Hospitable Teaching, Redemptive Formation, and Learning Mobility: A Spirituality of Teaching Based upon the Writings of Henri J.M. Nouwen
College professors should get to know not only their subjects, but also their students, inside-out. Otherwise, students may be lost to academic and social predation early in their academic careers. The late Henri Nouwen offers a rich spirituality of teaching in his emphasis upon hospitable teaching, redemptive formation, and learning mobility. Together, these form a caring educational matrix, one very well suited to contemporary students. As the teacher embraces this model, he or she will also need to move from the classroom to the “dining room,” from outcomes to “incomes,” and from core to “cluster” – all with the students. In this way, professors create a spacious opening for students to learn how to make good choices and follow their genuine calling without pressure or manipulation.