The Ethics of Caring

Caring is more than emotions and education is more than tests and grades. Violence, poverty, injustice and other sorts of atrocities can be diminished with astute humanist education that emphasizes the ethics of inclusive caring in any aspect of life. This book argues that the purpose of education is to primarily lay inclusive caring solid foundations in the hearts and minds of young people in order to advance humanity"s welfare and humanist civilization, and to diminish violence and injustice in all aspects of life. Teaching through the ethics of caring, can potentially enhance the cultivation of inclusively caring and nurturing human beings as individuals, men and women and as critical self-reflective learners, scholars and leaders in the private and public spheres. The author followed five 3-5-grade teachers (two male and three female), who were identified as caring teachers, in three different schools (two public and one private) in Greater Los Angeles. Their diverse definitions of caring and education were explored along with the pragmatic challenges they had faced in their efforts to embed their philosophy in their pedagogies; in bridging pedagogy of caring and utopia. In addition, the author included the teachers" students" perspective on caring teachers and expectations. While some may argue that the ethics of caring are utopia, findings however suggest that there is space for pragmatic visions as well, through a pedagogy of caring. The following disciplines are included: philosophy, ethnography and gender theories. In a cold and heartless world, Tammy Shel"s The Ethics of Caring demonstrates that teaching can and should involve care for the student and a pedagogy of caring at the core of education. Combining philosophy with ethnography, Shel examines the definition of caring through the voices of five case studies of five teachers. The book demonstrates that despite the challenges they cope with, teachers can still make a difference in students" lives and in society, by doing more than teach for the test. The book makes a significant contribution to the promotion of the ethics of caring in education and for humanity"s welfare. Douglas Kellner, George F. Kneller Chair in the Philosophy of Education, UCLA Tammy Shel"s study presented in this powerful book adds important dimensions to the understanding of "caring" in classrooms. Furthermore, the narrative and analysis of teachers, teaching, students, learning, and the contexts of schooling and communities provide for a deep theoretical and practical discussion of pedagogy vis-a-vis the larger purposes of education. The discussions of "caring," as enacted in these cases, are a solid and sophisticated contribution to further comprehend its complexity and challenges, as well as an addition to the literature in the field. This book is a must read for students of teaching, for experienced practitioners, and for teacher educators who are interested in a humanistic, caring, and just education. Jaime Grinberg, Professor, Educational Foundations, Montclair State University Tammy Shel received her Ph.D. in philosophy of education from UCLA. Some of her previous publications include: The Horse that Wondered (1996); On Marcuse and Caring in Education (2006). She grew up in Tel-Aviv, Israel. She focuses on how caring can diminish violence and injustice by linking the private and the public spheres. Это и многое другое вы найдете в книге The Ethics of Caring