Religion & Christian Education

The Courage to Teach - Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher-s Life

2 stars (Not typical style) - I have heard many speak highly of the book, but I just don't get it. There is passion in his style and his delivery encouraging teachers to maintain integrity, to stay true to themselves, and so forth. I guess that I lose interest due to the verbose language used. There are many aspects to teaching, and it is a lot of work; I am not equating this aspect to success or failure for connection with the students. As I said, many that I have spoken to enjoy it... I don't. 5 stars (The Courage to Teach - Palmer) - The book was in excellent condition. The box was partially opened, but the product unharmed. Audrey 4 stars (for any educator at any grade level!) - I read this for a graduate school assignment. It is a good book. Parker believes that classrooms should be subject-centered, not student-centered. It is very interesting why he states this. I actually liked the book the second time I read it. He goes on about not losing your identity while you teach and about not copying techniques that are not true to yourself. He gives a lot of insightful information. I recommend it to anyone in the field of education. I actually think I appreciated it more due to the fact that I have teaching experience. ...
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Let Your Life Speak- Listening for the Voice of Vocation

5 stars (Discernment for "part two" of life) - Our women's circle is studying this book together. We are middle-aged and over but are looking at a time of growth in this next part of our life-journey. The book is helping us to let our lives speak to each other and to ourselves. 5 stars ("Ask me whether what I have done is my life." (1)) - I got this book some time ago, when one of the professors at BC recommended it to me as a way to think about what I wanted to do with my life and of course, I never read it. However, I'm almost glad that I didn't read it until now, because at this point in my life I think I needed it more than I did when I was choosing a path. Palmer is basically telling his own story of vocation, including all the dark spots that he hit along the way. However, he emphasizes the need to see the good and the possibilities for growth in those dark spots. For example, in the final chapter he compares life to the changing seasons in an extended metaphor. For winter, he says, "Despite all appearances, of course, nature is not dead in winter--it has gone underground to renew itself and prepare for spring. Winter is a time when we are admonished, and even inclined, to do the same for ourselves" (101). His main point is that in order to do this (renew ourselves for growth in our vocation), each person should learn to listen to their inner self because that is the only way that we will truly become the full person that God created us to be. He does frequently refer to religious ideas like this but, the nice thing about his writing is even though he is religious, this idea does not overwhelm the book and it can really be for anyone (though I'm sure that an atheist might not get as much out of this as a religious person would). This book helped me to look at my life and see if I could discover what my "inner self" has been trying to tell me, even in times of my darkness and "winter", about my vocation. 5 stars (Palmer is the Real Deal) - I generally make not...
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