For most teachers who love their work, it’s more than a job. It’s a creative outlet, an opportunity to share what you love, and an opportunity to grow. That’s the way it’s been for me, anyway. Burnout is common in the helping professions, but when I approach teaching as a cauldron for my own growth, [ Read more … ]
Teaching, Coaching & Facilitating
Teaching is an artistic activity.
I’ve always loved teaching– I find it to be mysterious, creative, and beautiful. Elliot Eisner (eloquently) puts words to my own experience: “Teaching is an activity whose [best] efforts result in what the fine arts are intended to provide: a heightened consciousness and aesthetic experience. “ “Teaching is an artistically pervaded activity. It provides [ Read more … ]
Making room for the creative
The creative process is innate to human life. We don’t need to make complicated plans to search for ideas. We simply need to make room for them to visit. The times I’ve been most unhappy with my teaching were the times that I didn’t allow enough of a pause. Instead, I rushed on to the [ Read more … ]
Holding the stance of “the one who knows” with a student or client creates a polarity. The other person now has something to defend against.
In his book, POWER IN THE HELPING PROFESSIONS, Jungian psychiatrist Adolf Guggenbuhl discusses how therapists, teachers, and medical practitioners create polarities with clients and students when they take on the role of “knower.” Jungian analyst John R. Haule calls this polarization a “split archetype.” A split archetype happens whenever we know “what is best” for [ Read more … ]
Learning is about making connections. A shout-out to my book ‘Getting Messy.’
Giving a quick shout-out to my book GETTING MESSY: A Guide to Taking Risks & Opening the Imagination for Teachers, Trainers, Coaches & Mentors. Check it out at online retailers or your local bookstore. Thanks! 🙂