Parini, Jay (2005). The Art of Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Will I publish or perish? What first impression will I make on my students? Can I be more dramatic in my presentation? Do they notice that I am almost as young as they are? These and many other questions dashed through my mind. Dressed in my bright red “power” pantsuit, I tilted my head with its short crop of hair in front of my Educational Psychology course on my first day of teaching college. I spoke with a smile even though I was trying to present an air of control of the situation at hand as I addressed my undergraduate students. In a few days I began to find my voice, a style of teaching that gained the respect of my students. In The Art of Teaching, Parini explains that,

Few outside the teaching profession understand the courage it takes to step into a classroom, to wear a mask that you know is a construction, hiding behind it, letting it give shape and substance to your formulations, letting the mask become your face. (p.68)

In this intriguing and quick read, Parini reflects on a variety of professors that he has witnessed in the trenches and uses the looking glass to journal about his own journey through three decades in higher education. With great detail and precision he recalls and examines professors based on details such as their lecture style or their clothing. In fact, he has given deep thought to the costume of the professor. He discusses how students perceive a teacher based on whether the teacher is wearing a tweed coat, a white shirt and tie, or a pair of jeans with holes. Each clothing choice demonstrates to the audience an shared stereotype as to how the material will be presented.

In the chapter titled “A Letter to a Teacher” Parini tells the aspiring or new professor everything that he wishes he had known prior to beginning in academia. He feels that it is vital to find one’s own voice and notes that voice can be cultivated by watching mentors in action and utilizing their tricks of the trade. He explains that discourse is important in the field because you must be able to defend your stand on a position, however you can also learn from others and admit that you have changed your mind. Instructors need to explain up front to students exactly what is expected for a positive grade in the course. Professors can make each presentation a performance by remembering to catch students’ attention and by varying consistency. If an instructor’s ego begins to slip, Parini recommends readers remember that they acquired the job because someone felt that they were scholarly.

The concept of “publish or perish” looms over the heads of many new professors. Prior to taking the position the author suggests that readers find out everything they can about the university’s tenure policy. Once you know how much you need to publish the trick is to actually write. He explains that before he began writing for living he wrote a list of books that he wanted to write some day. This form of goal setting proved to be valuable to him. He also tries to follow the two-page a day rule that worked for John Updike. Parini elucidates that, “Two pages a day adds up to a long book every year” which even includes revision time. He suggests that you stop writing when you are at a point that you can definitely pick up the next day because you know what is coming next, which is a technique that Ernest Hemingway used in his writing career.

In the preface, Parini states that he welcomes the discussions that may follow from his work. It is my feeling that the discussions will be positive due to the fact that the book naturally generates self-reflection not only on one’s own teaching experience in front of the classroom, but also by viewing with open eyes teachers from their own past. This book focuses on the author’s relating memories in the lyrical voice of a poet interwoven with the thoughts of authors of classic literature. The Art of Teaching is filled with subtle lessons garnered from a lifetime dedicated to observing and teaching the educational process.

Pages: 160     Price: $17.95(cloth); $9.95(paper)     ISBN: 978-0-19-516969-0(cloth); 978-0-7407-1912-7(paper)

Reviewed by Shellie Hipsky, currently an Assistant Professor of Education at Robert Morris University and an Educational Consultant for the Tri-State Study Council at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Shellie Hipsky’s career includes teaching students from kindergarten to graduate school in the U.S. as well as in Rome, Italy. As a recent Assistant Principal in charge of curriculum and supervision at a school for students with emotional/behavioral disabilities, she is acutely aware of teacher and student needs.