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Parker J. Palmer

Parker J. Palmer Quotes

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Famous Parker J. Palmer Quotes

“Teaching holds a mirror to the soul. If I am willing to look in that mirror and not run from what I see I have a chance to gain self knowledge and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my subject. In fact, knowing my students and my subject depends heavily on self knowledge.”

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Book:The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life
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“People are always asking, "Is this person in front of me the same on the inside as he or she appears to be on the outside? Is there congruence between what's within that person and the words and actions I'm viewing and hearing externally?" Children ask that about their parents; students ask it about their teachers; parishioners ask it about their pastors and priests; employees ask it about their bosses; and in a democracy, citizens ask it about their political leaders.”

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Author:Parker J. Palmer
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“The academic bias against subjectivity not only forces our students to write poorly ("It is believed...," instead of, "I believe..."), it deforms their thinking about themselves and their world. In a single stroke, we delude our students into believing that bad prose turns opinions into facts and we alienate them from their own inner lives.”

ThinkingWorldWritingBelieveHeartFactsTurnsForceI BelieveOpinionStudentsProseAcademicBiasStrokesInner LifeSubjectivity
Book:The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection and Renewal
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“Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together. The entanglements I experience in the classroom are often no more or less than the convolutions of my inner life. Viewed from this angle, teaching holds a mirror to the soul. If I am willing to look in that mirror and not run from what I see, I have a chance to gain self-knowledge-and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my subject.”

IfsWayHumansLooksSoulSelfRunningTogetherChanceTeachKnowingTeachingConditionsSubjectsStudentsWillingActivityProjectsGainsMirrorsEducationalMy SoulCrucialClassroomSelf KnowledgeAngleInner LifeHuman ActivityBeing TogetherGood TeachingEntanglementKnowing Myself
Book:The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection and Renewal
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“I now understand what Nelle Morton meant when she said that one of the great tasks in our time is to "hear people to speech." Behind their fearful silence, our students want to find their voices, speak their voices, have their voices heard. A good teacher is one who can listen to those voices even before they are spoken-so that someday they can speak with truth and confidence.”

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Book:The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life
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“Every good teacher and every good parent has somehow learned to negotiate the paradox of freedom and discipline. We want our children and our students to become people who think and live freely, yet at the same time we know that helping them become free requires us to restrict their freedom in certain situations.”

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Book:The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life
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