcendence is what distinguishes the community of truth from both absolutism and relativism." The process of truth-telling and truth-knowing is a "dance of intimacy and distance, of speaking and listening, of knowing and not knowing...". True learning is a cyclical pattern that requires us to be open to new thoughts and ideas, and as teachers we need to allow time for the sharing, listening and discernment to take place in an open environment.

My favorite part of the chapter referred to "the grace of great things." This spoke to me particularly as a Catholic school teacher. I recognize the "ultimate" great things that call us together such as the Holy Spirit working through us as teachers. The virtures of the grace of great things such as diversity, ambiguity, creative conflict, honesty, humility and free learners are all evidenced in scripture and the teachings of Jesus Christ. When we stay rooted in these foundations our classroom becomes a sacred place and we learn to use "soft eyes" to take in more of the world.

Ch 3: The Hidden Wholeness; Paradox in teaching and learning

I thought one of the most important quotes in this chapter was: "To become a better teacher, I must nurture a sense of self that both does and does not depend on the responses of others." It is quite a beautiful paradox that reminds us to care for our inner landscape and have balance in our lives. When I have had a "bad" teaching day it can often be traced back to lack of care to my sense of self. This tarnishes my inner soul and has a negative impact on my energy, attitude and teaching. When I teach on a day like this I come to school with a tank half (or less) full and the results of my teaching reflect that. Also, I am literally coming to school incomplete, with pieces of myself that need nurturing missing so responses (especially negative) from students or colleagues affect me more. If we care for our inner self we are appreciative of our gifts and accepting of our weaknesses or limitations. When our students see us model an acceptance of self it creates a welcoming environment and gives them the freedom to recognize their gifts and limitations and experience risk by becoming more involved in the learning process.

Ch 2: A Culture of Fear

Two years ago I had two students who were best friends and they were the students from the fiery place down under. One was atheist and the other agnostic and both were angry, verbally combative kids. Religion class became a them vs. me battle as I tried patiently to explain the imperfections of our church over time combined with the perfect, unchanging teachings of Jesus. My goal was to try to open their hearts so they would be receptive to consider another viewpoint and hopefully create positive behavior and interactions with others. And, as Palmer wrote I was obsessed with them. I couldn't understand why I wasn't making headway and my frustration grew as the year progressed. I usually connected easily with my students and it wasn't happening with them. Their family situations were anti-school and that fueled the diffiulties. By the end of the year little progress was made and I was discouraged and fearful I had lost my effectiveness. Looking back, I think my fears of not reaching them and what that said about me as a teacher, got in the way of breaking through to them. So as I reflect on the chapter and this experience I remind myself of Parker's words, "each time I walk in the classroom I can choose the place within myself from which teaching will come, just as I can choose the place within my students toward which teaching will be aimed. I need not teach from a fearful place."

Heart of a Teacher

This chapter was especially poignant for me because it addressed an issue that I am working through now in my vocation. I feel I do a good job at listening to the voice of the teacher within when I am with my students teaching or creating lesson plans. I often lose pieces of that in the wider school community. That is where I ALLOW the external expectations placed on me by collegues or administration to distort and cloud my identity. When I place their expectations above listening to my inner voice I become confused, anxious and lose my true integrity. At the time I feel I am "helping out", saying "yes" when my principal wants me to take on one more thing and also it usually benefits the students. But, as the text stated so clearly, often these "oughts" end up being a place of intersection between my inner self and the outer world and become someone else's image of what my calling should be. This chapter reaffirms the value of attending to the voice within. Creating time for solitude, silence, meditation will help to ground me and bring back to my consciousness the clarity to distinguish between "ought" and "calling". It helps me to remember that vocation is "the place where deep gladness and the world's hunger meet." This also gives me courage in saying "no" when that is the healthiest answer, despite other people's desired response or expectation. Very empowering chapter!!

Ch 6: Facing Ourselves, Facing the Unfamiliar; Ch 7 The Joy of Teaching

I had to smile when I read the sentence that, "teaching is unpredictable from hour to hour and minute to minute." This is where the adventure of our vocation comes in as well as exposing our vulnerability. We have to be flexible enough to change directions and create a new path with our students if the timing is not right for learning to occur. This requires exposing our vulnerability as individuals. We need the courage to take risks and change course in order to develop a new idea that will better meet their needs. It requires energy and a sense of connectedness with our students that enables us to be tuned into their needs. The only way that will happen is if we are turned into our own inner lives. And the more passionate you are regarding your vocation the more dedicated you are to adjusting methodology and setting to create a hospitable and conducive environment for learning. This as the chapter states, "continuously puts demands on our soul" but I also see it as exercising and strengthening the soul with the passion for our work as the fuel.

Chapter 7 really spoke to me and reinforced the importance of care for the inner self. As educators we know this is critical but often we can get so busy that that caring for our inner selves can get neglected. I need to remember that we do not carry the whole burden of teaching by ourselves and by encouraging others to become more involved in school life will also encourages them to share their gifts and talents. Building community in this way will help us see the connection with others, ourselves and God that will ultimately be transmitted to our students for them to mimic with each other. It also enables us (as Maxine Greene stated) " to look through others' eyes more than I would have and to imagine being something more than I have come to be". Wow what a wonderful gift teaching gives us!

