Sacred Art of Teaching

MacArthur Award winner Lisa Delpit is the retired Felton G. Clark Professor of Education at Southern University. The author of the bestselling Other People’s Children and “Multiplication Is for White People,” co-editor (with Joanne Kilgour Dowdy) of The Skin That We Speak, co-editor (with Theresa Perry) of The Real Ebonics Debate, editor of Teaching When the World Is on Fire, and co-author (with Christopher Emdin) of The Sacred Art of Teaching (all published by The New Press), she lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Christopher Emdin is the Maxine Greene Chair for Distinguished Contributions to Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is the author of numerous award-winning works, including The New York Times bestseller For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood . . . And the Rest of Y’all Too, and Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success. He lives in New York City.

Praise for The Sacred Art of Teaching: “Teaching truly is a sacred profession, though it is not recognized as such, particularly in the U.S. where the profession is not treated with the respect it deserves. Delpit and Emdin, two masters of the craft, remind us that teaching can also be an art, one that can draw from the depths of our experience and tap into our boldest dreams to make the world better through the students we serve.”—Pedro A. Noguera, dean of USC Rossier School of Education, and author of A Search for Common Ground “This book is a blessing. In this landmark text, Delpit and Emdin pay homage to the sacred art of teaching, blending critical analysis, rich storytelling, and honest confession. Two of our nation’s most important educators remind us of the power, promise, and possibility of education. Read this book and be inspired, challenged, and forever changed.”—Marc Lamont Hill, presidential professor, CUNY Graduate Center, and author of Seen and Unseen“At the end of the Civil War, the first institutions the newly freed African Americans created were their own independent schools, deeply understanding the essential relationships between children, families, and communities. Lisa Delpit and Chris Emdin stand as descendants of those who set the collective aspirations of education for our collective social good—W.E.B DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Asa Hilliard, Barbara A. Sizemore. Their conversations are rooted in their lived experiences, reflecting a profound understanding of deep-seated Pan-African values that have sustained communities of African descent over the generations: The Maatian belief in human perfectability, respect for elders and ancestors understanding we do not take these life journeys alone, commitment to working to achieve collective good. They understand and through their own professional and personal practices have embodied the commitment that teaching is a sacred enterprise dedicated to the wholistic development of students, and not simply a technocratic enterprise. These conversations are inspiring and offer concrete exemplars of teaching as a sacred art. ”—Carol D. Lee, professor emerita of education, Northwestern University, and president of the National Academy of Education