Alchemy of Teaching

This volume offers an inspiring (at times, provocative) glimpse into the mysterious and unpredictable chemistry leading to the unleashing of human potential that sets true teaching apart from the mere pragmatics of rote instruction. A long-time professor of philosophy at the University of Southern Maine, Jeremiah Conway is a multiple recipient of the university's Outstanding Teaching Award. By no means an educational manual or prescriptive blueprint for change, this book delves right into the chaotic, unpredictable process whereby students can come to a truer understanding of themselves- and the world around them. Bucking the lamentable trend to view higher education predominantly as job preparation, Conway takes us through a number of journeys of enlightenment (his own as well as those of his students). Unfettered by pedagogy-and, in fact, never having taken a teaching course before embarking on his university career-Conway is without doubt a born teacher, driven by a true joy for learning. He's keenly aware of the privileged opportunity that teachers enjoy, both to guide their students and to be inspired by them. Right from the outset, Conway encourages us to recognize (or perhaps re-acknowledge) that education is not simply about transmitting facts or neatly presented analyses but about questioning our assumptions of the world and each other. As Conway sees it, our educational institutions are remiss in not seeing beyond their administrative and financial hurdles to a true and lasting mission to challenge and redefine what humanity seeks to accomplish and to understand. The author highlights the varying paths to educational achievement by recounting a number of episodic, tightly woven vignettes featuring an array of some of the most interesting teaching experiences of his career. These chapters are highly compelling and almost cinematic in flavor. With her 'coiffed silver hair [and] flower print dresses,' Mildred is an older student whose college career is defined not only by her desire to graduate but also by a regretful awareness of the women in her family who never made it to university. She is an inspiring woman-likeable and engaging. Her story is made all the more poignant by her struggle to finish college in the wake of a life-threatening illness. Mildred's chapter stands in stark contrast to that featuring Dante, a somewhat pedantic young evangelical student whom Conway describes as one of his 'students from hell.' Yet, the author comes to have a genuine respect for Dante's sincere emphasis on truth and his reluctance to back down fro m his beliefs. It's Conway's high regard for his students (endearing and otherwise)and his modestly underplayed scholarship, alongside his crisp writing style, that makes this such a worthwhile and informative read-both for teachers and for anyone interested in the transformative magic of the educational process. -- Seamus Mullarkey Foreword Reviews, Spring 2013 In his first book, Conway (philosophy, Univ. of Southern Maine) explores the possibilities of transformation for both teacher and student, using six episodes drawn from his 30 years of experience. Conway believes the art of teaching moves beyond the instruction of facts and into an experience of energetic and intellectual growth. The stories are at once highly personal, yet universal, showing moments of transformation through narratives describing a painful insight, a heartbreaking revelation, or a dedication to a personal calling that interrupts professional advancement. Conway doesn't offer inspirational how-tos; instead his stories allow readers to draw their own conclusions. The final chapter summarizes some of the author's prescriptive behaviors (such as awareness, wonder, acknowledging the individual student, and slowing down) for transformational experiences in the classroom. Included is a reading-group guide and brief notes, but neither add significant depth or authority to what is, otherwise, a thoughtfully written book. VERDICT Best suited for a high school or college teacher looking for the inspiration and reassurance that quality teaching does indeed make a difference. -- Maggie Knapp Library Journal, February 15, 2011 Making an impassioned plea for humanistic considerations to remain paramount in our societal discussion about education and its continual improvement, University of Southern Maine philosophy professor Jeremiah Conway follows his own advice. He seeds his book, The Alchemy of Teaching (forthcoming in March from Sentient Publications), with stories of classroom encounters between students and ideas that remind us of an important, but oft-neglected, truth about education: It is no good if it merely teaches the young facts and tasks to be accomplished in the workforce. Rather, education must deeply and fully engage both students and teachers in the quest for understanding and connection. Conway begins and ends with aspects of the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus-and the Breugel painting depicting that myth's climactic moment. He inquires thoroughly into what the story might mean (see excerpt in sidebar) Conway gently, calmly, and unrelentingly shreds the data-driven mantras of the modern industrial-style education system. His heartfelt tales of students young and very old transforming themselves-and their teacher-get to the heart of a distinctly European, even Renaissance tradition of education: that its aim is not to indoctrinate nor to cause memorization, but rather to excite, to enthrall, and, above all, to spark the human potential within each of us. In constructing his subtle argument-for this is among the least argumentative examples of a persuasive essay-Conway marshals some unexpected forces. Among those making significant, and sympathetic, appearances here are a religious fundamentalist, a smartypants overachiever, a reclusive-silent type, and an elderly woman. But there is more. A particularly impassioned section takes the interpretation of Nietzsche's nihilism in a direction even philosophy students might be surprised at. While the 19th-century German thinker thought the rise of lamentable decadence was the first step toward its subsequent dissolution, he wrote movingly in Thus Spoke Zarathustra of feeling and thinking and sensing and processing deep within the body-'in the blood,' as he put it. Conway's professorial but not at all dry explication of this section of the text leads to an account of how a particular class of his engaged with this idea; the deep soulful examinations that discussion entails augur well for Nietzsche's forlorn hopes. Certainly more a work of thought and exploration than of diagnosis or prescription, The Alchemy of Teaching asks its readers to remember that those ancients who sought to transform base metals into valuable treasure didn't know exactly how it might occur, but retained their sense of wonder and certainty at the potential of the universe to deliver riches beyond measure. We, and all students of any age or era, should be so lucky as to inherit not only the scientific determinism of the alchemists, but also their mystic faith in the ultimate possibility: that all leaden pupils might, with care, attention, and not a little bit of liberty, transform themselves-and, perhaps, their equally lucky teachers-into golden pioneers simultaneously finding and creating new worlds. -- Jeff Inglis, Managing Editor, Portland Phoenix January 23, 2013 Learning helps us realize so much in our lives. The Alchemy of Teaching approaches the concepts of teaching in a philosophical sense, touching on the nature of teaching and the exchange of knowledge that comes between teachers and students and the value of education in creating more rounded individuals on many levels. The Alchemy of Teaching is well worth considering for education collections with a strong nod to philosophy, highly recommended. Midwest Book Review