Teaching Morally

Wow! What an important chapter for anyone, especially teachers to read. Students are always observing these people (us...their teachers) who they spend so much time with each year. They watch how we teach, how we interact with them and other students, how we interact with colleagues, how we handle disappointment, how we express happiness, how we handle stress and the list goes on and on. They also form opinions of us based on these observations. We can be people that they admire and want to model or not. It truely is up to us. It is a heavy responsibility and an area that many in education tend to forget. Educators are busy people with lots of demands on our time and we have to be careful not to get so wrapped up in the business of teaching the curriculum, that we forget we are also teaching the heart and soul of the child. As Durka states at the end of the chapter, "if we are to expect our students to understand moral rules and principles, this will include "being a certain kind of person ourselves." This is one of the reasons I feel the vocation of teaching makes me a better person. I hold myself accountable for my words and actions and cannot shoulder the responsibility of inappropriate or negative behavior that a student may witness. I want my students to leave my class at the end of the year better individuals than they were at the beginning with God at the center of their souls. Nothing less is acceptable!

Teaching Wisely/Teaching Morally

This chapter spoke to me in that it is easy to get caught up in the "Indy 500" to cover all the material in all subjects so they are completely prepared for the next grade. These pressures can come from ourselves, our colleagues, principal, parents and diocesan standards but rarely do they from the students. I believe our students just want us to show up happy to see them, with an exciting plan of teaching that will engage them in the learning process and show them how this applies to their life. When I start to feel this pressure I pull back, evaluate and make sure what I am teaching matters to their life, that I am teaching it well and then I watch for students to show me in a variety of ways that they are learning. I also think this concept comes under the umbrella of a healthy learning space. It takes humility to have the courage to slow down the process making sure we are listening to our students and ensuring they have the opportunity to dialogue concepts. It also relates to boundaries because in addition to behaviors and physical space, I feel boundaries includes differentiating between quality of teaching and quantity. And of course, the hospitality of your class is crucial in order for students to feel safe to take the journey of learning with you.

Blessed be God!: Ch. 3 Teaching Creatively

I agree Sr. Susana! I think God gives us those special students because He is stretching us to exercise our patience, creativity and love for each other as we search to find a way to connect with them. Often these students are the ones you never forget and hold a special place in your heart for. We also learn a lot about ourselves as we become their companion on their journey of learning.Blessed be God!: Ch. 3 Teaching Creatively: "Blessed be God! What I like the most about this chapter is the part where Durka writes about Sylvia Ashton-Warner. How beautiful to take th..."

Thoughts on ch 3

I thought the concept of "stillness" was an important element in this chapter especially in a world that we live in that is rarely still. The quote, "getting them to be still inside so they can be receive the learning experiences" is so accurate. We do need their attention to teach or model a concept but more than that we need their stillness so they can welcome the experience and absorb it. It also gives the students the opportunity to be one with themselves and that opens their receptive channels even more as well as nutures their spirit.

I also found a connection between imagination and destructiveness. Although they may appear to be on opposite sides of the spectrum their outcomes are similar. When imagining you are awakening yourself to new ideas and through destruction you make pieces from a whole, but you can construct and create something new using your imagination. Creative teaching can take an old lesson plan, destruct it into pieces...and through imagination gather the pieces and create a new exciting plan.

Thoughts on Ch 2

"The longer we teach, the deeper the courage we need." Interesting quote! As I reflected on it I found it to be true on many levels. Beginning the school year, working through a conflict with a parent, etc may get a bit easier due to experience but teaching is ever evolving because our students are, we are and society is. We need to constantly, no matter how many years we have taught, use our imagination to design varied paths for our students to take on their educational journey. Creating a climate of hospitality will increase the number of paths our students will risk traveling on, but if we are truely their companion they will have the courage to do so. I believe that passion, optimism, and creativity are all qualities we can model to our students that will inspire them to be open and hungry for learning.

Aspects of my vocation as a Catholic educator

God certainly blessed me with the call to be an Catholic educator! I always knew that was my vocation and I never questioned the choice. After many, many, happy, fulfilling years as a teacher I still look forward to the first day of school and feel a bit melancholy (and tired :) on the last day. I feel so fortunate to be in a Catholic school setting because I have the honor of teaching the WHOLE person. Starting the day with prayer is as natural as breathing and connects us with God and each other. Once the recognition that we (students and faculty) make up the Body of Christ community is built and the intellectual components of education are easier to facilitate. I take seriously the fact that I spend 7 hours a day for 180 days with my students therefore, I have a huge impact on their day...I can either make it better or worse. I try to model acceptance, kindness, respect and honesty to my students because I know that we all have a trickle effect on each other and we want to trickle goodness. We look for "God moments" daily until it becomes part of our vocabulary. My students see less and less coincidences and more of the movement of God in their lives. I feel strongly that a Christ centered environment must be created and facilitated for effective teaching to happen to the "whole" child. In conclusion, teaching in a Catholic school strengthens my faith, gives me the opportunity to share and perhaps convert a lost soul and basically makes me a better person!

Hi everyone!