
Interview w/ Parker Palmer (Part 1)
05/04/21 • 55 min
Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker, activist, and founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His wisdom has reached millions worldwide through his ten books, including the best-selling Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and A Hidden Wholeness. His latest bestseller is On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old (2018). Parker holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, and 13 honorary doctorates. The Leadership Project, a national survey of 10,000 educators, named him one of the 30 “most influential senior leaders” in higher education and one of the 10 key “agenda-setters” of the past decade. In 2010, Palmer was given the William Rainey Harper Award whose previous recipients include Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, and Paolo Freire. For twenty years, the Accrediting Commission for Graduate Medical Education has given annual Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” and “Courage to Lead” Awards to directors of exemplary medical residency programs. Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer, was published in 2005. A member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker), Dr. Palmer and his wife, Sharon L. Palmer, live in Madison, Wisconsin.
This episode is brought to you by The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE). The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education has been helping teachers make that happen for 25 years by offering extensive training and virtual teaching resources. Learn how to apply IMSE’s IDA-Accredited Orton-Gillingham approach based on the science of reading by signing up for their virtual trainings this spring and summer. Visit IMSE.com to learn more and register for their courses.
Further Reading and Exploration
- Books by Parker J. Palmer
- To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey by Parker Palmer
- Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer
- The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring by Parker Palmer
- A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life by Parker Palmer
- The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life by Parker Palmer
- The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life by Parker Palmer
- The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal by Parker Palmer
- Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker Palmer
- The Courage to Teach Guide to Reflection and Renewal by Parker Palmer
- On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old by Parker Palmer
- Parker’s Facebook Page
- The Growing Edge Podcast with Parker Palmer and Carrie Newcomer
- Howard Thurman
- Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide, and Prophet by Gregory C. Ellison II
- Breathe for Change
Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker, activist, and founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His wisdom has reached millions worldwide through his ten books, including the best-selling Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and A Hidden Wholeness. His latest bestseller is On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old (2018). Parker holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, and 13 honorary doctorates. The Leadership Project, a national survey of 10,000 educators, named him one of the 30 “most influential senior leaders” in higher education and one of the 10 key “agenda-setters” of the past decade. In 2010, Palmer was given the William Rainey Harper Award whose previous recipients include Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, and Paolo Freire. For twenty years, the Accrediting Commission for Graduate Medical Education has given annual Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” and “Courage to Lead” Awards to directors of exemplary medical residency programs. Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer, was published in 2005. A member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker), Dr. Palmer and his wife, Sharon L. Palmer, live in Madison, Wisconsin.
This episode is brought to you by The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE). The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education has been helping teachers make that happen for 25 years by offering extensive training and virtual teaching resources. Learn how to apply IMSE’s IDA-Accredited Orton-Gillingham approach based on the science of reading by signing up for their virtual trainings this spring and summer. Visit IMSE.com to learn more and register for their courses.
Further Reading and Exploration
- Books by Parker J. Palmer
- To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey by Parker Palmer
- Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer
- The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring by Parker Palmer
- A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life by Parker Palmer
- The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life by Parker Palmer
- The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life by Parker Palmer
- The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal by Parker Palmer
- Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker Palmer
- The Courage to Teach Guide to Reflection and Renewal by Parker Palmer
- On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old by Parker Palmer
- Parker’s Facebook Page
- The Growing Edge Podcast with Parker Palmer and Carrie Newcomer
- Howard Thurman
- Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide, and Prophet by Gregory C. Ellison II
- Breathe for Change
Previous Episode

Interview w/ Anita Archer
Anita L. Archer, PhD, is an educational consultant to school districts on explicit instruction, the design and delivery of instruction, behavior management, and literacy instruction. She has taught elementary and middle school students and is the recipient of 10 awards honoring her excellence in teaching and contributions to the field of education. Dr. Archer has served on the faculties of San Diego State University, the University of Washington in Seattle, and the University of Oregon in Eugene. She is nationally known for her professional development activities, having presented in every state over the course of her 50-year career. Dr. Archer is coauthor, with Dr. Mary Gleason, of numerous curriculum materials addressing reading, writing, and study skills. Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Anita’s primary home is in Portland, Oregon where she enjoys entertaining friends, attending symphony and opera performances, and practicing her cello.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Mount St. Joseph University. Mount St. Joseph University offers a number of programs for educators interested in graduate or doctoral work focused on the Science of Reading. To learn more visit msj.edu/reading-science.
Further Reading and Exploration
- Anita Archer’s Website (including amazing videos)
- Utilizing Explicit Instruction (video)
- Explicit Instruction; Effective and Efficient Teaching by Anita L. Archer and Charles A. Hughes
- John Hattie
- Siegfried “Zig” Engelman
- The Writing Revolution by Natalie Wexler and Judith Hochman
- Powerful Teaching; Unleash the Science of Learning by Pooja K. Agarwal and Patrice M. Bain
- The Reading Comprehension Blueprint; Helping Students Make Meaning from Text by Nancy Hennessy
- Reading Development and Difficulties by David A. Kilpatrick (Ed.), R. Malatesha Joshi (Ed.), and Richard K. Wagner (Ed.)
Anita’s Picks
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- How Love Wins by Doug Carnine
Next Episode

Interview w/ Parker Palmer (Part 2)
Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker, activist, and founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His wisdom has reached millions worldwide through his ten books, including the best-selling Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and A Hidden Wholeness. His latest bestseller is On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old (2018). Parker holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, and 13 honorary doctorates. The Leadership Project, a national survey of 10,000 educators, named him one of the 30 “most influential senior leaders” in higher education and one of the 10 key “agenda-setters” of the past decade. In 2010, Palmer was given the William Rainey Harper Award whose previous recipients include Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, and Paolo Freire. For twenty years, the Accrediting Commission for Graduate Medical Education has given annual Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” and “Courage to Lead” Awards to directors of exemplary medical residency programs. Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer, was published in 2005. A member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker), Dr. Palmer and his wife, Sharon L. Palmer, live in Madison, Wisconsin.
This episode is brought to you by The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE). The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education has been helping teachers make that happen for 25 years by offering extensive training and virtual teaching resources. Learn how to apply IMSE’s IDA-Accredited Orton-Gillingham approach based on the science of reading by signing up for their virtual trainings this spring and summer. Visit IMSE.com to learn more and register for their courses.
Further Reading and Exploration
- Books by Parker J. Palmer
- To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey by Parker Palmer
- Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer
- The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring by Parker Palmer
- A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life by Parker Palmer
- The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life by Parker Palmer
- The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life by Parker Palmer
- The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal by Parker Palmer
- Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker Palmer
- The Courage to Teach Guide to Reflection and Renewal by Parker Palmer
- On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old by Parker Palmer
- Parker’s Facebook Page
- The Growing Edge Podcast with Parker Palmer and Carrie Newcomer
- Howard Thurman
- Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide, and Prophet by Gregory C. Ellison II
- Breathe for Change
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