Books & DVDs

The Courage to Teach: Tenth Anniversary Edition

(2007) by Parker J. Palmer

This book builds on a simple premise: good teaching cannot be reduced to technique but is rooted in the identity and integrity of the teacher. Good teaching takes myriad forms but good teachers share one trait: they are authentically present in the classroom, in community with their students and their subject. They possess "a capacity for connectedness" and are able to weave a complex web of connections between themselves, their subjects, and their students, helping their students weave a world for themselves. The connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts — the place where intellect, emotion, spirit, and will converge in the human self — supported by the community that emerges among us when we choose to live authentic lives.

BONUS: Includes an audio CD featuring a 45-minute conversation between Parker Palmer and his CCR colleagues, Marcy Jackson and Estrus Tucker. They reflect on what they have learned from working with thousands of teachers in the Courage to Teach program and with others who yearn for greater integrity in their professional lives.

The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection and Renewal: Tenth Anniversary Edition

(2007) by Parker J. Palmer with Megan Scribner

The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection and Renewal has been thoroughly updated and expanded to help readers reflect on their teaching and renew their sense of vocation. The Guide proposes practical ways to create “safe space” for honest reflection and probing conversation, and offers chapter-by-chapter questions and exercises to explore the many insights in The Courage to Teach. The companion DVD brings The Courage to Teach alive through a 70-minute interview with Parker J. Palmer, originally recorded as a resource for the Center. Palmer reflects on a wide range of subjects including the heart of the teacher, the crisis in education, diverse ways of knowing, relationships in teaching and learning, approaches to institutional transformation, and teachers as “culture heroes.” Discussion questions related to the topics explored in the interview have been integrated into the Guide, giving individuals and study groups a chance to have “a conversation with the author” as well as an engagement with the text.

Circles of Trust DVD  (2008)

The Circles of Trust DVD invites us into deeper contemplation of the dynamic between our inner lives and our outer bearing in the world.  Expanding on the ideas and practices articulated by Parker Palmer in A Hidden Wholeness, this DVD features footage and commentary by Parker Palmer on creating circles of trust, and offers insight and guidance for all who seek to live authentic lives. 

Leading from Within: Poetry that Sustains the Courage to Lead

(2007) by Sam M. Intrator and Megan Scribner, editors

Leading from Within is a wonderful collection of ninety-three poems from well-loved poets, each of which is accompanied by a brief personal commentary from a leader explaining the significance and meaning of the poem in his or her life and work. The contributors represent a wide range of professions including Vanguard Group founder John Bogle, MoveOn.org co-founder Joan Blades, several members of Congress, Christian activist Brian McLaren, business guru Peter Senge, and many other leaders from business, medicine, education, nonprofits, law, politics and government, and religion. In their reflections, these leaders explore how they have been inspired by poets such as T.S. Eliot, Mary Oliver, William Stafford, Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda, Robert Frost, Rumi, May Sarton, Wallace Stevens, Wendell Berry, and Rainer Maria Rilke.

A Hidden Wholeness

(2004) by Parker J. Palmer

A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life (2004, Jossey-Bass Publishers), addresses four compelling themes: the shape of an integral life, the meaning of community, teaching and learning for transformation, and nonviolent social change. In the opening chapters Parker explores what it means to live an undivided life, one where our inner truth can find expression and value in our outer lives, despite the pressures we may face. In the remaining chapters he articulates with great care the conditions necessary to create “circles of trust," outlining in considerable detail the approach that we have been using in retreats. He then offers a model of community, based on the principles and practices that can help us embrace nonviolence in everyday life.

Reviews of A Hidden Wholeness

Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat in Spirituality & Health.

Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer

(2005) by Sam M. Intrator (Editor)

Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer explores the dynamic interplay between the inner life of spirit and the outer life of work. The distinguished contributors, who come from a wide range of professions -- university presidents, scientists, physicians, religious leaders, business consultants, public school educators, philanthropists, and community organizers-bear witness to the depth, breadth and reach of Palmer's work.

These intimate essays and stories shed new light on some of the most important topics of our time—living an integral life, teaching and learning for transformation, creating community and contributing to non-violent social change.

Teaching with Fire: Poetry that Sustains the Courage to Teach

(2003) by Sam M. Intrator and Megan Scribner, editors

Those of us who care about the young and their education must find ways to remember what teaching and learning are really about. We must find ways to keep our hearts alive as we serve our students. Poetry has the power to keep us vital and focused on what really matters in life and in schooling. Teaching with Fire is a wonderful collection of eighty-eight poems from such well-loved poets as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, and Pablo Neruda. Each of these evocative poems is accompanied by a brief story from a teacher explaining the significance of the poem in his or her life's work. This beautiful book also includes an essay that describes how poetry can be used to grow both personally and professionally.

A Reader’s Guide for Teaching with Fire
(2005) Compiled by Megan Scribner

We have heard from many educators who feel honored and inspired by the stories and poems in Teaching with Fire. This Reader’s Companion is a compendium of ideas on how to use poetry to inspire, to teach, to work with others, and to create community.

Let Your Life Speak

(1999) by Parker J. Palmer

In Let Your Life Speak, Parker J. Palmer invites us to listen to the inner teacher and follow its lead toward a sense of meaning and purpose. Telling stories from his own life and the lives of others who have made a difference, he shares insights gained from darkness and depression as well as fulfillment and joy, illuminating a pathway toward vocation for all who seek the true calling of their lives.

Stories of the Courage to Teach: Honoring the Teacher's Heart

(2002) by Sam M. Intrator

Edited by Sam M. Intrator, this book is a collection of essays—written by teachers at every level of practice—that honors the hearts of all teachers who struggle to reconnect with the source of their vocation. These teachers have found ways to serve their students, rekindle their passion for teaching, connect in life-sustaining ways with colleagues, and work towards creating educational institutions that seek to be places that, as Parker J. Palmer writes, "bring more light and life into the world." Their warm, practical, funny, and wise stories will provide inspiration, companionship, and hope to teachers who strive to reclaim the courage to teach.

Teaching From the Heart: Seasons of Renewal in a Teacher's Life

(video, 1998)

A companion to Parker J. Palmer's book The Courage to Teach, this 30-minute video brings the concepts to life through the exhilarating stories of real teachers who embark on personal journeys of renewal.