The CETL Good Reads Initiative is a community book read program for TCNJ faculty and staff designed to stimulate healthy campus dialogue. This year’s book is The Present Professor by Dr. Elizabeth Norell.
About the book (from the publisher):
It’s hard to learn when you’re under stress, and a lot harder when your teacher is struggling with stress, too. In a world where stress is unavoidable—where political turmoil, pandemic fallout, and personal challenges touch everyone— this timely book offers much-needed guidance for cutting through the emotional static that can hold teachers back.
A specialist in pedagogical strategies with extensive classroom experience, Elizabeth A. Norell explains how an educator’s presence, or authenticity, can be critical to creating transformational spaces for students. And presence, she argues, means uncovering and understanding one’s own internal struggles and buried insecurities—stresses often left unconfronted in an academic culture that values knowing over feeling. Presenting the research on how and why such inner work unlocks transformational learning, The Present Professor equips educators with the tools for crafting a more authentic presence in their teaching work.
Books will be distributed in December 2024, with a session for discussion and reflection in February. There is no cost to you—books are provided to anyone interested in participating in the Good Reads program. Sign up and indicate your preferred format (print or digital).
Participants who request a print version will be notified by email when their copy is ready for pickup in Armstrong 101, and a pick up schedule will be provided. Chats will take place February 17-21. Register for a chat before February 1.