The Inspired Teacher

Donna Quesada had been teaching for about a dozen years when the first signs of burnout hit her. Rather than give in to her frustration, she reached for Buddha’s teachings, the Zen wisdom that formed the basis of her own longtime spiritual practice. She survived the semester and gradually rediscovered the joy in her job that had been progressively declining. In this wise and inspirational book, she shares the lessons she learned—lessons that revealed, time and again, that no matter the situation, it’s always about getting your head in the right place first. Resolution begins in our own minds. Some days, some semesters, and even some years will be more challenging and more wearisome than others, she warns. But in The Inspired Teacher, Quesada offers a lasting source of encouragement and Zen. Although the book draws from Eastern teachings, the wisdom is for everyone, regardless of personal background, creed, or faith.

With elements of The Last Lecture as well as Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul, this is the perfect gift for teachers—but also for anyone needing inspiration.

Donna Quesada is a professor at Santa Monica College. Although she has taught all facets of philosophy, her concentration is in Asian philosophy. Since 1992, she’s been a practicing Zen Buddhist, and is also a certified yoga instructor. She took her Buddhist precepts with Nyogen Yeo Roshi in 2005, the last successor of Taizan Maezumi Roshi, and the abbot of Hazy Moon Zen Center of Los Angeles. Taizan Maezumi Roshi was one of the first Japanese masters to bring Zen to the West and a seminal figure in twentieth-century Zen. Quesada lives with her family in Culver City, California.