The Courage to Teach in Iran
If you want to give peace a chance, let teachers help lead the way...
One week ago, the U.S. bombed Iran. As one who believes that violence only breeds more of the same, I want to praise the courage of people who, against all odds, live and work in the spirit of nonviolence. The Iranian teachers pictured above in Tehran are friends and colleagues of mine who share a commitment to peaceful social change via education. Here’s the unlikely story of how we came to collaborate, along with a prayer for their safety and wellbeing…
In the spring of 2021, I received an email from a group of educators in Iran saying that they had translated The Courage to Teach into Persian as a service to teachers across their country. They asked if I would give my blessing to their edition of my book, and write a brief Author’s Note to go with it. Amazed and delighted, I instantly agreed, asking only for a copy of the book, which arrived at my home later that year.
Iran does not honor U.S. copyright laws, but in this case that didn’t matter to me. I can’t imagine a greater reward for writing a book about education than to know that educators in a country like Iran, with its ancient and rich cultural tradition, find value in it, giving me a rare opportunity to learn directly from them. Citizens who collaborate in life-giving work can help bridge our tragic global divides, and for me it’s a joy to be part of this bridge-building project.
My copy of the translation came with this note from the translator, Nogol Rohani: “Your book has deeply affected teachers here in Iran. Many of them read it in study circles where they discuss every concept you wrote about. We give the book away to our colleagues, and have sold a few here in Iran at a very low price. We also created a free audiobook for the blind and other disabled people. As the leader of our group always says, ‘It's a book for the Centuries!’”
Here is the “Author’s Note for the Persian translation of The Courage to Teach.”
I’ve not had the privilege of visiting Iran. But I know that teachers around the world have much in common, regardless of nationality.
Together, we are charged with: •Teaching our own subjects with competence and skill, and generating new knowledge via research. •Giving young children adult care and guidance in dealing with the challenges that arise in the course of growing up. •Helping adolescents and young adults become people who can and want to contribute to the common good. •Serving as faithful stewards of culture, preserving it, questioning it, and helping it evolve in support of positive social change.
Doing any of this well requires vulnerability, a full investment of mind and heart in our work. That’s why it takes “courage to teach.” That’s why I regard teaching as a sacred trust.
I am deeply honored that my book on this subject is now available to teachers across Iran. Teaching and learning thrive when we have a free and open exchange of ideas across the lines that divide us in our broken but beautiful world. I trust that some of my ideas about teaching and learning will prove useful to you, and I look forward to learning from you as time goes on.
As one teacher to another, I greet and salute you, with gratitude for all you do to help the next generation rise up with hope. —Parker J. Palmer
In early 2023, an article about this project appeared on the front page of Etemad, a reform-minded Tehran newspaper. In describing the book, the article said: “Palmer emphasizes that as teachers, if we believe that the source of truth is a higher [human] power, the classroom will turn into a dictatorship. He believes that truth is the result of a complex process of interactions and the classroom should become a rich community of mutual interdependence.”
That is exactly what I believe, whether the classroom in question is in Tehran or Tallahassee or Tennessee: democracy cannot thrive when we throttle the communal search for truth. So as I thank these Iranian teachers for their courage to teach in the face of their challenges, I call upon the MAGA regime in D.C. to stop their attack on the longtime American norm of a free and open exchange of ideas:
Stop trying to whitewash the American story, to erase our institutional and personal memories of the shadow side of the U.S. history. Stop telling our teachers what they can and can't teach. Stop telling librarians what books they can and can't put on their shelves. Stop telling our children what they can and cannot read, say, watch, or hear. Stop telling Americans what we can and cannot be or do, while threatening us with unconstitutional punishments or violence from MAGA goons if we cross the line.
You will not win the ideological war you've declared. Truth cannot be stopped at the borders of your fear, ignorance and paranoid need for control. It moves like water where it will, flowing around obstacles and bringing down dams. Teachers and citizens working together will keep truth flowing, and some of us will be inspired to do so by courageous counterparts in countries like Iran.
For modeling that courage, my deepest gratitude goes to Nogol Rohani, translator and project liaison in Iran; Dr. Nematallah Fazeli, author of the Preface; their network of colleagues; and Hooshenab Publications in Tehran. May they be safe, may they be well, and may their story inspire educators everywhere to keep helping the next generation “rise up with hope.”
P.S. I asked AI for an update on this project: “A Persian translation of The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life by Parker J. Palmer is available. The book was translated by Nogol Rohani with an introduction by Dr. Nematollah Fazeli and published by Hooshenab Publications in 240 pages (raqai format) in autumn 1400 (2021). The Persian edition is titled "کتاب شهامت تدریس: سفری به دنیای درون معلم" (The Courage to Teach: A Journey into the Teacher's Inner World), is in its third printing. It includes an endorsement from the Organization for Educational Research and Planning, and exclusive notes by the author. The book appears to be widely available through various Persian online bookstores and educational platforms, suggesting it has been well-received in the Persian-speaking educational community.”]
[NOTES: My 10 books are HERE and HERE. The Center for Courage & Renewal is HERE. I post on Substack every Friday, as time and energy allow. Free as well as paid subscriptions will always have access to everything I post.]
Parker, this is the best news I've read in quite a while. It embodies that larger human community and connection that the world so desperately needs. And, it comes as no surprise that the way is being made through educators. Thank you, as always, for your clarity and your stalwart belief in the strength of the human spirit.
Parker, for this younger old man, you are still one of my life’s favorite teachers. That’s why your latest reflection evoked tears. “Thank you” isn’t sufficient language for all I’ve learned from you and your worldwide friends.