--from Zen
and the Art of Public School Teaching
Nearly everybody can remember a favorite teacher, who projected
enthusiasm in the classroom, expressed positive feelings toward the students
and was a master of the subject matter. And then there were those teachers
who seemed to share the most powerful sentiment of his or her students – they
couldn’t wait for the bell to ring. Teaching can be among the most rewarding
of professions, but many teachers see it as daily drudgery to manufacture
new minds and keep some semblance of order.
School is the first workplace that many young people experience,
and it can engender positive or negative feelings about learning, work
and the obligations of life. John Perricone has taught health education
in the Maine-Endwell school system in Broome County for over twenty years,
and the enthusiasm he brings to his calling has been recognized in numerous
Excellence in Teaching awards, and in countless students that he’s motivated. His
ideas have received national attention.
John Perricone believes that nothing is as powerful
as a philosophy of life that is played out in the classroom, and he sets
forth these ideas in his new book “Zen
and the Art of Public School Teaching”. The title was obviously inspired
by Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance”, which drew a cult of readers in the 1970s and
spread the notion of quiet contemplation and heightened awareness. But Pirsig
denied any close connection to the impulses and formal practice of Zen Buddhism.
John Perricone, however, has been immersed in the martial
arts (he received a 6th Degree Black Belt) and the study of
its philosophy with Zen master Hidy
Ochiai of Vestal (a previous guest on OFF THE PAGE) and was for many
years a martial arts instructor along with Master Ochiai. From the ancient
teachings of perception and introspection, and with a strong dose of American
practicality, Perricone expresses a philosophy that guides others to find
their own philosophy of life. “Zen and the Art of Public School Teaching” contains
several exercises for the reader, including a chart on which to complete
the phrase “I am…” twenty times and then strike over components of your
identity, working toward the essence of your being.
Readers are also invited (some would take it as a dare) to
detail their own most cherished ideas and answer such questions as, “If
there was one thing that you could add to your past, what would it be?” His
guidance is directed at fellow educators, but people in any walk of life
might benefit from an understanding of the philosophy that propels them,
or the void in the space where that philosophy should be.
John Perricone joins Bill Jaker on OFF THE PAGE to discuss
Zen, teaching, self-awareness and how rewards can turn into a
form of punishment. To
join in the conversation, call during the live 1:00 PM broadcast
to 1-888/359-9754, or submit a question or comment below or directly by e-mail to WSKG.Radio@Gmail.com.
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Off the Page
Technical writer and educator Dave
Dowling is a citizen of Owego, NY who has evoked
thousands of commonly misapplied words in