If you teach and your teaching is somehow informed by Buddhism, I invite you to submit an essay for consideration for a book of essays on teaching informed by Buddhist perspectives. These essays will be aimed at the college and high school teachers, and the central question the essays will address is: What informs this particular Buddhist as s\/he walks into a classroom to teach?<\/span><\/p>\n
I anticipate that the essays of this book will be written by Buddhists whose daily work invites them to reflect on pedagogy and the demands of their religious practices.<\/p>\n
In what I trust will be thoughtful and fascinating essays, these Buddhist practitioners in the classroom will offer answers to such questions as these:
<\/p>\n\n
- What Buddhist ideals do teachers bring to their classrooms and why? How are these ideals made real in teaching?<\/span><\/li>\n
- What ethical questions arise with the commitment of teachers to wisdom and compassion, to the Eightfold Noble Path, to non-harm\u2026?<\/span><\/li>\n
- How do teachers bring Buddhist contemplative practices into the classroom and to what affect? (How do these practices change learning and alter the classroom environment?)<\/span><\/li>\n
- What stories of Buddhism are most helpful as one considers issues of learning? And how do these stories play their roles?
<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIn short, the essays can range from story-telling of how a particular incident was handled in the classroom and why to reflections on particular Buddhist stories and how they relate to teaching to reflections on teaching as practice and the ideals thereof. This will be the sort of book that a teacher or professor might pick up and read in the evenings or over the summer as a gentle way to expand his\/her understanding of what teaching is and what the responsibilities and joys of teaching are.<\/span><\/p>\n
Preferred are essays approximately 15-30 pages long, doublespaced, that offer a friendly, accessible, perhaps personal treatment. The initial due date for expression of interest (a paragraph casually exploring what you might want to write about) is 30 June. Due date for essays is 15 January 2007. I am happy to discuss with you ideas and possibilities now as you consider the possibility of submitting an essay and later as you refine your ideas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So\u2026 Some ideas (to be cleaned up\/rearranged\/generally edited\u2026):<\/p>\n
A chronological approach:<\/p>\n
\n
- Motivation: the material<\/span> \u2013 philosophy \u2013 Dr. Sponberg<\/li>\n
- Direction: personal connections (w\/ Dr. Sponberg), the question of \u2018philosophy or buddhism\u2019<\/li>\n
- Decision: MA in Bristol, UK. Massive uncertainty<\/li>\n
- Experience: opportunity <\/span>for a new life, torn away from Montana habits (samskaras<\/span>)<\/li>\n
- Growth: (It\u2019s starting to look like I\u2019ll write twenty pages before even addressing teaching!)\u2026<\/li>\n
- Ok, Teaching!<\/li>\n
\n
- June: anticipation\/uncertainty<\/li>\n
- July\/August: preparation (Ethics Center work and a trip to Spain!)<\/li>\n
- September!<\/li>\n
\n
- late August (day before my first class: \u201cTerrified<\/a>\u201c): \u201cThe more I worry about the judgment of my students, the more my heart\/mind closes in judgment back (they\u2019re just \u2018shopping\u2019 for fun classes, not serious enough\u2026), or judgment of myself (not ready, not educated enough, not enough credentials\u2026). The result is a sharp border between them and me, and no way to communicate \u2013 no teaching, no learning (and bad reviews and no paycheck.. wait, that\u2019s not the important thing here).\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1st day: victory, sort of: <\/span>\u201cI had to have tech-support summoned because I couldn\u2019t figure out the computer system (it\u2019s a touch-screen, you have to <\/span>touch <\/span>it\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
- Friday, Sept 8 (life, way too busy<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Monday, Sept 18 (integrating Buddhism and teaching<\/a>): \u201cConcepts and words can be good for understanding reality to some extent, but we have to know when to let them go and just be \u2013 receptive\u2026 connected\u2026 one with all that is\u2026 It is when we do this that we live in the \u2018spirit\u2019 or \u2018spiritual realm.\u2019\u2026 <\/span><\/span>
Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us to return to our friends, those who share a common pursuit. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>They <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>are our connection with reality.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n- Not much after that\u2026 I\u2019m sure I could fill in the rest:<\/li>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/7907151-1085096296935093505?l=americanbuddhist.blogspot.com\")
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