|
An Interview with John Perricone: About Zen and Teaching
EducationNews.org, September 1, 2005 by Michael Shaughnessy
1) You have just finished a book on " Zen and the Art of Public School Teaching". What prompted you to write this book ?
I believe that teaching is one of the noblest, if not the noblest of professions that one can be called to in life. I have spent 23 indescribably rewarding years in the classroom and for the past 5 years I've been giving a Keynote Address entitled: "Why Am I A Teacher?: Developing A Philosophical Identity." It is in this address that I acknowledge my belief and experience that "we teach who we are" that it is one's philosophy of life that ultimately dictates one's philosophy of education-- and that it is one's 'philosophical identity' (or lack of same) which ultimately distinguishes those who find joy and passion in their work from those who find drudgery and simply pick up a paycheck every two weeks. It is in this talk that I invite teachers on an introspective journey looking first at their identity as a human being, then as a teacher, and then we look to see if and where those lines intersect. I'd had such an overwhelmingly positive response to this workshop that I wondered if the essence of this talk could translate to the written word, where I would be able to share even more than what time allows me to share in a workshop setting. So far, the response to the book has far surpassed anything I had anticipated when I sat down to write it. I also wrote it paying tribute to the man who is responsible for my becoming a teacher -- world renowned karate master Hidy Ochiai, with whom I have had the honor of training for the past 32 years. Anything and everything that I know about the "art" of teaching I learned from him.
2) Reflecting back, what was teaching like when you first began teaching?
Though many may disagree with me here, it's my perception that it was very much like it is today. Though hairstyles, clothing, music etc. change with the time, the essence of the human condition does not, and our job as teachers is to nurture the growth and evolution of our students' humanity, regardless of the external changes that define "the times."
The full text of this article can be found at EducationNews.org.
|
