Teaching with Reverence

Reverence is a forgotten virtue in teaching and learning. Indeed, it is a largely forgotten virtue in American society. This book argues that there is much more to teaching students than merely imparting knowledge. Good teaching involves forming character, molding destinies, creating an enduring passion for learning, appreciating beauty, caring for others, and much more. In some sense of the word, teaching is a spiritual, although not necessarily a religious, activity. When done well, it cultivates human intimacy and allows teachers to find creative self-expression in classroom community. The essays gathered here examine reverence as a way to understand some of the spiritual dimensions of classroom teaching.

A. G. Rud is dean and professor in the College of Education at Washington State University. He holds an AB in religion from Dartmouth College and a PhD in philosophy from Northwestern University. Rud researches the moral dimensions of teaching, learning, and leading in both K-12 and higher education. His most recent book is Albert Schweitzer's Legacy for Education: Reverence for Life, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2011.

Jim Garrison is a professor of philosophy of education at Virginia Tech where he also holds appointments in the department of philosophy, the science, technology, and society program, and the alliance for social, political, ethical, and cultural thought. His work concentrates on philosophical pragmatism. He is a past-president of the Philosophy of Education Society as well as the John Dewey Society, and president-elect of the Society of Professors of Education. His is also a co-editor of Palgrave Macmillan's forthcoming John Dewey's Philosophy of Education.