Teachers in Service: Identity — The Pelican Society

Introduction

CenterForLit Director Adam Andrews led another Teachers In Service event for parents and teachers seeking to avoid the winter blues in January 2018. However, it is for any time of year when unmet goals and unfulfilled expectations threaten to sabotage your classroom.

The theme is Identity, and we'll be asking and answering questions like: Where Does My Identity Come From? Who Are My Students, and Who Says? What Are My Most Important Goals? and What is the Definition of Success as a Teacher? Our aim is to remember who we really are and what we're really striving for, and to build each other up for a year full of rest and peace.

It is not necessary to watch the August 2017 Teachers in Service seminar to benefit from this one. However, for those who have, our goal will be to look deeper into our creaturehood as a reinforcement of the definitions of "education," "teacher," and "student" that we developed last time.

Course Readings

Click here to download a packet containing the course readings. Each session’s selection should be read prior to watching the corresponding video.

Note: Day 2 requires you to find a copy of Gary Schmidt's Straw Into Gold on your own and read it before the discussion.

Download Course Readings

COURSE OUTLINE

Session #1: Identity Defined (selections from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis)

Participants will discuss the implications of the Christian Gospel for an understanding of personality and self-image, and apply these ideas to the teacher's calling.

Session #2: Our Children and Students (Straw Into Gold by Gary D. Schmidt)

Participants will examine the contributions of the author to a discussion of identity and engage him and each other in a discussion of its place in the family, classroom, and society.

Session #3: Our Identity as Teachers (The Parable of the Lost Son – Luke 15:11-32)

Participants will study this famous passage from the New Testament and discuss how its message brings freedom to the work of both teacher and student.

Session #4: Practical Approaches (Owl Moon by Jane Yolen)

Participants will discuss this classic children's story with an eye toward its treatment of the theme of identity. They will receive a primer on the Socratic method of teaching and wrap up with a conversation about the practical implications of all the ideas discussed in this course.