Publication Date

2023

Abstract

In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer (1998) writes, “Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher” (p. 10). As Palmer (1998) suggests, teaching and identity are interwoven, making teaching an act of vulnerability. Despite this, we often create our courses in ways that protect us, and ultimately, create distance from the students we teach. This piece explores ways to return to the humanity in teaching by understanding ourselves and our students and using these collective understandings to create inclusive and responsive learning environments, regardless of course modality.

Author Biography

Dr. Stephanie M. Foote is the Vice President for Teaching, Learning, and Evidence-Based Practices at the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, and Lecturer in the Higher Education Administration Program at Stony Brook University. Previously, Stephanie was a professor of education at Kennesaw State University.

Author's Notes

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Stephanie M. Foote, Gardner Institute, P.O. Box 72, Brevard, NC 28712. Email: foote@jngi.org

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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A Return to Humanity in Teaching

In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer (1998) writes, “Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher” (p. 10). As Palmer (1998) suggests, teaching and identity are interwoven, making teaching an act of vulnerability. Despite this, we often create our courses in ways that protect us, and ultimately, create distance from the students we teach. This piece explores ways to return to the humanity in teaching by understanding ourselves and our students and using these collective understandings to create inclusive and responsive learning environments, regardless of course modality.