Abstract
Integrative chaplains offer spiritual and emotional companionship in ministry contexts, from faith communities to hospitals and other care centers. Classroom teachers often struggle with the ways in which their perceived “calling” to be teachers conflicts with the challenging demands of day-to-day school settings. How can teacher education programs better nurture the capacity of novice teachers to find purpose and resilience in the vulnerable first-years of teaching? How can the evidence-based practices used in diverse chaplaincy settings inform the spiritual preparation of classroom teachers? How might a more focused lens on teacher spirituality, vulnerability and resilience help prepare teachers for the complex psychosocial-spiritual relationships they will build with students in their classrooms. This paper proposes a conceptual framework describing a potential interaction of chaplaincy practices in nonsectarian teacher education programs toward the development of greater resilience and psychological flexibility in novice teachers.
Presenters
Catherine Mc TamaneyProfessor of the Practice of Teacher Education, Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Fragile Meanings: Vulnerability in the Study of Religions and Spirituality
KEYWORDS
Teacher Education, Resilience, Chaplaincy
