International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Volume 2, Number 2, July 2008
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Excerpt
What If…?
Parker Palmer (2003) describes an activity in the book Teaching
where he asks people to introduce themselves by talking about a teacher
who made a difference in their lives. He suggests that as the stories
are told, the imprint of good teachers remains long after the facts
that they have given us have faded. He goes on to say, “Then I
ask the question that opens the deeper purpose…’What was
it about you that allowed great mentoring to happen (Palmer, 2004, p.
14)?’” Palmer suggests that it is more than meeting the
right teacher; the teacher must meet the right student. As I read Palmer’s
chapter on “The Heart of a Teacher,” I began to consider
his questions and to think about an educator who had made a significant
difference in my life. His second question was more difficult- what
was it about me that made the positive connection with this educator?
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Full ArticleBio
Sandra Bassendowski
University of Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
s.bassendowski@usask.ca
I am an Associate Professor, College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Ed.D., RN. My research interests focus on the pedagogy of teaching and learning, use of technology in nursing education, and international education. My most recent research project is related to the use of a national nursing portal as the required resource for students. I am transitioning to what I refer to as a ‘3e’ classroom: e-learning, e-nvironmentally friendly, and e-xperiential assignments. In 2008, I received the Canadian Nurses Association Centennial “100 in 100” Exceptional Nurses Award; in 2006, I received the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association’s Leadership in Nursing Education Award, and in 2005, the University of Regina’s Inspiring Teacher Award.