Pedagogy and the Teacher Within: Reflections on Thoreau and Kinesiology in Higher Education

Abstract

In his essay, “The Heart of a Teacher,” educator Parker Palmer (1997b) examines the themes of identity and community which intersect with similar strains in American philosophy, most notably the transcendentalism of Henry David Thoreau. In this article, I argue that transcendental themes help provide insight into these pedagogical issues of identity and community. In the first part of my article, I draw from several of Thoreau's essays to illustrate the importance of and necessary means to develop and maintain a sense of self. In the second section, I contend that other complementary themes from Thoreau provide a means to connect our internal reflections with the communal nature of our classes.

Keywords:

• Philosophy
• transcendentalism
• identity
• community

Notes

1. Born Gloria Jean Watkins, hooks chooses to use the lower case pen name to emphasize the importance of quality in one's work rather than basing judgments on personal background or family history.

2. As an example, see Reflective Teaching: An Introduction by Zeichner & Liston (1996) and Pre-Service Teacher Portfolio Development by Takona (2002).

3. I have, on occasion, solicited student feedback following exams. Particularly after giving a newly created test, I ask a student or two, whom I know quite well, what they thought of the exam. This kind of conversation requires a level of trust for sure. I trust the students to provide an honest appraisal of the test and they trust me to take their counsel into consideration as I teach throughout the semester.