Chapter 12: “Living in the Shadow of What I Teach,” or Rather, “Learning from Our Needs”

Abstract

Reynolds broaches the troublesome problem we face as teachers when we become aware of the gap between what we teach and what we are. In this deeply reflective chapter, Reynolds leads readers through a number of personal, ethical, and spiritual challenges that teachers face whenever they begin to inquire into the meaning of teaching for “the whole human being.” Reynolds draws upon a rich store of texts, religious practices, and monastic traditions that have helped to illumine aspects of his own broad-ranging teaching experiences in different educational environments. His chapter guides readers towards the realization that the dark areas or “shadows” of what we don’t know are, in fact, our “best connection with the sun,” and that “our sense of inadequacy as teachers may be our greatest guide to how we encourage others to learn.”