Nursing Assignment: The Courage to Teach

Embracing the risks-and accompanying rewards-of teaching means being open and present. As a nurse educator, you will be required to be available to your students even when it is difficult. How will you navigate the challenges of your career?

Noted as a central tenet of Parker J. Palmer's The Courage to Teach, "[G]ood teaching cannot be reduced to technique but is rooted in the identity and integrity of the teacher" (Palmer, 2007, cover).

Questions to be addressed in my Assignment:

1. Write a 4- to 5-page paper that explains how and why teaching requires courage.

2. Reflect on the insights you have gained from reading and reflecting on Palmer's The Courage to Teach throughout this course. Why does Palmer say that teaching requires courage? Based on what you have read, what behaviors could illustrate courage in the context of nursing education?

3. Think about your experiences in the Practicum (School of Nursing in the university with the BSN senior nursing students in psychiatric nursing course). As you have observed and worked with educators, what demonstrations of courage, if any, have you noticed?

4. Include insights you have gained from reading The Courage to Teach, as well as examples from your experiences in the Practicum and/or other educational settings.

5. Recall previous educational experiences (Teaching Nursing Assistant students in Hawaii). What situations have you been engaged in that might require an educator to possess fortitude and resilience? As an educator, how do you think you would handle a similar situation?

Reminders:

1. 4- to 5-page paper

2. Put citation and references (at least 5 references)... Articles must be 5 years old (2011-2016).

Reference

Palmer, P. J. (2007). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher's life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

· Chapter I, "The Heart of a Teacher: Identity and Integrity in Teaching" (pp. 9-34)

The author explains why an educator's identity is significant to teaching, and shares thoughts related to mentoring and the subject matters an educator selects.