Maria Lichtmann received her doctorate in religious studies from Yale University. She teaches at Appalachian State University in North Carolina and is the author of Poetry as Prayer: Gerard Manley Hopkins. In this erudite paperback, she links the monastic practice of lectio divina with the art of teaching. She covers ways in which this process can work its way out in reading/attention, reflection, prayer/receptivity, and contemplation/transformation.

This approach goes against the grain of the teaching model that sees students as storage bins for facts, ideas, and theories. Lichtmann hopes that teachers can imbue within students a keen sense of attending to things with intensity, usher them toward a deep appreciation for the mysteries of life, and help them understand that all learning involves both mental and emotional development. The main premise of this book, along with all the excellent illustrative material, should enable teachers to grasp the necessity to enrich their inner life, make their classrooms centers of hospitality, and become spiritual friends to students who are open to it.

This contemplative teaching style is just what is needed. Hats off to Lichtmann for her vision!