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Buddha In The Classroom: Zen Wisdom To Inspire Teachers (2011)

by Donna Quesada(Favorite Author)

4.02 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1616083158 (ISBN13: 9781616083151)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Skyhorse Publishing

review 1: I have been teaching at a community college for 16 years and this book came along at just the right time. I find myself stressed among things like decreased student preparedness, increased workload, decreased support, changing colleagues, and just plain mid-life exploration.The author uses the word "paradox" and I felt that often. Even though I have discovered some of the same solutions to the same problems she describes, I struggle with having compassion for the most difficult students. It is a relief to read that having boundaries and removing students who clearly cross those boundaries is an acceptable answer. If you have been teaching for several years, your syllabus reflects some of these hard-learned lessons in setting your own limits for students.I will be rereading... more this book and working on letting go of ego-driven mindlessness.
review 2: Simply a wonderful little book for everybody. I am a retired teacher, my wife is not. I have a spiritual practice, my wife does not. We both loved it. I found myself relating to the stories in this book to the point that I would be reading bits and pieces, out loud to my wife, who is now reading it herself and enjoying it just as much as I did. The author does a wonderful job of untangling and demystifying Buddhist ideas like compassion and emptiness, so that anyone can understand and benefit from it. But at the same time, it is wholly readable, engaging and even entertaining even for someone without prior interest in those things. I also loved the way she brings the characters and classroom situations to life; Having taught myself, for over 25 years, I could relate to every single story. Yet there is a common thread that unites the stories, and it has to do with teaching from the heart. Yet it is very difficult to do. Emotions get in the way, rules and regulations get in the way, power struggles get in the way, etc. It takes a bit of readjustment on our part and that's what these stories do; through her own trials, we are led to look at our own a bit differently, and to see the ways we screw things up with our misinterpretations and judgments. We are shown how to flip our perspective around so that we can remain mindful (as the Zen people would say), and engaged with the class, which makes it a better day for all of us! But the real lesson is that the magic of teaching is also the magic of living. In other words, what makes us good teachers is also what makes us good people. It's the same wisdom that makes us better partners, spouses, parents and workers; after all, we all have to deal with people, deal with our own reactions to what they say and do, and ultimately, deal with our own hang-ups! less

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