To Know As We Are Known, Parker J. Palmer (Harper, 1983)

As summer reading goes, To Know As We Are Known falls into the category of porch reading. You'll want to be sitting in a cushioned wicker rocking chair, feet propped on the porch railing, ice tea at your elbow and a good vista to look out onto when you pause to reflect on what Parker Palmer is saying. You'll pause frequently to consider and digest.

At its heart, this book is a rich and complex argument for not only recognizing the relationships between teacher and learner, knower and what is known, but for seeing these relationships as the sum and substance of teaching. Central is Palmer's belief that "to teach is to create a space in which the community of truth is practiced."

Drawing on revelations in atomic physics, his understanding of faith (he is Christian; you don't need to be), and what he believes is the state of education, he thoughtfully and thoroughly develops his point. This book provides an extended opportunity to reconsider and reexamine the ways in which our own world views and beliefs influence our practice and our understanding of what it is to know something. The first half of the book is an in-depth examination of teaching from the perspective of education as a spiritual journey. The second half links the theory and thinking to practical teaching activities. Although these are not extensive, they serve to illustrate the ways in which education is about the cultivation of the wisdom each of us possess and can share to benefit others.

Although now 20 years old, this book is considered a must-read in the current high-profile national discussion about the role of spirituality in the life of higher education students and institutions. It is equally compelling to consider it with respect to the ABE field. As we endeavor to ascertain the ways in which our learners learn and come to know, it is vital that we clearly understand the diversity of thinking that exists about what it is to come to know and therefore what it is to teach and to achieve. Parker Palmer's perspective is perhaps inadequately represented in the current discussions about learner outcomes and accountability.

Alex Risley-Schroeder is the coordinator of the Changes Project at Western SABES. She can be reached at arisleyschroeder@hcc.mass.edu