Bibliotherapy: The Courage to Teach and Who You Are and What You Do

My first assignment for my Open Floor teacher training was to read, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life by Parker J. Palmer. This book was first published over twenty years ago. It’s written for educators by an educator yet has applications for most professions, how to “reconnect who they are with what they do.”

I kept wondering if this book is used in education? I thought often about my teacher friends and connections and if they know this book? I hear from them about losing heart in their vocation due to a “tragic gap between what is and what should be.”

Palmer talks about “vocation as the unification of who we are and what we do” and this idea that “we teach who we are.” He discusses the importance of deep self-work to understand one’s intellectual, emotional, and spiritual life. How can you be a teacher (or parent, or advisor, or leader, etc.) if you are not sure who you are and what you stand for? How do you identify, embrace, and present authentically? How do you bring your whole self to all that you do? Because that’s what is required for a life well lived.

Dissatisfied with your vocation? Burnt out? Stressed out? Overwhelmed? Lost heart? Coriander Living Collective is here to offer a path towards self-discovery and satisfaction. Just reach out!