Teaching: The Spiritual Practice FIG

In his poem, “The Way It Is”, William Stafford writes “There is a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost.” Our work as educators is often understood as just such a thread, sometimes described as calling, that internally driven desire to improve our understanding of the facts and systems of the world and how we function within those systems. Our profession encourages our outwardly production—developing courses, creating publications, engaging in research — designed to engage our students with the shared work of learning and understanding.

The tension between the inner drive and the outward direction can lead us to focus more on the evidence of our drive instead of the fuel that we need to keep going. This becomes even more challenging in a culture that often questions the value of our work (and those who do it!). I would like to explore this inner drive and teaching as a spiritual practice (one that makes our lives meaningful) with others in a Faculty Interest Group that will focus on how we come to understand our work as calling, what keeps us going, and how we can deepen our understanding of the inner meaning that fuels us.

If you would be interested in joining this FIG focusing on teaching as a spiritual practice, please contact Amy Wink via awink@austincc.edu with your questions.