Courage to Teach

New teachers face monumental challenges and dwindling support.  It is our hope within the Courage to Teach retreats to create a sustaining community for the new teachers and the veteran educators who journey beside them in our schools. 

What is Courage to Teach?

Courage to Teach focuses neither on teacher techniques nor on school reform; instead, we focus on renewing something much more personal: the inner life of the teacher.

Participants in Courage to Teach are asked to commit themselves to faithful attendance at four seasonal retreats scheduled from Thursday evening through Saturday lunch between October and July. These sessions are held at retreat centers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Each cycle of retreats is designed especially for pre-k-12 teachers and counselors including teachers in their first five years of teaching as well as the formal and informal mentors who support them. 

In this four-retreat cycle, participants explore the “heart of the teacher” through sharing stories from their own journeys, reflecting on their classroom practice and drawing upon the insights of poets, storytellers and diverse cultural traditions.

The Courage to Teach program invites teachers to speak honestly about their lives as educators, and to listen and respond to each other with encouragement and compassion. We explicitly seek both novice and experienced teachers, those of whom society demands much but rewards little in terms of encouragement and support. Participation is limited to 24 teachers.

Upcoming Programs

View upcoming Courage to Teach programs and events.

More Information

About the Courage to Teach Program.

The Heart of a Teacher - Identity and Integrity in Teaching by Parker J. Palmer

Contact Us

For more information, contact Ruth Shagoury at 503-768-6110 or shagoury@lclark.edu, or write to:

Courage to Teach Program
MSC14, Teacher Education
Lewis & Clark Graduate School
of Education and Counseling
0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd
Portland, Oregon 97219