Spitwad Sutras: Classroom Teaching as Sublime Vocation

This was the assigned text for a 400-level curriculum instruction class. The professor had previously assigned "Walking on Water," which was boring and seemingly unbeneficial, so I was skeptical of this novel. However, I found it to be an easy read--very "un-textbook-ish." I have strong beliefs about education and teachers; I'll be the tenth in my family and I cannot stand when people use teaching as a "fall back" profession. I enjoyed reading Mr. I's transformation into a true educator. I would recommend this read for a different perspective on education; it's a stronger novel than that of similar biographies.

I am almost (but not quite) speecheless before the splendor of this sweet, sharp tome "The Spitwad Sutras". We can only hope that it will turn out to be a mere handful in the Long Discourses of Robert Inchausti. "The Spitwad Sutras" are not for teachers only, they are existential explorations and tests that dig deep right into the bloody heart of the human matter. Whoever you are, whatever you are, whatever you want out of life you will find that Professor Inchausti has unlocked the back door of your soul and snuck down into the basement to see whatever there is to see. Life contains something merciless within it that forces us to meet people we would not meet,do things we would not do, and think thoughts to appalling and unacceptable for our puny human minds which prefer to cling even to the agonies of our private fictions (Life happens while we are making plans, as John Lennon said). Robert Inchausti discovers all of that and more, and he says so. Wisdom is born out of the crushing of our adolescent self-romanticizing expectations and our initiation into a brighter more impredictable world where the only final rule is discovery itself. Professor Inchausti writes with a terrifying and unacceptable honesty combined with a dry and deep compassion for the human scene as he observes it. If you are a police officer, a tired business men, a disillusioned political activist, or even a garbage collector you will find much to savor in these pages. He has seen the world through your eyes but he has gone much furthur, he has said what he has seen with the utmost clarity. If you are drug counsellor, a computer programmer, or even a would-be writer brooding darkly over the human condition with all of its reckless inaccountability this book is for you. Are you a human being? Read "The Spitwad Sutras". I'll return to these pages often while hoping against hopes to see the next installment of the Long Discourses of Robert Inchausti.

I actually had the pleasure of taking a course with Inchausti before I read his book. So many of the ideas and stories in Spitwad Sutras were those that he used in our class, so I was able to compare how effective they'd been. The only problem some people might have with it are the religious overtones; however, I feel they only add to the charm of the book. I wasn't able to put it down once--read it straight through! Inchausti offers much wisdom to those new to teaching. Give this book a read; it'll help you when you start teaching, or it might be able to revive the spark you had when you first started. Well worth the money!

Robert Inchausti has offered us here, in anecdotal and reflective form, an account of what he learned from "Brother Blake," an experienced teacher of boys. The resulting pedagogy is full of revealing stories and basic principles that most teachers would like to have learned before they ever stepped into a high school classroom. In particular, the last chapter of "maxims and aphorisms" is replete with practical wisdom. Inchausti's engaging style adds a lot to the charm of the book. His current work is at the university level where he has a chance to influence for the better many future teachers.