Teaching with the Beginner’s Mind: Notes from My Karate Journal

The author reflects on what she has learned about university teaching from her experience being a novice student of karate. She asserts the value for even seasoned teachers to maintain a beginner’s mind that is “free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and to open to all the possibilities.” From this new position, the author’s awareness of what she does in the classroom has shifted, as her respect for students has grown and her understanding of their feelings has deepened.